The U.S. Department of Education today released a question-and-answer document supporting the unanimous March 2017 U.S. Supreme Court opinion on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-related case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District clarifying the scope of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Read More
Republican state Rep. Rene Plasencia is pushing a bill that would return control to local school boards to decide how to evaluate teachers. Plasencia, of Orlando, is rallying support for his House Bill 427, introduced in late October and referred to the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee, PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, and Education Committee. Read More
The Legislature will hold a sixth, and final, round of Interim Committee Meetings this week. Please click on the link below for a preview of the bills and issues will be under consideration. Also, last week the Constitution Revision Commission Committees considered several education related proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Please click on the…
House Bill 7069 was all the talk when the Florida School Boards Association held its conference in Tampa this past summer. At this week’s conference, the controversial bill remained a discussion subject. But the buzz really was about the Constitution Revision Commission proposals to limit board members to two consecutive terms, and to eliminate their…
It’s been one year since I took my seat as a Collier County School Board member, so I have been reflecting on what I have learned about being an effective board member and practicing good governance. Through a variety of trainings provided by the Florida School Boards Association, as well as district personnel, I understand…
A ban on state support for religious groups would be removed from the Florida Constitution under a proposal approved Wednesday by a Constitution Revision Commission panel.In a 5-1 vote, the commission’s Declaration of Rights Committee endorsed a measure (Proposal 4) that would eliminate the Constitution’s so-called “no-aid” provision, which prohibits public funding “directly or indirectly”…
Pinellas County school superintendent Mike Grego has been named the 2018 Florida Superintendent of the Year, in part because of his efforts to attack the achievement gap between black and non-black students.The announcement by the Florida Association of School District Superintendents came Wednesday morning during the organization’s joint meeting in Tampa with the Florida School…
A parent in Florida is citing profanity and violence in trying to get the local school to ban Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” — itself a cautionary tale on the banning of books. Another wants to remove Walter Dean Myers’ “Bad Boy” for using the word “penis” and a homophobic slur. Elsewhere in Florida, some say…
The Florida Constitution Revision Committee continues its quest of meddling in Florida’s Constitution rather than mending it. Monday, the group will consider three measures connected to county school boards and superintendents. Read More
Officials in nearly a dozen states are preparing to notify families that a crucial health insurance program for low-income children is running out of money for the first time since its creation two decades ago, putting coverage for many at risk by the end of the year. Congress missed a Sept. 30 deadline to extend funding…