Education Funding

Last month, state economists predicted that the state would have a surplus of about $340 million after funding the state’s priorities and maintaining a healthy balance in state reserves in the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Those priorities include providing sufficient funding to maintain current funding levels for education after taking growth and inflation into account. Meanwhile,…

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No word on ELL testing, Florida education department pledges legal action next week

Back in August, the U.S. Department of Education criticized Florida’s approach to testing of students learning English, saying it would compromise the state’s ability to keep its waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements. State officials shot back angrily. Gov. Rick Scott held a press conference in Miami threatening legal action if the feds didn’t relent within…

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Fla. Retirement System in fine fettle, still likely a target of legislative change

Legally and arithmetically, municipal pension plans have nothing to do with the the Florida Retirement System. Politically, they mean a lot, though. The LeRoy Collins Institute recently issued a report, appropriately titled “Tough Choices,” evaluating 151 municipal pension plans across Florida. It was an update of a 2011 report, using more detailed measurements, and the…

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Why A Miami Middle School Is Teaching Debate To Conquer Common Core

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…

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