Florida School Boards Association
The chairman of the state’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission is making some claims about local school districts that one state senator calls “disturbing” if they are true. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who chairs the commission, testified before the Senate and House Education committees on Tuesday and accused school districts of…
DetailsWhen Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri stood up to give his presentation to the House Education committee on Tuesday, he had harsh words for school districts whom he said are “not moving fast enough” and are “playing games” with SB 7026, the law passed last year in response to the Parkland shooting that mandated sweeping…
DetailsGov. Ron DeSantis is calling for an end to the waitlist for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, which offers private school scholarships to low-income K-12 students throughout the state. The scholarship has a waitlist in 2019 of nearly 13,000 students. “I would like to eliminate the waitlist so every parent has the ability to make…
DetailsA trip to the water fountain after lunch or recess may seem innocuous for students. But Florida legislators are concerned with what may be in the water. A bill introduced by Sens. Janet Cruz, Lauren Book and Annette Taddeo would require public schools to filter drinking water at the source on campuses built before 1986. The filters would…
DetailsSchool districts in Northwest Florida and across the state are struggling to find certified teachers in several crucial subject areas. The State Board of Education approved a report last week that details a shortage of certified educators in public schools, mainly in math, science and English. The shortage isn’t exclusive to Florida; it has been…
DetailsEach week, Executive Director Andrea Messina selects 5 Things You Should Know in education news. Read. Learn. Share. Retweet. Five K-12 administrators to watch in 2019, including one of Florida’s own: Learn more Why curiosity is so important in children: Learn more A pop-up book you should see: Learn more High school hallways to inspire…
DetailsThe State Board of Education had its first and only meeting before the Legislative session begins in March and the board members indicated that they hope lawmakers revisit some of the most heated issues in education. School safety was constantly mentioned as a top priority for this year, by all members but especially by Andrew…
DetailsWith the annual legislative session nearing, lawmakers and education leaders likely will have to grapple with the fallout of Hurricane Michael on Northwest Florida school districts and continued questions about how to bolster school safety throughout the state. Those issues drew discussion Wednesday during a State Board of Education meeting in Pensacola that also included…
DetailsState Senate President Bill Galvano told a Sarasota business audience Tuesday that the more conservative Florida Supreme Court being fashioned by Gov. Ron DeSantis could pave the way for education reforms that had been struck down in the past. “We have a new court,” Galvano, R-Bradenton, told a sold-out crowd of 270 at the Argus…
DetailsFlorida law requires residents to report and pay the sales taxes they own on items purchased from mail order catalogs or the internet. Few residents actually do this, but a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision cleared the way for out of state businesses to begin the collections, but the change would require legislative approval. Read…
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