SESSION: Day 1 Schedule

Today marks the first day of Florida’s 2021 Legislative Session. Legislators have arrived in Tallahassee for 60 (or possibly more) days of policy making and budget balancing. Several bills were filed over the weekend that contain language that could potentially affect school districts and school boards. FSBA will provide an updated bill tracking list this…

U.S. Department of Education Letter: Assessment, Accountability, and Reporting Requirements for School Year 2020-2021

February 22, 2021 Good evening, Late this afternoon the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to the chief state school officers “inviting states to request a waiver for the 2020-2021 school year of the accountability and school identification requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).  A state receiving this waiver would not…

MEMO: Senate President Simpson, 2021 Opening Day and Session Protocols

THE FLORIDA SENATE SENATOR WILTON SIMPSON President MEMORANDUM SUITE 409, THE CAPITOL, 404 SOUTH MONROE STREET ▪ TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-1100 ▪ TELEPHONE (850) 487-5229 Senate’s Website: www.flsenate.gov TO: All Senators All Senate Professional Staff FROM: Wilton Simpson SUBJECT: 2021 Opening Day and Session Protocols DATE: February 17, 2021 Thank you for your partnership and commitment…

UPDATE: Governor Issues EO-01 DOE Testing, Accountability Discussed During Senate Committee (February 15)

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued 2021-E0-01: WAIVING STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE FLORIDA EDUCATION CODE, AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 20-52, MADE NECESSARY BY THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.  The order suspends portions of section 1008.22(7), F.S., to modify spring 2021 testing windows and extend the release of assessment…

MEMO: Student Membership Counts & Federal Funds (sent by House Speaker Chris Sprowls)

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Chris Sprowls, Speaker To: Florida’s District School Superintendents From: Chris Sprowls, Speaker Date: February 11, 2021 Re: Student Membership Counts & Federal Funds Dear Florida Superintendents, As you know firsthand, COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges and unforeseen complications to the delivery of K-12 public education in Florida. I appreciate all that…

REPORT: Interim Committees Week 3

Week 3 of Interim Committee Meetings is now complete. Several education-related bills were heard this week and committees continued hearing presentations and budget updates. Covid-19 protocols remain in place for both House and Senate, but we encourage members to access resources on our Legislative Session page and to continue communicating with their local delegations on…