Florida School Boards Association
It’s the second time around for a bill that would allow Florida students to attend the public school of their choice. But unlike last year, when the measure was first introduced, this year’s effort is bringing sharp critiques from Democrats. Last year, Florida lawmakers expressed intrigue in a bill that would let kids attend schools…
TALLAHASSEE – A state senator from St. Petersburg says he might wade into the controversial issue of prayer at high school athletic events during this legislative session. Republican Jeff Brandes’ interest in the topic stems from an incident in December when the Florida High School Athletic Association wouldn’t allow two Christian schools — Tampa’s Cambridge Christian School…
A sweeping proposal to bring “school choice” to Florida high school athletics and other extracurricular activities passed its first Senate committee Thursday, despite concerns that it could encourage rampant recruiting of student-athletes. Senate Bill 684 — approved unanimously by the Senate Pre-K-12 Education Committee — builds on lawmakers’ efforts in recent years to grant more flexibility for student-athletes…
Republican Sen. Don Gaetz wants to the Office of Vocational Rehab to do better when it comes to placing people with disabilities in jobs. Monday the Senate’s Higher Education Committee approved a bill requiring vocational rehabilitation to develop a performance improvement plan and submit an annual report card to the Governor and legislature. “Most of…
AS HE OFTEN DOES WHEN DISCUSSING the merits of education bills before the Legislature, state Sen. Don Gaetz is drawing heavily on his days as a school board member and district superintendent from 1994 to 2006. “For way too long, children with intellectual and physical disabilities have been pushed to the margins of education,” he…
TAMPA — Graduation rates for Florida’s class of 2015 are the highest the state has seen in 12 years, according to data released today by the Florida Department of Education. Statewide, the percentage of students who completed high school within four years of enrolling in ninth grade increased to 77.8 percent – 1.7 percentage points…
Florida’s high school graduation rate continued on a steady climb to almost 78 percent in 2015. The graduation rate — 77.8 percent — was a slight increase from around 76 percent last year. Asian students had the highest graduation rates in Florida with nearly 91 percent graduating in 2015. White students and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander…
TAMPA — With students already preparing for the first round of standardized tests for 2016, state officials are set to finally decide what to do with 2015’s test scores. Despite calls from the state’s superintendents to do without schools grades for 2015, the Florida Board of Education is poised to vote Wednesday in Tallahassee on…
For the 700,000 students in Miami-Dade and Broward public schools, it was just another day in class. For school leaders, it was a day of decisions and vigilance. South Florida schools opened their doors Thursday morning despite threats — deemed “less than credible” — that had been sent in emails similar to ones sent to…
The Rowlett Academy for Arts and Communication presents a solid case study of success in the operation of a charter school. With parents deeply involved in the education of their children and in the performance of the converted district school, Rowlett stands in sharp contrast to the failures of many charters. These tuition-free public schools,…