Fifth time in 24 years. Why Florida is changing school standards, again

Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran didn’t hide his enthusiasm during a “listening session” Thursday in Gainesville, where a crowd showed up to discuss proposed changes to the state’s education standards.  “We’re going to end up with the world’s best standards,” he said. “We’re going to end up with an education that’s going to transform our…

Six things to know about the U.S. Census and Florida

Census Tract 119.04 in Hillsborough County constitutes a perfect rectangle in a densely populated section of West Tampa just north of Al Lopez Park . . . . The Census Bureau defines a tract as “hard to count” if 73% or fewer residents return their Census questionnaires. In the 2010 Census, the mail-back rate for…

Ron DeSantis unveils plan to raise starting pay for Florida teachers

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he would be pushing the Florida Legislature to raise the minimum starting salary for teachers to $47,500.  While each school district sets their own starting salaries now, Florida currently ranks near the bottom in the nation for average teacher pay, and salary raises have been something that teachers have…

It’s okay for Florida superintendents to propose hiring their relatives

In many, if not most, Florida counties, the local school district is the largest employer.  That gives the superintendent of schools plenty of power when it comes to hiring and firing. But what happens if one of the superintendent’s relatives needs a job? Read More Read the Ethics Commission Opinion

Is Civics Education Lacking in Florida Schools? DeSantis and Corcoran Say Yes

The State Board of Education is pushing for more accountability in how schools teach classes included in Florida statues including civics, the Holocaust and the history and heritage of African Americans, Hispanics and women.  This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran cheered the board for its efforts to have schools focus more…

Florida lawmakers will weigh teacher salaries, bonuses

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been tight-lipped about the details of his teacher-compensation plan for the upcoming legislative session, but this week he suggested doing away with a controversial bonus program.Yet a number of Republican lawmakers and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran say they want to keep bonuses in teacher-pay discussions during the 2020 session. Read More

Prekindergarten, early education get limelight from House committee

The Florida House made clear Tuesday that prekindergarten and early education will receive heavy attention in the coming legislative session, as the state aims to better prepare its children for kindergarten and beyond.  “This is where it starts. It starts with early learning,” Education Committee chairwoman Rep. Jennifer Sullivan said to introduce her panel’s two-hour…

Florida Senate eyes guardian training tweak

Senate President Bill Galvano on Wednesday threw his support behind revising a state law that governs training for school guardians, after a dispute between Palm Beach County schools and a private security firm ended up in court.Galvano said he wants the Senate to work on “clarifying” a school safety law, which outlines the training requirements…