Florida School Boards Association
Florida’s public education system could see millions of dollars of funding reduced in the coming year, under scenarios put forth Tuesday by the state House Appropriations Committee. Citing flat revenue this year, with anticipated declines in the coming two years, chairman Rep. Carlos Trujillo asked members to go through a budget cutting exercise aimed at…
Seeking to keep higher-education costs low and help more students graduate on time, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday will outline an ambitious legislative agenda to cap student fees, eliminate sales taxes on textbook purchases and extend the Bright Futures scholarships to summer classes. Read More
Florida ranked 29th and earned a grade of C on an annual report on education quality in the United States released today. The report ranked and graded all 50 states. The Sunshine State’s showing was slightly better this year than last — when it was ranked as 30th in the nation– but put it about where its…
Senator David Simmons says teachers shouldn’t have to hold down second jobs: “It breaks my heart when I see teachers having to work in the evening just to make ends meet and we’ve got to improve teacher compensation,” he says. Simmons, an Altamont Springs Republican, is chairing his chamber’s K-12 Education Committee. And he says…
State lawmakers will need to decide whether to hold property taxes flat or have the option of providing a significant funding increase to public schools, the chairman of the Senate budget-writing committee said Thursday. The remarks added new urgency to an emerging debate over what to do about a decision by the Legislature early this…
Sen. David Simmons, an Altamonte Springs Republican who chairs the Senate’s public-education budget subcommittee, said Wednesday he will make another push that could reduce the amount of standardized testing in Florida schools. During the first meeting of the Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Simmons framed over-testing as something that crimps the state’s ability to spend…
Each week, FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina selects top news stories you don’t want to miss. Check back each Friday for 5 Things You Should Know. Share this post on social media by clicking on the Twitter or Facebook icons at the bottom of the page. PISA (international education comparisons) results are out National Science…
State budget forecasters determined Tuesday that tax revenue supporting projects to build and repair schools will drop by 5 percent next year and that bonds may be an alternative. Read full article
Florida House freshmen attended an introductory course to writing a state budget Tuesday. They learned that the process gives them sweeping authority, but within the limits of fiscal reality. At present, Florida government is running a $3 billion reserve within a total budget of around $83.5 billion. But if spending continues at existing levels, that…
Florida education funding could face tight times in the coming legislative session, with revenue low and competition for resources high. But key state senators told the state’s school board members this week that they remained staunch supporters of public schools, and they would work to direct as much money as possible into the system, while…