Sparking the evolution of education choice
Editor’s note: This update appeared earlier today on newsserviceflorida.com. A proposal that would make all Florida students eligible to receive taxpayer-backed school vouchers is headed to the full House, after getting some changes Friday. The Republican-controlled House Education Quality Subcommittee approved the proposal (HB 1) in a near party-line vote.[Read More…]
State of the State. Gov. Rick Scott gives props to teachers and pushes for a boost in ed funding. Coverage from Gradebook, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, SchoolZone, Palm Beach Post, Gainesville Sun, Tallahassee Democrat, The Florida Current, StateImpact Florida. A special spotlight for a Temple Terrace teacher, reports the Times/Herald Capital Bureau. More[Read More…]
I am grateful to Rebecca Sibilia and Sean Gill for their thoughtful response to my blog post encouraging Michelle Rhee to replace her failing schools model of school choice with an approach based on equal opportunity. Rebecca and Sean defended StudentsFirst’s support of the failing schools model on pragmatic grounds.[Read More…]
Backers of a bill that would give Florida students with disabilities quicker access to state-funded vouchers for private schools say they need another year to work on the proposal. Senate Bill 172, filed by Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, was withdrawn from consideration last week. The bill called[Read More…]
Count newly-elected Florida Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr. among a number of state lawmakers who are public school district employees. But Diaz, an assistant principal in the Miami-Dade public school district, isn’t just a cheerleader for traditional public schools. He’s also a huge – and very vocal – advocate for school[Read More…]
School choice battle. The Palm Beach Post sees one unfolding in the coming legislative session. Charter school closing. Global Outreach Academy, citing financial problems, tells Flagler school district officials on New Year’s Day that it’s shutting down immediately, reports FlaglerLive.com. Another charter school closes mid-year in Lee County, reports the Fort[Read More…]
When people hear the term “school choice,” they usually don’t think about it in a traditional public school setting, said Joy Frank, general counsel for the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. But public school districts offer students a growing array of choice programs, too, from online classes to career[Read More…]
Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford announced committee assignments today (hat tip: News Service of Florida.) Here is who will serve as chairs and vice chairs of the education committees, including the new subcommittee on school choice and innovation: Education Committee: Chair, Marlene O’Toole, R-Lady Lake. Vice Chair, Elizabeth Porter, R-Lake[Read More…]
