Page 148 – Florida School Boards Association

FSBA #FridayFive – Week of Feb. 1, 2016

Friday Five, In the NewsBy fsbawp February 5, 2016

1. What does a public health emergency due to Zika Virus mean?: https://www.yahoo.com/health/florida-zika-public-health-emergency-140738703.html 2. More rigorous tests help to close “Honesty Gap”: http://achieve.org/files/Proficient%20vs%20Prepared%202.pdf 3. Paper test takers scored higher than online test takers: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/02/04/report-kids-who-took-common-core-test-online-scored-lower-than-those-who-used-paper/ 4. US elementary and secondary education revenues and expenditures reported: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015303.pdf 5. Heard about micro schools?: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/27/micro-schools-could-be-new-competition-for.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1-RM

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Florida readies for a fight with Zika virus

In the News, SafetyBy fsbawp February 5, 2016

MIAMI (AP) — Florida’s history of fighting off mosquito-borne outbreaks puts the state in perhaps better position than most when it comes to the Zika virus. In 2014, chikungunya, a virus spread by the same species of mosquito as Zika, infected a million people in the Caribbean. While 452 travel-related cases were documented in Florida…

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Pledge of Allegiance bill picking up steam

Florida Schools, In the NewsBy fsbawp February 5, 2016

Signs hang in Santa Rosa County School District classrooms that tell students of their right to refuse to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Those signs will soon wind up in trash cans if the Florida state Legislature approves House Bill 1403 and its Senate companion – S.B. 1600. Read full article

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Local Florida districts offer specifics to counter lawmaker school construction cost claims

Facilities, Funding, In the NewsBy fsbawp February 2, 2016

On Monday, the Florida superintendents association issued a statement accusing the House Education Appropriations subcommittee of using inaccurate information to paint school districts as poor stewards of taxpayer dollars when it comes to school construction costs. It’s one thing to say it. It’s another to back up the statement. And on Tuesday, districts began releasing…

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FHSAA ‘legal and wise’ on prayer issue, religious freedoms organization says

In the News, Prayer, SportsBy fsbawp February 2, 2016

A Wisconsin-based religious rights group has urged the FHSAA to stick to its guns as it faces a possible lawsuit over its refusal to allow Cambridge Christian School to pray over the stadium loudspeakers before a recent state football championship game. Calling the FHSAA’s move “legal and wise,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation praised the…

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Florida superintendents fear threat to capital outlay tax revenue

Facilities, Funding, In the NewsBy fsbawp February 2, 2016

Florida superintendents are going on defense to protect their locally generated tax revenue that’s dedicated to school maintenance, construction and other capital projects. The district leaders, who have met the past three days in Tallahassee, are growing increasingly concerned that state lawmakers will target the tax as a source of regular revenue for charter schools.…

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2016 Legislative Weekly Video Update #3

2016 Daily Updates, 2016 Video, In the NewsBy fsbawp February 1, 2016

This Video Update features FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina giving a quick recap on several bills that moved through the committee process last week, including SB 886 / HB 669 relating to Public School Choice and HB 7029 / SB 830 relating to Charter Schools. These and other bills will be discussed in depth during FSBA’s…

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Florida House vs. Senate on education funding: What’s the difference?

Funding, In the NewsBy fsbawp January 29, 2016

In recent days, the Florida House and Senate have released their initial education budget proposals. Both chambers seek to up the ante beyond Gov. Rick Scott’s plan, with the Senate looking to cut local property tax contributions and put the state on the hook for the amount, instead. The House plan aims to increase the base student allocation by more…

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‘Best & Brightest’ teacher bonus plan goes to Florida House floor

In the News, TeachersBy fsbawp January 29, 2016

A comprehensive education reform package — which includes controversial bonuses for K-12 schoolteachers based on how well they did on the ACT/SAT — cleared its only House committee on Thursday and is headed to the chamber floor for consideration. Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, is the lead sponsor ofHouse Bill 7043 — a work product of the House Education…

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FSBA #FridayFive – Week of Jan. 25, 2016

Friday Five, In the NewsBy fsbawp January 29, 2016

1. US DOE warns states of test opt-outs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/01/28/u-s-education-department-threatens-to-sanction-states-over-test-opt-outs/ 2. Potential governance change to Florida school districts: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article56148045.html 3. SAT redesigned: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/22/463635963/a-history-of-the-sat-in-four-questions 4. OneNote add-ons could be game changers: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2016/01/25/learning-tools-for-microsoft-onenote-may-be-one-of-the-most-disruptive-education-technologies-yet/#795f3d375352 5. Hand writing aids learning: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/handwriting-helps-you-learn-2014-12

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