Senate Passes Spending Bill to Increase Funding for Several Education Programs
The Senate has approved a spending package that contains funding increases for prominent education programs focusing on disadvantaged students and special education, among several others. Read More
More Florida counties are voting to raise local taxes for schools. Is it a message to lawmakers?
In a video that appeared on YouTube in mid-May, the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives said “union bosses and their media allies” were pushing a “myth.” It wasn’t true, they said, that state funding for public schools had increased only 47 cents per student this year. Three months later, as the new school year got […]
State Education Board Wants a $200 Per-Student Increase and $100 Million More For Cops
The Florida Board of Education on Friday advanced a $21.8 billion request for public school funding in the next budget year, including a $200 boost in per-student funds and increased funding for school-safety initiatives. Highlights of the 2019-20 budget proposal include an overall $673 million, or 3.5 percent, increase, compared to the current budget for the […]
Court got half its rulings right on amendments | Bill Cotterell
If a ballplayer batted .500, it would be stupendous. If a team wins half its games and loses the other half, it might be called a rebuilding year. If you broke even in a casino, you’d figure it’s better than losing. But Florida voters had a coin toss land on its edge this month in […]
Florida legislators rebuff Gov. Scott, won’t shift $58 million for school Guardians
Florida legislators are sticking to their guns — and splitting from Gov. Rick Scott. More than $58 million will stay with a budding program to arm and train school employees instead of being redistributed across the state to ease the cost of paying school guards, as Scott requested. Read More
Deal on local property tax rates helped stabilize Florida’s budget
A leading Senate budget writer claimed vindication Friday in a lingering dispute with House leaders over whether to allow local school boards to capture all of the value of rising property values when setting local tax rates. Rob Bradley, co-chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, underscored the point during a presentation on the state’s three-year fiscal […]
Florida Board of Education to consider budget request with no change in tax rates
One phrase stands out in the guidelines Florida Board of Education members used in developing their 2019-20 legislative budget request, which comes up for adoption Friday: “Include no change in 2018-19 millage rates, tuition or fees.” Read More
Florida legislators reject Gov. Scott on school security
Despite repeated requests from Florida Gov. Rick Scott, legislative leaders have officially refused to steer $58 million to school districts to help them hire more campus police officers.Scott in late August asked that legislators shift unused money from the state’s guardian program to pay for more officers. Read More
Florida Supreme Court strikes Amendment 8 from November ballot
A controversial proposed constitutional amendment that could have significantly altered Florida’s public education landscape will not go to voters in November. In a narrowly divided 4-3 decision, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled Amendment 8 should remain off the ballot. It upheld the order of Leon County Judge John Cooper, who found the measure’s title and summary misleading. Read More
Florida justices ask pointed questions during hearing on Amendment 8
Florida Supreme Court justices poked holes in both sides of an ongoing debate whether to place Amendment 8 back on the November ballot during a 45-minute hearing Wednesday afternoon. They didn’t issue a ruling, but one is expected soon. Read More
Grant trains K-12 staff to help students with mental health difficulties
Faculty and staff at Florida’s K-12 schools will receive training on how to recognize and assist students with emotional or mental health difficulties. It’s thanks to a new $2.2-million dollar grant awarded to USF St. Petersburg’s College of Education. Read More
Status of up to seven Nov. 6 measures uncertain as ballot-mailing deadline nears
Legal challenges to at least three and, perhaps, seven of the 13 proposed Constitutional amendments Florida voters will see Nov. 6 remain unresolved as the deadline for mailing ballots to out-of-state voters draws near. The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled two hearings Wednesday – one day after the deadline to set ballots for mailing by Sept. […]
Commentary: FEA: Florida must stop chasing away good teachers
For a parent, it’s a basic question: Is a professional, well-prepared teacher working with my kids? Increasingly, the answer may be no in Florida’s public schools. Headlines this summer have made clear that we have a shortage of teachers. The Orlando Sentinel found nearly 70 teaching jobs posted for the Lake, Orange and Seminole districts […]
Florida, schools getting $95.8 million for Puerto Rico students
Florida and county school districts are receiving $95.8 million in federal reimbursements to cover costs of taking in thousands of students from Puerto Rico who fled the island for Florida after Hurricane Maria last year, the office of U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy announced Tuesday. Under the plan, Florida will retain $47.7 million and distribute another […]
Bucking allies, school choice group favors IRS proposal on tax credits
A Florida-based advocacy group that pushes Georgia and other states to help fund private schools so more children can attend them is breaking ranks with allies over a controversial proposed federal tax rule. The proposal by the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service would limit or eliminate the federal tax break for donors in state […]
Florida athletics board works to keep sports fair but growing
As the high school football season kicks off, the governing board for all high school sports is gearing up as well, and is expected soon to take up sweeping changes that could affect post-season championships in basketball, baseball, softball and soccer. Read More
Florida School Boards Association works on legislative priorities
After a tough legislative session, in which school districts received little new funding without strings attached, the Florida School Boards Association is looking to ask lawmakers for increased support in the coming year. School board members are holding out hope that new leadership will be more receptive to increased funding with fewer restrictions. The Florida […]
Former lawmakers urge voters to reject all 8 CRC amendments
Four former lawmakers stood in front of the Great Seal of the State of Florida Tuesday and called on voters to reject the Constitution Revision Commission’s eight proposed amendments, including six that bundle disparate issues. Read More
Gov. Scott Calls on Legislature to Redirect $58 Million for Additional School Security
At Governor Scott’s direction, the Florida Department of Education submitted a proposal today to the Florida Legislature to redirect $58 million of unused funding from the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program to school districts for additional school security. Read More
Civil Rights Groups Weigh In On Florida’s Delayed ESSA Plan
Florida remains the only state that hasn’t received approval of a federally mandated education plan. Now, civil rights groups are weighing in on the delay. The Every Student Succeeds Act gives states latitude in creating systems for measuring student success, but they still have to be accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. Read More