Parents who want recess say lawmakers are using kids as ‘pawns in a political game’

Passionate parents, like Kate Asturias of Miami and Angela Browning of Orlando, have been fighting for years to get guaranteed daily recess for their children and the more than 1.2 million other kids in Florida’s public elementary schools. The two moms trekked to Tallahassee on Friday, for the countless time, hoping to see lawmakers finally…

In last-day surprise, Legislature loads education policy into pass/fail budget

At the insistence of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, numerous major changes to education policy for Florida’s K-12 public schools — from teacher bonuses and daily recess, to testing reforms and expansions for charter schools — were crammed into a single mammoth bill on Friday, with $414 million in spending attached. All of the policies in the…

Just like finals week, lawmakers cram on school policies — from testing to recess

With two days left for lawmakers to enact policy this session, two Republican senators late Wednesday released what’s essentially a brand new bill that salvages myriad stalled education proposals while also preserving one of the Legislature’s top K-12 priorities: reforms addressing excessive standardized testing in Florida public schools.  Sens. Anitere Flores of Miami and Kelli…

VIDEO: Week 8 FSBA Legislative Update

Tallahassee, FL – Week 8 of Florida’s Legislative Session is coming to an end, and will be heading into a weekend of Budget Conference Committee Meetings. Watch this FSBA Legislative Weekly Update for highlights. Be sure visit the FSBA Session Spotlight Blog and 2017 Legislative Session page for in-depth summaries, resources, and analyses.

VIDEO: Week 7 FSBA Legislative Update

Tallahassee, FL – Week 7 is in the books. Watch this FSBA Legislative Weekly Update for highlights. Be sure visit the FSBA Session Spotlight Blog and 2017 Legislative Session page for in-depth summaries, resources, and analyses.

DeVos praises this voucher-like program. Here’s what it means for school reform

Florida has channeled billions of taxpayer dollars into scholarships for poor children to attend private schools over the past 15 years, using tax credits to build a laboratory for school choice that the Trump administration holds up as a model for the nation.  The voucherlike program, the largest of its kind in the country, helps…

House moves forward with school choice expansion

A bill that would expand two of the state’s school-choice programs is heading to the House floor after gaining approval Thursday from the House Education Committee. The proposal (HB 15), sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, was amended Thursday to add back provisions that would expand the reach of the Gardiner Scholarship program, aimed…

Are ‘schools of hope’ the solution to perpetually failing public schools?

Fed up with traditional K-12 public schools that perpetually fail, often in Florida’s poorest communities, Republican lawmakers in the state House have proposed a bold — and costly — idea to help those students.  They want to spend $200 million in 2017-18 to entice “the best of the best charter schools in the entire country”…

Trump to highlight Florida’s controversial vouchers program in Orlando school visit

President Donald Trump will call the nation’s attention to one of Florida’s most controversial school choice policies for the second time this week during a planned visit to a Catholic school in Orlando on Friday.  During Trump’s speech to Congress earlier this week, he urged lawmakers “to pass an education bill that funds school choice…