FSBA Daily Updates: Legislative Session 02-15-2016

TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In recognition of Presidents’ Day, there were no legislative committee meetings of interest today. COMING UP TOMORROW [NOTE: Nearly all meetings may be viewed via live webcast or archived videos on the Florida Channel athttp://thefloridachannel.org/.] The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will meet (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following item and others: SB 408 – Juvenile…

Recess bill won’t get Senate hearing, Education Committee chairman says

Sorry, recess moms. The push to mandate 20 minutes of daily recess in Florida’s elementary schools, which passed three House committees without opposition, won’t be heard by the Senate Education Committee this session. “I am not going to put it on the agenda,” committee chairman Sen. John Legg told the Gradebook. “It doesn’t merit a Tallahassee solution.”…

FSBA #FridayFive – Week of Feb. 8, 2016

1.    Online learning is here to stay:  http://www.kpk12.com/wp-content/uploads/Evergreen_KeepingPace_2015.pdf 2.    Education may cut dementia risk:  http://www.techtimes.com/articles/132727/20160211/can-education-reduce-alzheimers-risk-study-finds-link-between-dementia-and-high-school-diploma.htm 3.    Low performing students:  why they fall behind and how to help them succeed:http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/Low-performers-infographic-EN.pdf 4.    2016 Florida Tax Handbook released:http://edr.state.fl.us/content/revenues/reports/tax-handbook/taxhandbook2016.pdf 5.    King officially nominated as Education Secretary by Obama:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/02/11/obama-to-nominate-john-b-king-jr-to-officially-take-the-role-of-education-secretary/  

Rep. Fresen’s close ties to charter schools continue to raise questions of conflict

TALLAHASSEE – A familiar face is back at the center of a perennial tug-of-war in the Florida Legislature between privately-managed charter schools and district-run public schools over taxpayer money for construction projects: Erik Fresen, the Miami Republican who controls the purse for education funding in the Florida House. His connections to the charter school industry…