More than 25 of the 49 booster clubs that support Escambia County schools are not in compliance with federal tax regulations. David Bryant, Escambia County School District director of internal auditing, said a review of the status of Outside Support Organizations (OSOs) revealed that 18 booster clubs had never applied for tax-exempt status, and eight…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Education Committee: HB 41 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Metz – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Revises criteria that determine hazardous walking conditions for public school students; revises procedures for inspection & identification of hazardous conditions; authorizes district school superintendents to initiate formal request for correction of…
A contentious proposal that would let designated teachers bring their guns to school suffered a serious setback Tuesday when a Senate panel declined to vote on it. Because the Senate Education Committee won’t meet again, the bill (SB 180) won’t have another opportunity for a committee hearing. It could still be incorporated into another proposal,…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee: HB 1083 – Employment of Individuals With Disabilities by Rooney — PASSED Provides legislative findings & purpose; requires specified state agencies & organizations to develop & implement interagency cooperative agreement for certain purposes. In the Senate Community Affairs Committee: SB 1372 – Government Accountability by D.…
“It is not the critic who counts … the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who strives valiantly…” Theodore Roosevelt It takes considerable initiative for citizens to respectfully yet boldly confront lawmakers. It takes courageous leadership for legislators to admit and correct costly blunders. But that’s what happened last…
TALLAHASSEE — Four years after championing a law that inadvertently made sexting an unenforceable crime in Florida, a state senator is pushing to close that loophole. The Legislature in 2011 set out to update out-of-date statutes to address minors who send nude photos to other minors. “Unfortunately it was not written in the proper posture,”…
FSBA LEGISLATIVE VIDEO UPDATE #4 Our Video Update for the 4th week of the 2015 Legislative Session has been posted on the FSBA website at www.fsba.org – you may access the video by clicking on the link to 2015 Legislative Session Video Update 4 under “Legislative Session Updates” (located below the pictures on our main page) or by using…
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. Florida legislators on Friday endorsed a line of changes for the state’s public schools, including easing class size penalties for school districts and encouraging students to start wearing uniforms. The Florida House passed several education bills, including one that would let privately-run but publicly-funded charter schools tap into local property taxes to pay…
A movement by parents to boycott or “opt out” of the new state assessments is small but growing, organizers say, especially on Florida’s First Coast. About 3,000 people have joined “opt out” groups around the state, said Sandy Stenoff, a parent who founded Opt Out Orlando, the oldest of the groups with 2,962 members. It…
NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education Announces 2015-2016 Leadership March 26, 2015 Alexandria, Va. (March 26, 2015) – The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) elected leaders and new members to its Steering Committee as part of NSBA’s 75th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Van Henri White of…