In the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee: HB 143 – American Founders’ Month by Bileca — PASSED Designates September as “American Founders’ Month”; authorizes Governor to annually designate month; requires district school boards to celebrate American Founders by observing American Founders’ Month; provides that instruction may be integrated into existing school curriculum. HB 153 – Literacy Jump Start Pilot…
In the House Government Operations Subcommittee: HB 565 – Retirement by Beshears – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Authorizes local agency employers to reassess designation of positions for inclusion in SMS Class; provides for removal of certain positions. In the Senate Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee: SB 380 – Persons with…
In the Local Government Affairs Subcommittee: HB 527 – Public Works Projects by Van Zant – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Prohibits state & political subdivisions that contract for construction, maintenance, repair, or improvement of public works from imposing certain conditions on certain contractors, subcontractors, or material suppliers or carriers; provides exception; prohibits state…
There are six bills in the Florida legislature to loosen gun restrictions in school and emergency scenarios. One bill that is gaining momentum would allow concealed guns on college campuses in Florida. Students, faculty and parents gathered on the capitol steps, asking the legislature to slow down on those six bills. Richar Martinez’s 20-year -old…
A Florida House panel gave its unanimous support Monday to a bill that would reduce the amount of testing in public schools. A similar proposal passed out of its first committee in the Senate last week — albeit along party lines. A few members of the public weighed in on the House proposal on Monday,…
As the second week of standardized testing gets underway across Florida, a House committee is expected today to advance its plan to ease back on required assessments. But a Senate panel is on a similar course, but announced it wants to first learn more about the difficulties many counties have faced with administering the new…
Florida’s standardized exams that debuted last week suffered from cyber attacks that led to blank screens throughout the state as students attempted to take the tests, the Department of Education said Monday. Citing testing provider American Institutes for Research, the state education department said the hack, which is being investigated by the Florida Department of…
Last week, dozens of Florida school districts had to postpone state testing because of problems with the new Florida Standards Assessments. Students couldn’t log in to the online writing exam — and some who did were booted out and temporarily lost their answers. The problems seem to have been resolved Thursday. By Friday, more than…
FSBA LEGISLATIVE WEEKLY VIDEO UPDATE Our first Video Update for 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 1 under “Legislative Session Updates” (located below the pictures on our main page) or by using…
In our first Video Update for the 2015 Legislative Session, Interim Executive Director Bill Graham presents an overview of Florida’s public education system, the improving state economy, potential funding for education, and some education issues that have arisen during this first week of the Session.