Florida School Boards Association
The Florida Board of Education on Friday backed a budget plan that would eliminate funding for the state’s controversial two-year-old Best and Brightest bonus, which rewards teachers based on their job evaluations and their SAT or ACT scores. Read full article
One hour. For 311 Florida elementary schools, that’s the length of time they’ve been told to extend their day this year, just to focus on reading. It could be the fix that lifts them off the list of lowest performing schools on the state’s language arts test. Or not. Read full article
The state university system’s Board of Governors this week will debate expanding the Bright Futures scholarship program to cover summer classes. The proposal, which could cost up to $46.7 million, is a top priority for Gov. Rick Scott, who sees broader use of the merit scholarship program as a way to help students graduate in…
If you need financial aid to help you pay for college, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). The 2017–18 FAFSA will be available on October 1, 2016 — three months earlier than usual — at 12 a.m. Central time. You should fill it out as soon as possible on the official government site, fafsa.gov. To…
After months of criticism from Republican lawmakers, state chiefs, and teachers’ unions on its approach to spending rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act, the U.S. Department of Education last week released a new proposal that appears to give districts and states some additional flexibility when it comes to ensuring federal funds for low-income students…
Florida economists delivered some sobering news Wednesday to state lawmakers: Money is tight. Citing rising costs — especially in Medicaid spending where pharmaceutical costs have been climbing — economists forecast a $1.3 billion budget shortfall by 2018, when Gov. Rick Scott will be entering his final year as Florida’s chief executive. Read full article
Florida will have very little extra money to spend in the coming year, meaning that top legislators and Gov. Rick Scott may have slash the state budget to meet some of their promises. The annual forecast released Tuesday shows that despite the state’s gradual economic recovery Florida is expected to bring in just enough money…
Congress’ failure to provide emergency funding to combat the Zika virus has led to dire consequences — at the worst possible time. As pointed out recently by Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National…
Often the key benchmark used to assess the strength of the labor market is the unemployment rate. But in a Labor Day-timed snapshot on how Florida workers are faring, researchers at Florida International University zeroed in on two other numbers: $39,099 and $28,236. The first is the average annual salary in Florida; the second figure…
States should back a proposed federal program that could initially have them take on more disaster recovery costs — but with the ability to lower the tab by investing in preparedness, Florida’s emergency director said Wednesday. If the states don’t go along, they’ll risk Congress simply shifting more costs to the states without their input,…