TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott surprised many observers on Tuesday when he announced plans to veto $256 million in projects, a much smaller list than expected after lawmakers blocked some of his top legislative priorities. While it’s more than $200 million larger than the veto list last year, which sparked anger among many members who…
Many high school voters will be casting their ballots for the first time this Tuesday. Historically, most 18 year olds don’t participate in elections. And the 2014 midterm election was no exception. About one in four 18 year olds registered; 12.5 percent reported voting, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. Even during the last presidential election, only one-third…
TALLAHASSEE — The Legislature sent a massive omnibus education bill to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk on Friday after spending the final hours of the 2016 legislative session negotiating privately and trading several amendments that were each more than a hundred pages long. The House voted 82-33 on Friday to pass a heavily amended HB 7029, a…
A wide-ranging education bill dealing with everything from funding for high-performing universities to high-school membership in athletic associations made it through the final day of the legislative session Friday, despite the long odds that such policy “trains” often face. But in the process, lawmakers cut a provision aimed at ensuring that taxpayer-provided construction dollars for…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS The Legislature has adjourned, sine die, after passing the state budget and related appropriations bills as well as a lengthy list of education related bills. With regard to the education budget, we are working on our detailed analysis of the education portions of the budget but, in the meantime, we have prepared a…
1. Harvard’s multiyear initiative to transform K-12 education: http://edredesign.org/by-all-means 2. Increase in bomb threats? You are not alone: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/08/schools–computer-bomb-threats/81489322/ 3. Heard of the “Stop Swatting in Our Schools Act”? http://www.chron.com/news/article/Proposed-federal-bill-would-combat-swatting-in-6873330.php 4. SXSWedu takeaways: https://www.the74million.org/article/3-things-we-learned-about-the-future-of-education-at-south-by-southwest-education 5. John B. King, Jr. closer to being confirmed as Education Secretary: http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-03-09/senate-committee-votes-to-approve-new-education-secretary
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the Senate Session: Bills on 3rd Reading: HB 189 – Teacher Certification by Diaz – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE SENATE; PASSED THE LEGISLATURE Providing alternative requirements for earning a professional educator certificate that covers certain grades, etc. HB 1147 – Character Development Instruction by Latvala — READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE SENATE; PASSED THE LEGISLATURE Requiring…
TALLAHASSEE — Florida voters will be asked to vote on three constitutional amendments dealing with taxes. The Florida Legislature on Wednesday approved three amendments for the ballot. One of the amendments (HJR 1009) would grant a property tax break to any first responders who were disabled in the line of duty. Another one of the…
TALLAHASSEE — A proposed law that cleared the Florida Legislature on Wednesday should give local government entities — such as Miami-Dade Public Schools — faster access to their tax revenue and the ability to more accurately plan their annual budgets. Officials with the Miami-Dade school district have, for years, complained that lengthy delays in tax…
TALLAHASSEE — A wide-ranging education bill with more than a dozen significant policy proposals passed the Florida Senate without any debate Wednesday on the measure’s most consequential components. HB 7029 deals with capital funding for charter and traditional public schools, accountability measures for charter schools, open enrollment in K-12 public schools, high school athletics and…