Florida School Boards Association
Last week the Orange County School Board voted unanimously to join numerous other Florida school districts in petitioning the courts to declare recently enacted House Bill 7069 unconstitutional. The decision to join the litigation was not made lightly, and was made only after concluding that constitutional principles of a uniform, high-quality education and local control…
Mike Mogil doesn’t believe climate change is caused by humans. The 72-year old former National Weather Service meteorologist says global temperatures have been fluctuating for millennia, and recent extremes could very well have nothing to do with mankind. Now, he wants to make sure Florida’s public school students get the same perspective. Mogil is one…
A new study from criminology researchers at Florida State University reveals that a more diverse school board can lead to more equitable school punishment among black, white and Hispanic students. The team found that black and Hispanic students were more likely to be suspended in schools with larger minority populations. However, white students attending schools with larger…
Miami-Dade joined a growing number of school districts challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s sweeping new education law. At a School Board meeting on Wednesday, board members voted 8 to 1 to join litigation seeking to overturn portions of a bill some critics say was designed to boost the fortunes of the politically powerful charter school…
When Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the expanded use of medical marijuana in late June, public school districts found themselves with a new problem to solve: how to store and administer the state-sanctioned drug. Read More
The Broward County School Board voted Wednesday to sue the state over a new law that requires public school districts to share property tax revenue with charter schools and relinquishes their authority to approve charter applications. Broward was the first to take action, but other districts are holding similar meetings within the next two weeks,…
The Florida Council of 100 has released The Horizons 2040 Project: PreK-3 recommendations. These recommendations come as part of a long-term vision for education in Florida, and they will be followed in months and years to come with additional recommendations at Grades 4-8 and 9-12. Prior to the public release, the Council met with the…
May 2017 Finally Relief for Florida Agencies: Safe Harbor with Public Records Requests By Leonard J. Dietzen, III ldietzen@rumberger.com Florida public agencies have made tremendous efforts in training their staff to comply with their responsibility under the Florida Public Records Act. Unfortunately, one technical mistake has turned this law into the Lawyer’s Relief Act. For…
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a new state budget into law Friday evening, but not before he vetoed nearly $12 billion. The governor vetoed money for public schools as part of a budget deal he worked out with legislators. Legislators will hold a special session next week, where they are expected to increase the amount…
Florida has two groups advocating on behalf of school boards, and they are not always asking for the same things. They disagreed on vouchers — in fact, the Florida Coalition of School Board members split from the larger, more established Florida School Boards Association over that issue — and now they disagree over the 278-page HB…