For many parents with disabled children in public school systems, the lure of the private school voucher is strong. Vouchers for special needs students have been endorsed by the Trump administration, and they are often heavily promoted by state education departments and by private schools, which rely on them for tuition dollars. So for families…
On Wednesday, both chambers will review their respective budgets – SB 2500 and HB 5001 — and related budget implementing bills and budget conforming bills on 2nd Reading. Most of these bills are summarized individually below except for the education related portions of the budget and the provisions of the Charter School Capital Outlay Funding…
Several parents who oppose standardized-testing requirements in public schools are taking their battle to the Florida Supreme Court. The parents last week filed a notice that is a first step in asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal in a case related to what is known as…
Florida lawmakers could overhaul the state’s testing system this year, cutting the number of exams students take and reducing the impact it has on public schools. Or they could tweak it, shifting testing to later in the school year and studying whether national exams — such as the ACT and SAT — could in a…
House and Senate leaders began laying down markers for budget negotiations, ahead of votes this week that could begin the process of hammering out a compromise on the state spending plan for the year beginning July 1. The back-and-forth began as the chambers stand roughly $4 billion apart, with sizable differences on spending for public…
Florida has channeled billions of taxpayer dollars into scholarships for poor children to attend private schools over the past 15 years, using tax credits to build a laboratory for school choice that the Trump administration holds up as a model for the nation. The voucherlike program, the largest of its kind in the country, helps…
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran wants nonprofits that have operated high-performing charter schools in other states to replicate their success here. To that end, he’s made them an offer: $200 million to cover facilities costs, personnel and specialized educational offerings, plus a wish list of statutory and regulatory changes designed to help them prosper. But…
A bill that would expand two of the state’s school-choice programs is heading to the House floor after gaining approval Thursday from the House Education Committee. The proposal (HB 15), sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, was amended Thursday to add back provisions that would expand the reach of the Gardiner Scholarship program, aimed…
Tallahassee, FL – Week 5 of the Florida Legislative Session has come to an end. Watch this FSBA Legislative Weekly Update for highlights, and visit the FSBA Session Spotlight Blog and 2017 Legislative Session page for in-depth summaries, resources, and analyses.
This week marks the mid-point of the Legislative Session and has brought attention to key bills that directly address the priorities identified in the FSBA 2017 Legislative Platform: assessment and accountability, education funding, and capital outlay funding. During this very hectic week, the Senate Education Committee took up SB 926 relating to K-12 Student Assessments…