Florida School Boards Association
TALLAHASSEE — A Senate panel Thursday approved a measure aimed at improving and expanding the Early Steps program, which serves infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and delays. The Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee backed the bill, part of a series of efforts by Senate President Andy Gardiner to help people with what…
Increasing students’ school options remains a high priority for several Florida lawmakers, who continue to file bills aiming to accomplish that goal. The latest in a string of measures is Rep. Chris Sprowls’ revival of his spring effort to codify student transfers across district boundaries. Last time, school district officials picked holes in the proposal,…
Florida school districts dramatically increased their use of a loophole in the state’s class size law last year, according to newly released Department of Education data that’s bolstering lawmakers’ call for changes to the rule. By the numbers, districts identified 56 percent more of their schools as “schools of choice” in 2014-15 than a year…
Changing the way the Volusia County school district pays for health insurance could save more than $12 million, freeing up money to give salary increases to employees, district officials say. But while the Volusia Teachers Organization has been lobbying for a pay raise, the union isn’t happy with the proposal. That’s because teachers would have to pick…
Florida continues to earn kudos for its liberal Sunshine Laws, which keep most government records and meetings open for public inspection.… Read full article
The size, shape, number and even the politics of Florida’s school districts could change dramatically if voters support a constitutional amendment proposed by two South Florida lawmakers. Sen. Jeff Brandes and state Rep. Matt Caldwell introduced legislation that would empower the Legislature to abolish existing school districts. It also would present the opportunity to create…
Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is gearing up for the next round of a months-long battle with the state over flawed standardized student tests that will also determine school grades and measure teacher performance. The controversy centers on the state’s Department of Education’s plan to use scores from the new state tests given this spring —…
Local state senator Don Gaetz sponsored a proposed bill for the 2016 Legislative Session that would loosen athletic eligibility restrictions. And it would significantly impact at least one local school district’s transfer regulations. Santa Rosa County — which serves around 27,000 students and includes Central, Gulf Breeze, Jay, Milton, Navarre and Pace high schools —…
Christmas seems to have come early this year for education advocates. After weeks of long and hard negotiations, House and Senate lawmakers have reached preliminary agreement on a bill for the long-stalled reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, multiple sources say. The agreement will set the stage for an official conference committee, which…
If the Florida Board of Education wants to increase state test cut scores to reflect NAEP proficiency, state education commissioner Pam Stewart isn’t offering any cover. Stewart has no plans to alter her Florida Standards Assessments cut score recommendations, which she issued in September, a Department of Education spokeswoman told the Gradebook. Stewart conducted a thorough…