Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday started seeking applications from people who want to serve on the state Constitution Revision Commission, a panel that meets every 20 years to recommend changes to the Florida Constitution. Scott will appoint 15 of the 37 members of the commission. Read full article
For millions of parents and students this month around the Sunshine State, one of the most exciting parts of returning to school is meeting the teachers. And for good reason; teachers will spend 180 days helping students learn and grow as one of the primary influences, besides parents and family, in each child’s life. Read…
Florida’s first charter school opened 20 years ago. Since then, enrollment in these publicly funded, privately run schools has exploded. Today, more than 250,000 students attend about 650 charter schools across the state and many of them are returning to school this week. But the rapid growth has come with more than a few speed bumps. Read…
Large or small, every school board should hold an orientation for new board members because it benefits the organization, including the scope of people it serves. All boards have a unique set of dynamics and expectations. An effective new board member orientation will be carried out by key individuals using a specific structure. Regardless…
FSBA #FridayFive – 5 Things You Should Know Each week, Executive Director, Andrea Messina, compiles a top 5 list of news stories that School Board Members should know about: Website Development School To Open In Wyoming More states sue over transgender bathroom directive Florida parents crowd funding fight against third grade retention What’s good in public…
A longtime children’s advocate is leading a campaign to lower the voting age for school board and superintendent elections from 18 to 16. Jack Levine, founder of the 4Generations Institute and former 25-year president of Voices for Florida’s Children, sees youth voting as an emerging civil rights issue. So he wants to stimulate the movement…
By Moriah Balingit July 8 Ten additional states are suing the Obama administration to stop a directive that requires schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity under the threat of losing federal funding, bringing the total number of states challenging the guidance to 21. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson…
TALLAHASSEE — A growing faction of Florida Republicans are supporting the move to make the state education commissioner an elected position, a proposal designed to reverse the state’s adoption of Common Core standards. The plan, offered by Republican Rep. Debbie Mayfield of Vero Beach, clashes with GOP legislative leaders who support the role of presidential…
It’s 5:40 a.m. A band of high-schoolers stand outside a row of mobile homes framed by statuesque mossy oaks along the corner of Brittany Boulevard, not far off Capital Circle in northwest Tallahassee. They await their hour-long bus ride to school. Sunrise is more than an hour away. More likely than not, they’ve had less than…
Overcoming years of partisan bickering over the federal government’s role in public education, congressional negotiators came to an agreement on Thursday to revise the No Child Left Behind law for the first time since it was signed by President George W. Bush 14 years ago. Although Democrats and Republicans agreed that the law — passed…