The chairman and vice chairman of the Florida Senate Education Appropriations committee have challenged education commissioner Pam Stewart’s plans to distribute $60 million in classroom technology funding without conducting an independent needs assessment. Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the $3 million study, saying it was duplicative of other plans. Within their budget bill, lawmakers had made the review a…
DetailsThe Sunshine State is ripe with opportunity when it comes to the job market, according to Kiplinger magazine. Florida was ranked one of the top 10 states expected to see the fastest employment gains in 2015. The state’s job market this year is forecasted to grow 3.2 percent and next year the state is expected…
DetailsThe results are in for the end-of-course assessment tests for Florida’s students, and the state’s students have seen a slight drop in some subjects, some have seen slight improvements, and other scores have remained stagnant. The 2014-2015 school year was the first year all of Florida’s students were fully immersed in the state’s newest education…
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DISTRICT BUDGETS The 2nd Calculation of the 2025-2016 FEFP has been released by the Florida Department of Education. This calculation includes the certified millage rates and related information necessary for your district budget discussions. This information has been delivered to your district and we have also posted it on the FSBA website on our 2015…
DetailsIt has been three weeks since legislated budget cuts wreaked havoc on a local adults with disabilities education program, and the parents and students who rallied to restore services finally got the answer they’ve been waiting to hear. School will open this August. During a community meeting held for Adult and Community Education students and…
DetailsAs colleges grapple with the widespread problem of sexual assault, there is a growing consensus that the nation’s schools need to do more to educate young people about sex and relationships before they ever set foot on campus. A little-noticed measure tucked into the Senate’s 600-page bill to rewrite No Child Left Behind, which passed Thursday, would…
DetailsEarlier this week, Seminole schools superintendent Walt Griffin sent a series of testing recommendations to Florida education commissioner Pam Stewart, including the suggestion that the state scrap its Florida Standards Assessments for a nationally recognized test. FSA administration this spring was plagued with problems, leading to a validity study that’s occurring now. If nothing else,…
DetailsSince adopting the much challenged value-added model for rating teacher performance, Florida has allowed local school districts to assign evaluation performance levels to teachers based in part on local definitions. That’s about to change. When it meets next Thursday in Tampa, the Florida Board of Education is set to adopt a new rule setting standard…
DetailsThe Senate on Thursday passed an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind education law, an action that senators on both sides of the aisle agreed was long overdue. Senators voted 81-17 to pass the Every Child Achieves Act, which transfers more decision-making power to state and local authorities. While No Child Left Behind was…
DetailsSARASOTA — Florida Sen. Nancy Detert called it the “worst bill of the year,” Rep. Ray Pilon said Gov. Rick Scott should have vetoed it and Rep. Greg Steube ripped the legislation as well. Opposition to an incentive program for teachers that will pay bonuses based on their SAT and ACT scores was a big point…
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