FSBA Session Spotlight — November 12, 2019
The Legislature will hold a 5th week of Interim Committee Meetings this week. Several bills of interest will be under consideration, including bills relating to funding, health and safety, public records, and ethics. In addition, the State Board of Education will be meeting on Friday in Brunnell, Florida. The agenda includes review district turnaround option […]
FSBA Friday Five – November 8, 2019
Partnering to bring arts to students in rural communities Giving students a reality check Boosting literacy in an unexpected place—a laundromat Research—walkability of a city seems to make a difference in upward mobility Some thoughts on how the internet changed the way learning takes place
FSBA Session Spotlight — November 4, 2019
The Legislature will hold a 4th week of Interim Committee Meetings this week. The schedule is relatively light since none of the main education related committees or subcommittees will be meeting. However, bills and topics of interest that will be considered this week include public safety, facilities, the Florida Kidcare Program, and public records. The […]
FSBA #FridayFive – 5 Things You Should Know in Education News (11/1/2019)
NAEP 2019 delivers mixed results Welcome to Year 50 of the Information Age There is a chance the black hole at the center of the galaxy is actually a wormhole NASA spacesuit has been updated and redesigned Esports programs are thriving
Ron DeSantis says teacher pay, e-Verify top priorities to pass in 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that passing his proposal to gives teachers a raise as well as requiring employers to verify their hires’ immigration status are two of his top priorities for the 2020 state legislative session. Read More
Bill again filed to require ‘supermajority’ to raise local taxes
A bill is back in the Florida House for 2020 that would require a supermajority vote for a local tax referendum. HJR 477 would, if passed, allow a referendum to let voters decide whether to require a two-thirds majority for any municipality or subsidiary form of government to raise taxes. Read More
Florida pre-k issues leave lawmakers with long to-do list
On a recent day at Celebration Baptist Kinderschool, the 4-year-olds gathered with their legs crisscrossed on their multicolored carpet to listen to a book about bats. “What’s that big word we learned?” the teacher asked, referencing a previous lesson about owls. “Nocturnal!” the toddlers shouted back. Read More
FSBA Friday 5 – October 25, 2019
Effects of principal turnover on students and schools Encyclopedia of Science Fiction 17,500 entries now free online Science–A brainless, bright-yellow organism that can solve mazes and heal itself is made its debut in Paris Council of Great City Schools report on urban Academic Key Performance Indicators for 2019 Tips and skills to share with parents […]
Medal of Honor recipient gives living history lesson at Tampa middle school
Was there a moment from the war that he would remember forever? Harold Fritz paused briefly, recalling the 1969 ambush in Vietnam and the actions that saved his platoon and earned him the Medal of Honor. Read More
Florida’s armed teachers get liability coverage in policy reversal
Florida teachers who are armed on campus will now be covered under the state’s liability insurance, so long as they act within their duties outlined in state law. The policy change was quietly made by department officials on August 17, representing a reversal after the department had specifically excluded armed teachers from its policy. Read […]
Department of Justice Awards More than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School Violence
Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security — including funding to educate and train students and faculty — and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident. Read More Fact Sheet Listing Award Recipients
FSBA Session Spotlight – October 21, 2019
The Legislature will hold a third round of Interim Committee Meetings this week. Education related Committees and Subcommittees will receive information on educator professional development, health concerns for student athletes, workforce development issues, and teacher compensation. Committees also will consider a few bills of interest, including bills relating to public records, athletic trainers, homelessness, and […]
Florida House looks for ways to boost teacher pay
A House education panel on Thursday began delving into the issue of raising teacher pay, with a key lawmaker saying that while “everything is on the table,” the panel still needs to figure out where the money would come from.Rep. Chris Latvala, a Clearwater Republican who chairs the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, said his panel […]
School boards urge justices to decide education fight
Saying the case involves protecting “local control over local schools by local representatives answerable to local voters,” nine county school boards urged the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to take up a battle about a 2017 state law that sought to bolster charter schools. Read More
FSBA Friday Five – 10/18/2019
Bee has been declared most important living being on the planet What productive talk looks like in elementary schools Some students go further faster depending on policies leaders put in place Is student transportation headed to ride sharing programs? Customer service important for districts BUT few resources
Florida commission says mental health system needs overhaul
Florida’s mental health system is underfunded and needs to be overhauled, with better coordination between providers, law enforcement and educators, the commission investigating last year’s high school massacre recommended to the legislature Wednesday. Read More
Florida’s Post-Parkland Experiment: To Deter Mass Shootings, Some School Districts Are Creating Their Own Police Departments
By his own admission, Kenneth Wagner isn’t “a super-religious person.” But the police chief in suburban Jacksonville recently found himself pleading with God — praying enough people would apply in time to fill close to 50 job openings. Earlier this year, after lawmakers in Florida required school districts to heighten security following a mass school […]
Environmentalists mostly welcome Florida’s plan to spend VW settlement money on cleaner buses
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced this week that it will use most of the $166 million it received in Volkswagen settlement money to replace diesel buses and shuttle vans with electric models . . . Some $5 million of that $116 million will help districts replace older diesel school buses with electric […]
FSBA Session Spotlight — October 14, 2019
The Legislature will hold a second round of Interim Committee Meetings this week. Education related Committees and Subcommittees will receive overviews on educator professional development, the state system of school improvement, teacher compensation, and the FDOE’s Legislative Budget Request (LBR). Other Committees will consider a few bills of interest, including bills relating to public records, […]
Fifth time in 24 years. Why Florida is changing school standards, again
Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran didn’t hide his enthusiasm during a “listening session” Thursday in Gainesville, where a crowd showed up to discuss proposed changes to the state’s education standards. “We’re going to end up with the world’s best standards,” he said. “We’re going to end up with an education that’s going to transform our […]