Florida School Boards Association
Despite repeated requests from Florida Gov. Rick Scott, legislative leaders have officially refused to steer $58 million to school districts to help them hire more campus police officers.Scott in late August asked that legislators shift unused money from the state’s guardian program to pay for more officers. Read More
As the high school football season kicks off, the governing board for all high school sports is gearing up as well, and is expected soon to take up sweeping changes that could affect post-season championships in basketball, baseball, softball and soccer. Read More
At Governor Scott’s direction, the Florida Department of Education submitted a proposal today to the Florida Legislature to redirect $58 million of unused funding from the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program to school districts for additional school security. Read More
We are in a hidden battle in Florida, and in Sarasota County, to save our public schools. It’s one reason this primary election is so important. Public schools in Sarasota remain a source of pride and hope in our community. The Sarasota County School District has received an A rating for the 15th consecutive year…
A question about mental health service referrals on new student registration forms is raising concerns about privacy and worsening the stigma of mental illness. The new question is part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, passed by the Legislature in the wake of the mass shooting earlier this year. Read More
Teacher pay and school security topped the list of concerns for Florida Board of Education members Wednesday as they kicked off their annual legislative budget request process. Though they wondered where they might find the money for any added expenses, board members stressed the need to increase teacher salaries to keep them in the schools and…
It’s not the kind of news you’d want emblazoned on that “Welcome to Florida” sign. Coming in at No. 15, between Tennessee (14) and South Carolina (16), the Sunshine State ranks among the 20 states with the highest rates of underprivileged children, according to a study from personal finance website WalletHub. Mississippi landed at No. 1, with New Jersey…
For years, Republican lawmakers in Tallahassee have boasted about Florida’s charms as a low-tax state, and according to a recent report, Sunshine State residents do have the lowest tax burden in the continental United States (trailing only Alaska nationwide.) But with more than 21 million people in the state and hundreds more coming by the day,…
Florida issued its annual batch of school grades last month. Each elementary, middle and high school got an A, B, C, D or F. Those grades certainly matter if a school consistently earns a D or an F. According to state law, such low performers risk being closed, converted to charter schools or turned over…
As part of their efforts to prevent school shootings, Florida lawmakers mandated the creation of a centralized database that will combine individual-level records from the state’s law-enforcement and social-services agencies with information from people’s personal social media accounts. The provision, tucked within the 105-page law passed in March following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas…