Florida School Boards Association
Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli is calling on lawmakers to overhaul the Florida Retirement System this year, something many observers see as an uphill battle because of continuing opposition in the Senate. Crisafulli on Tuesday laid out his agenda for the 2015 legislative session, including cutting hundreds of millions in taxes, improving the education system,…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Governor Rick Scott today launched his annual Teacher of the Year Summit, bringing the state’s top teachers to the Capitol for a two-day workshop and celebration. Nearly 50 teachers of the year are participating in this year’s summit. Governor Scott said, “We know a great job starts with a great education, and everyday…
State lawmakers, Cabinet members, judges, school board members, county commissioners, sheriffs and property appraisers may not be able to join the traditional state pension plan if they are newly elected after July 2016. That proposal is far from a reality but it is a distinct possibility as the House moves forward on a study aimed…
After weeks of committee conversations, Florida Senate Education chairman John Legg is ready to take the debate over student testing and teacher evaluations to the next level. Legg is filing a bill today that tackles concerns and complaints he and colleagues have heard from educators and parents over the past several weeks and months. The…
The Florida Education Association today lost an appeal in one of the cases it had filed challenging the legality of the teacher merit-pay law (SB 736) the Florida Legislature passed in 2011. The controversial law overhauled how Florida’s public school teachers are evaluated and paid and required that student test scores be used in instructors’…
Nearly 98 percent of Florida’s public school teachers earned good evaluations for the 2013-14 school year, just as they’ve done for the past two years, data released today shows. Central Florida school districts, as we reported late last month, mirrored the state, with almost all teachers evaluated earning “highly effective” or “effective” ratings — the…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott recognized six educators who formerly served in various branches of the military with the Governor’s Shine Award for their service to our country and their contributions to Florida’s students. The Governor’s Shine Award is presented to Floridians who have positively impacted children through education. Governor Scott said, “It…
In reflecting on former NYC Education Commissioner Joel Klein’s forthcoming book on his tenure leading the nation’s largest public school district, the New York Times‘ Frank Bruni notes that Klein refers to teacher quality as “the biggest factor in the education equation.” For years now, the voices talking about teacher quality have grown louder and louder. Each…
Bridget McKinney, principal at Miami’s Allapattah Middle School, says her students struggle to pass the state’s reading and writing tests. So when McKinney first read the Common Core math and language arts standards used in Florida schools this year, what jumped out was the emphasis on answering questions and making arguments using examples and evidence…
Most educators don’t pursue their profession for the money. That’s a no-brainer these days. But that also doesn’t justify low pay, especially for a profession that makes such a profound difference in young people’s lives. And the sad reality is this: Many teachers are shortchanged with salaries that fail to keep up with inflation. Meanwhile,…