Florida School Boards Association
The November general election might seem distant to many Floridians, who still await a list of candidates for many of the August primaries. But the bottom of the ballot will be filled with more than a dozen amendments that will compete for attention with more high-profile races including U.S. senator and the state’s governor. Attaining the…
Some private schools in Florida that rely on public funding teach students that dinosaurs and humans lived together, that God’s intervention prevented Catholics from dominating North America and that slaves who “knew Christ” were better off than free men who did not.The lessons taught at these schools come from three Christian publishing companies whose textbooks…
Nobody cares more about civics education and involvement than former Florida Governor Bob Graham does. He’s the author of a book on the subject and the founder of a center for public service at the University of Florida. He knows it’s an important issue that needs more attention in our schools. Abundant studies show that…
The Constitution Revision Commission concluded its agenda last week having squandered most of its rare and precious opportunity. It deserves a harsh judgment from the public in November. The eight amendments it voted to put on the ballot are a mishmash of the good, the bad, and the unnecessary, mostly packaged in ways that deny…
The Florida Department of Education sent in its revised federal school accountability plan Monday, months after the U.S. Education department said multiple revisions were needed. In its updated version, the state said it had filed for a waiver of certain testing rules for middle school students in science and math, so they do not have to…
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission has voted to approve ballot language for changes to Article IX of our constitution, relating to public, K-12 education. Duval voters have good reasons to reject the proposal. Read More
The Florida Constitution Revision’s already controversial education proposal is quickly gaining its own social media tag based on its anticipated spot on the November ballot — #Amendment8. If that sounds familiar to education advocates across the state, it should. Eight years ago, they waged a heated campaign for a different Amendment 8 also focused on schools.…
Despite calls to treat each idea separately, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission has sent a proposal to voters that would set school board member term limits, require civic education in public schools, and allow for the creation of a state charter school authorizer. Commission member Roberto Martinez, a former State Board of Education chairman and…
In the Florida Legislature, the act of lumping several unrelated ideas together in one bill is called logrolling, and it’s generally frowned upon. In the vicennial Florida Constitution Revision Commission, it’s allowed. And commissioners are taking that liberty on several measures, including three that they’re recommending be combined into one education question (P 6003). The…
It’s beginning to look like a long day at the polls Nov. 6. If the Constitution Revision Commission doesn’t come to its senses, there will be 17 amendments on the ballot, an unenviable record. Some of its members worried aloud the other day about “voter fatigue,” as well they should. When there were merely 11…