With a new Florida governor and a reboot of leaders in the state Legislature, fresh ideas abound as the 2019 legislative session readies for take-off Tuesday.Gov. Ron DeSantis is advancing a sweeping plan to address the state’s water quality problems, which fouled both coasts last summer. House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami, wants wholesale changes to…
DetailsEach week, Executive Director Andrea Messina picks top stories in education news. #5ThingsYouShouldKnow Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. A high school class writes a successful bill—and gets it passed What if colleges were pressed to increase graduation rates like high schools are Are longer recesses better? FLDOE created Chancellor for Innovation position A guide to digital…
DetailsThe Florida Supreme Court justices unanimously agreed to impanel a statewide grand jury to broadly investigate school safety, in an order issued Monday. The decision came after Gov. Ron DeSantis filed a petition on Feb. 13 to ask for the grand jury, which he said should have sweeping powers to oversee both the government failures…
DetailsIn this week’s edition of the FSBA Legislative Update, powered by FMBC, Executive Director Andrea Messina charts bills and topics moving as we approach the 2019 Legislative Session. Also included in this update: DOE updates and initiatives.
This was the last round of Legislative Interim Committee Meetings prior to the start of the 2019 Legislative Session. The schedule of committee/subcommittee meetings was relatively light this week, with bills and presentations addressing a wide variety of topics including, among others, school board member term limits, school choice, and impact fees. In related news,…
DetailsEach week, FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina picks five top stories in education news. Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. A deep look into rural school districts based on survey responses from students who took the 2018 ACT exam Non-profit launches to teach new generation to be more skilled evaluators of digital content Pew Research Center survey…
DetailsSenator Manny Diaz, Jr. (R-Hialeah Gardens), Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, and Senate President Pro Tempore David Simmons (R-Altamonte Springs) today announced key components of legislation the Senate will consider during the 2019 Legislative Session. Read More
DetailsA proposal to let Florida voters decide whether to impose term limits on school board members (HJR 229) cleared another hurdle in the Florida House on Wednesday, but reservations over the details began to emerge. Unlike its first stop, where the measure won unanimous bipartisan backing, the bill hit some speed bumps in the Oversight,…
DetailsGov. Ron DeSantis wants to leverage a tax incentive championed by President Donald Trump to launch a five-fold expansion of charter schools in the state. The DeSantis budget proposed linking the state‘s Schools of Hope program to federal “opportunity zones”created by Trump’s $1.5 billion tax plan. At least 247 Florida communities would be eligible for…
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In sad remembrance of the tragic school shooting on February 14, 2018, it seemed fitting that, one year later, the focus of attention during Legislative Interim Committee Meeting Week #5 was school safety. Committees/subcommittees in both the House and Senate received reports and considered legislation designed to improve and refine school safety policies an procedures and Governor DeSantis issued…
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