The dispute could not be more stark. Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Senate have pushed to allow local tax collections to rise with the increasing value of property, as a way to grow education funding. Just leaving the tax rate alone looks to generate about a half-billion dollars more for local coffers. House leadership…
Education has long been a top priority for Florida lawmakers and in 2017 education once again made a splash in a variety of headlines throughout the year. Here’s a look back at the year’s top education stories in Florida: Read More
Despite pushback from the people who would be most affected, two proposed constitutional amendments aiming to change the governance of Florida public school districts gained support from a second committee of the Constitution Revision Commission on Thursday. The proposals to limit school board members to eight consecutive years in office, and to end the election…
The Legislature held a sixth, and final, round of Interim Committee Meetings last week. Please click on the link below for a report on the bills and issues that were considered. Also, the Constitution Revision Commission Committees will meet this week to consider several education related presentations and proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Please…
Republican state Rep. Rene Plasencia is pushing a bill that would return control to local school boards to decide how to evaluate teachers. Plasencia, of Orlando, is rallying support for his House Bill 427, introduced in late October and referred to the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee, PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, and Education Committee. Read More
The Legislature will hold a sixth, and final, round of Interim Committee Meetings this week. Please click on the link below for a preview of the bills and issues will be under consideration. Also, last week the Constitution Revision Commission Committees considered several education related proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Please click on the…
House Bill 7069 was all the talk when the Florida School Boards Association held its conference in Tampa this past summer. At this week’s conference, the controversial bill remained a discussion subject. But the buzz really was about the Constitution Revision Commission proposals to limit board members to two consecutive terms, and to eliminate their…
It’s been one year since I took my seat as a Collier County School Board member, so I have been reflecting on what I have learned about being an effective board member and practicing good governance. Through a variety of trainings provided by the Florida School Boards Association, as well as district personnel, I understand…
Pinellas County school superintendent Mike Grego has been named the 2018 Florida Superintendent of the Year, in part because of his efforts to attack the achievement gap between black and non-black students.The announcement by the Florida Association of School District Superintendents came Wednesday morning during the organization’s joint meeting in Tampa with the Florida School…
The Florida Constitution Revision Committee continues its quest of meddling in Florida’s Constitution rather than mending it. Monday, the group will consider three measures connected to county school boards and superintendents. Read More