Another facet of the debate over devoting state funds to private education companies emerged Tuesday as the Florida Legislature considered a massive expansion of charter schools in low-income neighborhoods. Read More
Today’s schedule called for consideration of the Senate’s school safety bill – SB 7030 – this afternoon in the Senate Infrastructure & Security Committee but there was not sufficient time for discussion, public testimony, and debate of the bill. Committee Chair, Tom Lee, apologized and rescheduled consideration of the bill for Tuesday, March 26. However,…
Before diving into this third week of the Legislative Session, please be sure to watch our FSBA Weekly Video Update featuring FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina providing a recap of the main events during the second week of the Session. The third week of the Legislative Session begins with a particularly busy schedule today that…
Florida House leadership has unveiled another proposal aimed at enacting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ goal of widely expanding school choice programs. This time, it would open the door for a broader influx of charter schools into the state’s poorest communities. A bill from the PreK-12 Innovation subcommittee, filed late Friday, would allow the establishment of “Hope” charter schools in “opportunity…
In a decision that could have statewide implications, an administrative law judge Tuesday ruled that the Palm Beach County School Board is required to assign safety officers to charter schools under a law passed last year. Read More
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to leverage a tax incentive championed by President Donald Trump to launch a five-fold expansion of charter schools in the state. The DeSantis budget proposed linking the state‘s Schools of Hope program to federal “opportunity zones”created by Trump’s $1.5 billion tax plan. At least 247 Florida communities would be eligible for…
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a wide-range of teacher pay proposals that include an increase of $422 million in rewards for teachers and a higher percentage of black teachers who would received the rewards. Read More
Most of the 3rd week of Legislative Interim Committee Meetings provided presentations on the implementation of legislation that passed during the 2018 Legislative Session. Of particular interest were presentations to both the House and Senate Committees on the implementation of SB 7026 – last year’s school safety bill. Please click on the files below for a summary of…
State Senate President Bill Galvano told a Sarasota business audience Tuesday that the more conservative Florida Supreme Court being fashioned by Gov. Ron DeSantis could pave the way for education reforms that had been struck down in the past. “We have a new court,” Galvano, R-Bradenton, told a sold-out crowd of 270 at the Argus…
Governor-elect Ron DeSantis‘ Education and Workforce Development Committee continued deliberations Friday, its last telephonic meeting ahead of final recommendations to come. A previous meeting of the group emphasized school choice and accountability, concepts that jibe with the reform agenda of incoming Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Read More