Outstanding Superintendent and School Board Member Receive Statewide ‘Star’ Recognition from Consortium of Florida Education Foundations

Outstanding Superintendent and School Board Member Receive Statewide ‘Star’ Recognition from Consortium of Florida Education Foundations Two Florida school system leaders were recognized for their exemplary leadership by the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF) December 4 at the 74rd Annual Joint Conference of Florida School Boards Association and Florida Association of District School Superintendents…

Manny Diaz bill floats lowering governor’s proposed starting teacher salary

Sen. Manny Diaz, a Hialeah Republican, is putting forward his “starting point” pitch on Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ proposal to raise teacher salaries in the state.  But that bill may also divert from the Governor’s goals, detailed in his October announcement, by potentially requiring DeSantis to back off his proposed salary floor. Read More

FSBA Session Spotlight — November 15, 2019

The Legislature held a 5th week of Interim Committee Meetings this week.  Several bills and topics of interest were considered, including funding, health and safety, public records, and ethics.  The outcome of the legislative meetings of interest is provided in the first file below.  In addition, updates on several federal issues are provided in the…

Bill again filed to require ‘supermajority’ to raise local taxes

A bill is back in the Florida House for 2020 that would require a supermajority vote for a local tax referendum.  HJR 477 would, if passed, allow a referendum to let voters decide whether to require a two-thirds majority for any municipality or subsidiary form of government to raise taxes. Read More

Florida House looks for ways to boost teacher pay

A House education panel on Thursday began delving into the issue of raising teacher pay, with a key lawmaker saying that while “everything is on the table,” the panel still needs to figure out where the money would come from.Rep. Chris Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who chairs the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, said his panel…

School boards urge justices to decide education fight

Saying the case involves protecting “local control over local schools by local representatives answerable to local voters,” nine county school boards urged the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to take up a battle about a 2017 state law that sought to bolster charter schools. Read More

Florida’s Post-Parkland Experiment: To Deter Mass Shootings, Some School Districts Are Creating Their Own Police Departments

By his own admission, Kenneth Wagner isn’t “a super-religious person.” But the police chief in suburban Jacksonville recently found himself pleading with God — praying enough people would apply in time to fill close to 50 job openings.  Earlier this year, after lawmakers in Florida required school districts to heighten security following a mass school…

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

School districts lose another round in court over law that bolsters charter schools

The dozen Florida school districts that sued the Legislature over a controversial 2017 law establishing and funding a new charter school system have suffered another setback in court.  While acknowledging the districts had a limited right to challenge the law, a three-judge panel of the First District Court of Appeal found the districts’ legal arguments…

Education board proposes status quo spending on teacher bonuses

Florida Department of Education officials’ latest budget proposal does not include any additional funding for a controversial teacher bonus program, which is currently facing a legal challenge.Instead, state education officials on Wednesday called on the Florida Legislature to keep funding the “Best and Brightest” teacher and principal bonus program at $284.5 million, the same amount…