DeSantis education advisory panel calls for more choice, accountability in Florida schools

After two hours of discussion Thursday, Kim McDougal was enthusiastic.  “It’s a great day,” the former chief of staff and top education adviser to Gov. Rick Scott told colleagues attending Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ education transition team meeting.  “We’re moving from school choice to informed, high quality school choice,” she said. Read More

Public school allies sound the alarm over Corcoran recommendation and committee chairs

Public school advocates don’t like what they see and hear coming out of Tallahassee.Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’s selection of Richard Corcoran as his choice to be the next Education Commissioner and the appointment of two pro-charter school lawmakers – with questionable credentials, according to their critics – have led public education allies on the left and…

DeSantis names wide-ranging education transition committee

While speculation swirls over who he wants to be Florida’s next education commissioner, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced his 41-person team to develop a plan aimed at implementing his education goals.  The list includes a broad cross-section of the state’s education advocacy groups, representing everything from district public schools to home schools. Some of…

Florida Supreme Court considers education funding challenge

Florida’s Supreme Court justices gave just a few hints Thursday of how they’re thinking about a 9-year-old case that contends, essentially, that the Legislature has shortchanged some students in the state’s public education system.  The case, Citizens for Strong Schools vs. Florida Board of Education, focuses on the Florida constitution’s mandate that the state has a “paramount…

Florida Supreme Court details clash over education ballot measure

After saying last month that it was blocking a controversial education measure from the November ballot, the Florida Supreme Court has released details of the ruling that show sharp differences about a proposal that one justice said would have brought a “monumental” change to the state Constitution.  Justices, in a 4-3 decision, said the proposed…

Spending Bill Boosting Education Funding Clears Congress, Heads to Trump

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is very close to knowing how much money her department has to spend in the next fiscal year.  On Wednesday, the House approved a spending package that includes fiscal 2019 funding for the U.S. Department of Education. The legislation, which the Senate passed last week, includes several increases for…

Court got half its rulings right on amendments | Bill Cotterell

If a ballplayer batted .500, it would be stupendous.  If a team wins half its games and loses the other half, it might be called a rebuilding year. If you broke even in a casino, you’d figure it’s better than losing.  But Florida voters had a coin toss land on its edge this month in…

Florida Supreme Court strikes Amendment 8 from November ballot

A controversial proposed constitutional amendment that could have significantly altered Florida’s public education landscape will not go to voters in November.  In a narrowly divided 4-3 decision, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled Amendment 8 should remain off the ballot. It upheld the order of Leon County Judge John Cooper, who found the measure’s title and summary misleading. Read More