Miami schools move toward joining lawsuit against state education law

The Miami-Dade School Board is one step closer to joining a growing number of school districts across Florida in challenging the constitutionality of a controversial new education law.  Board members on Wednesday directed their attorney to draft a plan that they can vote on at their next meeting Aug. 9 as to how exactly the…

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Local lawmaker among senators seeking school funding study

Two Republican senators Tuesday requested a study of a long-controversial part of Florida’s school-funding formula, arguing it helps urban school districts at the expense of suburban and rural districts.  Senate Education Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, and Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, sent a letter to Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, seeking a study of what…

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Lots of questions but few answers on how to make state’s new education policy work

Every year, new state laws hit the books that have to be implemented once they take effect. But House Bill 7069 isn’t your average new law.  The sweeping, 274-page, $419 million measure that reforms Florida’s public K-12 schools spans dozens of changes in statute — some of which are complex and take effect at different…

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Report: Florida students face higher barriers to learning outside of school compared to nation

Ninety percent of Florida educators say many of their students encounter barriers to learning outside the classroom, according to a report published Monday by Scholastic.  The Teacher & Principal School Report found Florida educators are more likely to report inadequate access to the internet and other learning resources outside of school than educators from other…

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Editorial: Tallahassee overreach on district capital tax dollars

The budget year for Florida school districts tracks the state’s fiscal year that started July 1. Local education leaders now have Tallahassee politicians to thank for the late juggling necessary to compensate for the additional multimillions of public tax dollars that must be turned over to privately managed charter schools. Read More

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