Corcoran chosen: Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis has officially nominated former House Speaker Richard Corcoran for the job of education commissioner. Corcoran is a staunch supporter of school choice, vouchers and charter schools, and former Senate president Don Gaetz says Corcoran could become the “most disruptive education reformer in our state’s history.” Politically[Read More…]
Tag: Don Gaetz
Florida schools roundup: Schools of Hope, Corcoran reaction, security and more
Schools of Hope: The Florida Department of Education is looking for a financial partner to provide loans to build charter schools near persistently struggling, traditional public schools. The partner would oversee the $100 million “Schools of Hope” loan program that was passed by the Legislature in 2017. The DOE expects[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Tax levies pass, school security, finances and more
Tax hike votes: Voters in Sarasota and Manatee counties approve an additional 1 mill on property taxes for schools, by a wide margin in Sarasota and a narrow one in Manatee. In Sarasota, the extra $55 million in each of the next four years will help pay for 30 extra minutes of[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Testing reform, funding, incentives and more
Testing reforms: Under the proposed “Fewer, Better Tests” bills filed Wednesday in the Legislature, all K-12 assessment testing would take place in the final three weeks of the school year, starting in the 2017-2018. S.B. 926 and H.B. 773 would also require results be returned to teachers within a week of testing,[Read More…]
Fla. Senate proposal would bar ‘private enrichment’ from charter school funding
Florida’s charter schools would have financial incentives to serve low-income and special needs students, and be barred from using state facilities funding for “private enrichment,” under a proposal approved this week by a state Senate panel. The Senate’s plan, which won praise on both sides of the aisle, was unveiled[Read More…]
This year, Florida lawmakers could expand public school choice
A proposal to let students choose any public school that has room is on the move again in the Florida Legislature. This year, the plan is tied to an overhaul of the state’s high school sports regulations. But unlike other bills in the state’s perennial legislative battles over athletics, SB 684, dubbed “choice[Read More…]
Bill expanding special needs scholarship accounts ready for Fla. Senate floor
A bill solidifying Florida’s newest educational choice program continued its string of bipartisan support this morning, winning unanimous backing from the Senate Appropriations panel. The measure would boost funding for Florida’s Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts, make them available to more students, and broaden their potential uses. Step Up For Students,[Read More…]
Public school choice measure returns in Florida, with an athletic twist
Key Florida lawmakers have revived an attempt to let students attend public schools across district boundaries. The change is included in a bill filed Friday by Sens. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville and Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. It would require school districts to allow parents from “any school district in the state” to enroll[Read More…]