TALLAHASSEE — The Senate Education Committee is expected to consider a measure today that would make it easier for economically disadvantaged families to access a new K-12 scholarship program approved last year. Committee chairman Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, is proposing an amendment to SB 1220, a bill that currently spells out[Read More…]
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DeSantis delivers ‘State of the State’ address to launch 2020 legislative session
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his second State of the State address focused on teacher pay increases and thanked lawmakers for their support of education choice during last year’s session, including two scholarship programs that expanded opportunities for families. Speaking on the first day of the 2020 legislative session, DeSantis[Read More…]
Florida Legislature begins 60-day session today
Today marks the start of the 2020 Florida legislative session, featuring a $91.4–billion budget proposal from Gov. Ron DeSantis that includes recommended increases in teacher salaries and what DeSantis is touting as “bold and meaningful” educational reform efforts. Among bills already in the mix are several that would benefit education[Read More…]
Nonprofit charter school company to open four schools in Jacksonville
At least 900 more students in the Jacksonville area will get an additional education option when IDEA Public Schools opens four schools in 2022. “We are excited that IDEA Public Schools is expanding to the Jacksonville area,” said Jose Luis De Leon, executive director of IDEA Jacksonville. “Our mission is[Read More…]
DOE: Majority of scholarship program schools pass accountability muster
The Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at the Florida Department of Education visited more than 200 private schools participating in scholarship programs between November 2018 and October 2019 to ensure compliance with state regulations. In addition to the visits, the DOE investigated 123 written complaints, reviewed hundreds of[Read More…]
Public support for education choice continues to surge as some presidential candidates swim upstream
While the reasons for Democratic presidential candidate and leading anti-charter stalwart Elizabeth Warren’s nearly 13-point polling plummet are multifaceted, a recent public confrontation with school choice supporters and the revelation that she sent her son to a $17,000-a-year private school likely contributed to the decline. Warren’s strong anti-school choice stance[Read More…]
NAEP 2019: Florida maintains high marks despite national slide
In a statement released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called 2019 NAEP results “devastating,” opining that the country is in a “student achievement crisis” that has continued to worsen over the past decade. While the results aren’t great, they’re not quite that bad.[Read More…]
Education choice a top priority for Legislative Black Caucus
When Florida’s Legislative Black Caucus unveiled its priorities for the 2020 session at a media conference Tuesday in the Capitol, it was unsurprising that PreK-12 education was among the first mentioned. What raised eyebrows, though, was the group’s acknowledgement that school choice should be a part of it. “We believe[Read More…]