Florida School Boards Association
House leaders have revealed detailed plans for boosting charter schools after pledging for weeks to invest heavily in alternatives to traditional public education. House education committees this week approved three proposed committee bills that would ease the proliferation of charter schools, including giving them access to significantly more public money. Read More
Tallahassee, FL – In our Week 3 update, FSBA Member Communications Manager BillieAnne Gay covers assessment, government oversight, and legislative happenings from the 22nd Floor of the Capitol.
The superintendent of Florida’s largest school district says he has “grave concern” about state lawmakers’ proposed reforms in how charter schools get taxpayer funding for maintenance and construction projects. Read More
A complicated and controversial measure to change how Florida’s 4,300 public schools get taxpayer money for construction and maintenance projects is limping through the Florida Senate, advancing even as lawmakers agree it needs a lot more work before it might become law. Senators behind the measure (SB 376) envision the final bill would have two…
Once again, Florida lawmakers will try to force school districts to share part of their local tax dollars with charter schools so that those privately managed schools can enjoy the same access to funding for maintenance and construction projects as traditional public schools. Read More
Half of a two-part effort to bridge differences between charter schools and traditional public schools over construction funding was approved Tuesday by a Senate committee — but the other measure was left to an uncertain future. The Senate Education Committee voted 6-2 to advance legislation (SB 376) that would require school districts to share construction…
The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos on Tuesday as education secretary, approving the embattled nominee only with the help of a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Read More
The DeVos nomination moved out of committee today on a 12-11 party vote and now goes to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm her as U.S education secretary. A billionaire school choice advocate from Michigan, DeVos requires a simple majority to win. Read More
A pair of Florida court decisions this week dealt severe blows to traditional public education, in one case upholding corporate tax vouchers for private schools, in another, diminishing the role of local school boards in deciding what charter schools may operate. Read More