Now, in the final week of the session, lawmakers have about $1.2 billion in surplus, bonus money that can go pretty much anywhere they choose. That fact has stirred loose an avalanche of hometown projects, the likes of which Tallahassee hasn’t seen in an election year since 2006. “Think about it: What’s the average size…
TALLAHASSEE — A measure aimed at streamlining the state’s school-grading system and pausing the most serious consequences for some schools is one step away from Gov. Rick Scott’s desk. The Republican-controlled House readied the bill (SB 1642) for passage Tuesday, batting away complaints from Democrats that the proposal still doesn’t give schools enough time to…
Education policymakers today insist that teachers, principals and schools must be “held accountable.” You would assume, then, that they would take every opportunity to ensure that all students who are educated with public money take the all-important standardized tests that are used as the chief accountability metric and that can determine how much educators are…
WASHINGTON — Researchers say the latest data on high school graduation rates is a positive sign, but there is always room for improvement. Federal statistics from 2012 show the graduation rate has reached 80 percent. Even so, 1 in 5 students are still not getting a diploma. However, researchers predict the improvement will continue, and…
TALLAHASSEE — Florida legislators enter the final week of their 60-day session with lots of unfinished business, including whether to approve a strain of marijuana for medical use.… Read the full story
Florida’s graduation rate increased by five percentage points between the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years, according to new U.S. Department of Education graduation rate data released today. But despite the improving rate, just six states and the District of Columbia have a lower graduation rate than Florida –the same number as last year. The bright…
The House advanced a sweeping overhaul of the Florida Retirement System Thursday, setting it for a key floor vote Friday as a major bargaining chip in late negotiations with the Senate during the final week of the 2014 legislative session. “This narrow approach to pension reform will save taxpayers about $28 billion over 30 years,”…
Expansion of the student voucher program, which seemed dead shortly after the beginning of the 2014 Florida Legislature, has proved hard to kill. A Senate subcommittee approved an amendment on Tuesday expanding the voucher program, known as the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, adding it to a bill that helps parents of disabled children get…
Hernando County fifth-grade teacher Melinda Barrett is fed up with the FCATs, high-stakes testing and the pressure it puts on students. She recently penned an apology letter to the editor that is generating a lot of buzz on social media. Here’s a copy: I’d like to make a public apology. I’d like to apologize to…
Florida law governing the tax credit scholarship program gives vouchers to low-income families to use as tuition for their children in private schools but does not adequately protect the rights of English Language Learners (ELLs), shortchanging Latino students and other groups learning English as an additional language from receiving proper instruction. This flaw in Florida…