A committee of the powerful Constitution Revision Commission advanced several constitutional amendments that may appear on voters’ ballots in November, including a proposal that would make Miami-Dade’s sheriff an elected position and an ethics measure that would bar former officials from lobbying for six years. In a three-hour meeting, the commission’s Style and Drafting Committee…
Florida voters would see 24 proposals rolled into 12 amendments on the November ballot under a preliminary proposal unanimously adopted by the Style and Drafting Committee of the powerful Constitution Revision Commission on Wednesday. The proposal was prepared by Commissioner Brecht Heuchan, chair of the committee, which has the power to decide which amendments get…
After a nearly 5-hour hearing, Leon County Judge John Cooper wasted little time Wednesday in throwing out several school districts’ challenge of HB 7069, the controversial 2017 education legislation that created a new class of charter schools, among several other measures. Cooper found the law constitutional. Read More
In a series of floor sessions in March, the full Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) trimmed down its original list of proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution from more than 100 to 24 – 5 of which are of primary interest to school boards. The proposals have now been referred to the CRC Style & Drafting…
When the members of the Constitution Revision Commission were appointed by Florida’s top political leaders, the list was full of prominent school choice advocates. It seemed the CRC was gearing up to amend Florida’s constitution to finally allow for the major expansion of school vouchers the Legislature has long sought. Instead, the 37-member commission dropped its two…
Gov. Rick Scott bragged that his final state budget continues a trend of record funding for education. “For the sixth straight year, we have secured record funding for K-12 and state universities to ensure every student has the opportunity to receive a world-class education in Florida,” he wrote in a letter to Florida Secretary of…
Florida school district leaders are faced with a school security dilemma. Lawmakers are requiring them to add armed safety officers or “guardians” to every elementary, middle and high school campus, and they set aside $170 million for the task. But that won’t come close to projected costs. The gap — as little as $500,000 in…
Gov. Rick Scott heaped praise on lawmakers for approving what he called “historic” school safety changes only three weeks after the slaughter of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. But the fast-tracked measure has hit roadblocks since Scott signed it into law earlier this month. Lawsuits and a swirl of questions about…
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,…
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…