Florida House budget leaders look to cut spending, including in education

Florida’s public education system could see millions of dollars of funding reduced in the coming year, under scenarios put forth Tuesday by the state House Appropriations Committee.  Citing flat revenue this year, with anticipated declines in the coming two years, chairman Rep. Carlos Trujillo asked members to go through a budget cutting exercise aimed at…

More Florida teachers qualify for smaller Best and Brightest bonus

A growing number of Florida teachers has qualified for the controversial Best and Brightest bonus that’s based, in part, on their college entry exam scores.   Districts deemed 7,188 educators as eligible for the state-funded award, which boosts the pay of teachers who earned a “highly effective” evaluation rating and also scored in the top 20…