Public Schools Dealt Blows in Pair of Court Decisions Favoring Vouchers and Charters

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

Want to change Florida’s Constitution? Today is application deadline for revision board

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,…

FSBA #FridayFive – Week of January 16, 2017

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…

Court gives charter school partial win against PBC school board

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…

State education leaders target out-of-school suspensions that disproportionately impact black students

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…

FSBA Session Spotlight — January 9-13, 2017

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…