A measure that would help more juvenile offenders avoid arrest and the stained record that comes with it received its first favorable vote in the 2017 Legislature. Senate Bill 196 requires law enforcement officers to write civil citations or enroll minors in some type of diversion program when they are first-time offenders accused of certain…
A pair of Florida court decisions this week dealt severe blows to traditional public education, in one case upholding corporate tax vouchers for private schools, in another, diminishing the role of local school boards in deciding what charter schools may operate. Read More
Friday is the last day to apply to be a member of what may be one of the most influential groups assembled in Florida in two decades — the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission. The unique panel has the power to put proposals directly on the 2018 mid-term ballot to reform and update the state’s constitution,…
5 Things You Should Know. FSBA’s #FridayFive brings you education news that you shouldn’t miss. Read. Learn. Share. Sen. Lamar Alexander on “Supplement not Supplant” being dropped Your out of school suspension rate ought to be on your radar Virtual reality buoys elementary science curriculum Skateboarders illustrate physics to students Federal School Improvement Grants’ effectiveness…
A state appeals court on Wednesday rejected the Palm Beach County School Board’s claim that it alone should decide which charter schools open in the county, handing a partial victory to a charter that the school board has been fighting for two years to prevent from opening. But the court also ordered a state board…
The long legal fight against Florida’s corporate tax credit scholarship program appears to be over. The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear the Florida Education Association’s petition seeking standing to challenge the program. Read More
Florida education officials hope to tackle out-of-school suspensions, working with local leaders to limit the use of the discipline strategy in districts around the state. State education commissioner Pam Stewart has begun talking with superintendents about cutting down on out-of-school suspensions and also addressing their inequitable distribution, she said at a Board of Education meeting…
Several Interim Legislative Committee meetings were held this week. Among the more significant meetings, the Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittee focused on K-12 Assessments Policy and Funding. A panel comprised of Commissioner Pam Stewart and five district superintendents — Kurt Browning (Pasco), Mike Grego (Pinellas), Walt Griffin (Seminole), Ken Kenworthy (Okeechobee), and Tom Russell (Volusia). DOE offered a…
Are there too many federal early learning programs? This question has been contentiously debated and discussed in Washington, DC for years. Are programs that simply permit funding for early learning as a part of a larger initiative, such as Title I or English Language Acquisition grants, considered early learning programs? Read More
Key Florida senators will push sweeping legislation this spring that aims to cut the number of standardized exams students take and lessen the impact testing has on public schools. These members want a “return to sanity,” said Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, who is spearheading the effort. Read More