Florida School Boards Association
In a committee hearing Tuesday, Florida lawmakers learned that while a tough budget year may be coming, they’re essentially letting more than two hundred million dollars in sales taxes go uncollected. “Sales from the internet are not exempt from the tax,” said Ryan Dugan, sales tax policy analyst with the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday.…
A measure that would help more juvenile offenders avoid arrest and the stained record that comes with it received its first favorable vote in the 2017 Legislature. Senate Bill 196 requires law enforcement officers to write civil citations or enroll minors in some type of diversion program when they are first-time offenders accused of certain…
Friday is the last day to apply to be a member of what may be one of the most influential groups assembled in Florida in two decades — the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission. The unique panel has the power to put proposals directly on the 2018 mid-term ballot to reform and update the state’s constitution,…
Key Florida senators will push sweeping legislation this spring that aims to cut the number of standardized exams students take and lessen the impact testing has on public schools. These members want a “return to sanity,” said Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, who is spearheading the effort. Read More
Following directions to propose millions of dollars in education spending cuts, Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations chairman Rep. Manny Diaz told his committee members Thursday that no program should be considered sacred. Read More
Major changes could be coming for millions of Floridians who get health care through Medicaid or through the federal exchanges of Obamacare. Just what those look like and when they will take effect is anyone’s guess, leaving state lawmakers trying to piece together an $82 billion budget in a bind. Read More
Florida’s public education system could see millions of dollars of funding reduced in the coming year, under scenarios put forth Tuesday by the state House Appropriations Committee. Citing flat revenue this year, with anticipated declines in the coming two years, chairman Rep. Carlos Trujillo asked members to go through a budget cutting exercise aimed at…
Seeking to keep higher-education costs low and help more students graduate on time, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday will outline an ambitious legislative agenda to cap student fees, eliminate sales taxes on textbook purchases and extend the Bright Futures scholarships to summer classes. Read More
Two years have passed since Florida lawmakers acknowledged, under mounting pressure from parents and teachers, that public school children might be overtested. The Legislature took steps to limit testing hours and eliminate some exams, amid criticism over a botched spring computerized assessment cycle. Read More
The controversial “Best and Brightest” bonus program for Florida teachers could be headed for changes in the upcoming legislative session, though the dimensions of those revisions are still murky. Read More