Makeup days: School districts in Hillsborough and Brevard counties won't make up any of the days they lost to Hurricane Irma, school officials announce. Lake County school officials will convert six early-release days into full days and will have classes on a previously scheduled day off. In Indian River County, the school board will vote tonight on adding three makeup days. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily. Gradebook. WUSF. TCPalm. Daily Commercial. WTSP. Students in Lee and Collier counties return to school after two weeks off because of Irma. Fort Myers News-Press. Naples Daily News.
H.B. 7069: A prominent Republican state senator says he believes "there is a very credible argument that H.B. 7069 is unconstitutional," and that the school districts that plan to sue the state to challenge the bill have taken "a very credible position.” State Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, made the comments at a meeting organized by the League of Women Voters of Volusia County. Simmons added that the bill is “antithetical to public education” because it “condemned” Florida’s “very successful” public education system. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Meals, tuition bills: A bill is filed for the next legislative session that would require free or reduced-price meals to be offered to all students at schools participating in the national school lunch program or the breakfast program. State Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, says the goal of her bill is to make sure more eligible students are receiving the meals by requiring schools to help parents fill out the applications. WFSU. A bill is filed in the Florida House that would pay tuition to state colleges for students in households with an income of less than $125,000. The "Sunshine Scholarship Program" is proposed by State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. News Service of Florida.
District budgets: Lake County School Board members approve a $584.4 million budget, an increase of about $6 million over last year's. Daily Commercial. The Volusia County School Board will vote today on an $847 million budget that draw downs on the district's reserves by $1.65 million. The proposed budget is about $5 million below last year's, and calls for fewer teachers since enrollment is down 95 from last year and is 514 below projections. Daytona Beach News-Journal. School property taxes have fallen to a historic low in Flagler County. Flagler Live.
