K-12 budgets: The Florida House budget bill would provide twice as much construction funding for charter schools as it would for traditional public schools. The Florida Senate's bill provides no construction money for charter schools. It's still early in the process, though, lawmakers from both chambers say. Gradebook. Palm Beach Post. Politico Florida. Senate leaders are looking at ways to roll the property tax hike that Gov. Rick Scott is calling for in his education budget into the $1 billion tax cuts Scott also proposes. Tampa Bay Times. WFSU. What are some of the differences between the budgets? Gradebook. School district administrators are concerned about a possible shift in construction money to charter schools. Gradebook.
Teacher bonuses: Teacher bonuses based partly on ACT or SAT scores remain in the Florida House bill with funding of $45 million, which closely aligns with Gov. Rick Scott's proposal. But the Florida Senate bill has recommended no money for the program. Orlando Sentinel.
High school free agency: If the Legislature passes a bill allowing students and athletes to choose any school, Florida would have the most lenient standards for athletics transfers. Advocates of the bill say it's merely an expansion of the school choice, while critics say it would create a recruiting free-for-all among high schools. Associated Press.
Class sizes: Two South Florida school districts are on track to avoid fines for class-size violations, according to officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Sun-Sentinel.
District reorganization: Brevard School Superintendent Desmond Blackburn is proposing a reorganization of administration titles, job responsibilities and the chain of command. The school board will have to approve. Florida Today. (more…)
Scholarship support: Supporters of tax-credit scholarships will rally at the Florida Capitol today. The constitutionality of the 15-year-old Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program is being challenged in court by the state's largest teachers union. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer those accounts. Miami Herald. WFSU. Sunshine State News. The guest speaker at the rally is Martin Luther King III, who says he supports public education and tax-credit scholarships, and believes his father would have as well. Politico Florida.
Bush on education: Republican presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush unveils his heavily school choice-centric education plan. It would allow parents to spend government dollars on a pre-K program of their choice, give college students a $50,000 line of credit to pay tuition, allow federal funding for schools with many low-income students to follow a child to a new school, and double federal support for charter schools. Politico. USA Today. The Hill. Associated Press.
Concussion doctor: Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose 2003 study on concussions sent shock waves through football at all levels, is speaking at Florida Atlantic University on Feb. 16. Omalu is portrayed by Will Smith in the current movie Concussion. Palm Beach Post.
Pre-K issues: The Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County and the school board are fighting over control of who processes voluntary pre-kindergarten and subsidized school readiness program applications. The school board has been doing it since 1969, but the coalition says the applications have been riddled with errors and it can do a better job. Tampa Tribune. Studer Community Institute will provide $50,000 in awards for the best proposals to improve the kindergarten readiness rate in Escambia County. The company says about 1,000 children in the county enter kindergarten unprepared. Pensacola News Journal.
Kindergarten scramble: Trying to get your children into the right school used to be about college, then high school. These days, plenty of parents are going to a lot of trouble to try to find a spot in the "right" kindergarten. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
