Gov. Scott details timeline for school district safety upgrades after Parkland shooting

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has sent a letter to the state’s school superintendents and school board members, detailing his expectations for school security upgrades.  The letter includes a timeline for response by school districts to the fatal shooting on Feb. 14 of 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,…

Federal Spending Bill Would Boost Education Aid, Reject Trump Choice Push

Lawmakers sent a message to President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in their bill to fund the federal government: We’re not the biggest fans of your big education ideas.  Congress would increase spending at the U.S. Department of Education by $2.6 billion over previously enacted levels in fiscal year 2018, up…

School Board member term limits moves forward in Florida Constitution Revision Commission

Term limits for school board members — one of the most popular proposals before the Florida Constitution Revision Commission — took a step closer to the November ballot on Wednesday.  The measure, which would hold board members to two consecutive terms if approved, won strong support from the commission. It voted 27-6 to advance the…

Charter schools firm asks districts to provide resource officers to all its campuses by April 1

Just days after Gov. Rick Scott signed Florida’s new school safety rules into law, one of the state’s largest charter schools made a big ask of the 13 districts where it operates.  “In keeping with the spirit of the Act, we request that a full time School Resource Officer be provided to each of the…

Constitution Revision Commission member Donalds withdraws proposal to end superintendent elections in Florida

A proposal to ask voters to end Florida’s practice of allowing school districts to elect their superintendents will not go to the state Constitution Revision Commission today, as had been anticipated.  Its sponsor, Collier County School Board member Erika Donalds, quietly withdrew the item from further consideration late Tuesday. It already had won support from…

Sarasota school tax referendum passes

Sarasota County voters on Tuesday resoundingly approved a four-year extension of an optional local property tax for the school district, passing the measure by the most lopsided margin ever.  With all precincts reporting, nearly 79 percent of the 62,896 votes tabulated were in favor of continuing the tax, according to unofficial results posted by the…

Manatee voters approve tax increase for schools

Voters in Manatee County narrowly approved a property tax increase that will generate an estimated $33 million annually in new revenue for the school district and give teachers an average pay supplement of close to $6,000, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.  With all 70 districts reporting, the referendum question on the tax received just…

Secretary DeVos Releases Restart Funding Application for Disaster Impacted Students, Schools

Today, Secretary DeVos released the application for state educational agencies (SEAs) to apply for initial funding under the Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (Restart) program. The release follows DeVos’ recent announcement of $2.7 billion in federal assistance to help K-12 school districts and schools as well as institutions of higher education in their recovery…

CRC readies to head into the homestretch in its amendment making process

After spending months discussing more than a hundred possible changes to the Florida Constitution, a state commission on Monday will head into its homestretch and begin the task of narrowing the list of proposed amendments to be placed on the November for voters to decide on.  The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), appointed once every…

FSBA Session Spotlight — March 12, 2018

The 2018 Legislative Session adjourned, sine die, on Sunday evening with the passage of the $88.7 billion state budget, budget implementing bill, and a tax relief bill.  On the same day, Governor Scott signed Senate President Joe Negron’s priority legislation relating to post-secondary education ( SB 4) and House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s priority legislation relating to…