Florida School Boards Association
A proposal that would reduce the testing requirements for Florida schoolchildren — and delay the release of school grades until the new state exams are deemed valid — is headed to Gov. Rick Scott‘s desk. The Florida House passed the high-profile bill (HB 7069) in a 105-6 vote Thursday. Observers had questioned whether the conservative…
School choice in the form of charter schools offers parents good options for their children’s education. But corporate welfare in the form of taxpayer-funded construction of private facilities is another matter entirely. Once again, the Legislature is on track to favor charters over public schools, with the House considering diverting tens of millions of dollars…
For the eighth time in 12 years, Florida lawmakers are looking to roll back voters’ wishes for smaller class sizes. Backed by school districts that struggle annually to meet the strict caps, the Legislature is poised to end penalties for school districts when classes get too big. Instead, fines would apply when schools don’t reach…
The state Senate vote 32-4 to approve a measure that aims to reduce the number of tests students in Florida’s public schools take each year. The move came after several hours of fiery debate and promises from lawmakers that they will continue to evaluate the state’s testing and accountability system. “Several colleagues have come to…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Responding to the ongoing backlash about Florida’s standardized testing, the Florida Senate on Thursday passed a sweeping bill that would place limits on the use of tests in the state’s public schools. The vote followed two days of debate during which some leading Republican senators said that the state had gone too…
Florida’s public schools should be able to start new school years as early as Aug. 10 — two weeks earlier than they can open this year — Florida Senate leaders say, agreeing to a plan already approved by the House. The reason it changed was a grass roots effort in South Florida by a group…
After weaving its way through several committees and hours of debate on the Senate floor, a bill to limit standardized testing in Florida was finally approved by the Senate on Thursday, passing 32-4. SB 616, sponsored by Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, cuts back on statewide standardized testing and would completely eliminate the required 11th-grade Florida…
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate took a critical step Wednesday toward temporarily suspending school grades in response to the outcry statewide among parents, teachers and superintendents who want a smoother transition as the state shifts to new standards and tests. The Senate added a provision to its sweeping testing bill (SB 616) that would require…
More than 25 of the 49 booster clubs that support Escambia County schools are not in compliance with federal tax regulations. David Bryant, Escambia County School District director of internal auditing, said a review of the status of Outside Support Organizations (OSOs) revealed that 18 booster clubs had never applied for tax-exempt status, and eight…
A contentious proposal that would let designated teachers bring their guns to school suffered a serious setback Tuesday when a Senate panel declined to vote on it. Because the Senate Education Committee won’t meet again, the bill (SB 180) won’t have another opportunity for a committee hearing. It could still be incorporated into another proposal,…