Within an hour of Fifth Third Bank's announcement via a press release that it will continue to fund scholarships for Florida's most disadvantaged students, state lawmakers took to social media to thank the bank for reconsidering its decision to fund the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program.

Those lawmakers included Rep. James Bush III, D-Miami, who posted: "The return of Fifth Third as a donor to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program is a victory for the more than 100,000 low-income students who need options in their education."

Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, referenced the pressure exerted upon Fifth Third by activists who came out in force this week to support the scholarship program and urged others to tweet @Fifththird to thank the bank for continuing its support.

Several other lawmakers, including Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, applauded Fifth Third for "coming back to the table" and listening to all voices. "This decision means that thousands of underprivileged, minority children will not have to give up their dream of a better future," Sprowls tweeted.

Rep. Patricia Williams, D-Pompano Beach, tweeted: "I celebrate the announcement by Fifth Third Bank, which will bolster education opportunities for those who need it most -- low-income, minority students."

Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, and Rep. Byron Daniels, R-Naples, also weighed in, with the latter thanking Fifth Third for "doing the right thing" in resuming its corporate donations.

Meanwhile, Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, commended the bank for supporting equal education opportunities for all children. "Our great state will be the better for it," Lawson tweeted.

Adding their voices to the praise chorus were two national figures.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program into law in 2001, thanked Fifth Third and tweeted, "Great to see @FifthThird continuing to support Florida's families seeking a better education for their children."

And U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio commended the bank, tweeting "Great job by the bipartisan coalition that made this possible."

Rubio made headlines earlier this week when he called Fifth Third's decision to cease donations, along with Wells Fargo's, a "publicity stunt aimed at earning 'wokeness' points with the radical left."

 

English-only tests: Florida is asking the U.S. Department of Education for a waiver from giving statewide assessments tests in any language other than English. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to make every effort to test students in their first language. About 12 percent of all K-12 students in Florida - almost 300,000 children - are considered English-learners. The waiver request points to the state constitution, which declares English as the state's official language. Education Week.

Board group's agenda: The Florida Coalition of School Board Members' agenda for the 2018 Legislature includes expanding school choice by creating a scholarship for bullied students to attend private schools, using paper and pencil testing through the 8th grade, allowing SAT and ACT scores to be used in place of state assessments as a requirement for high school graduation, and more. Gradebook.

Financial questions: How will the finances work for the company that is managing the first charter takeover of a public school district in Florida? Members of the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee have questions about Somerset Academy's ability pay the district's administrative overhead of about $421,000 when it's receiving just $254,000 to pay a superintendent, another employee and five elected Jefferson County School Board members, and still raise salaries for teachers significantly. Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah Gardens, says Somerset’s budget is still a “work in progress,” and says legislators are trying to get an accurate assessment of the district's assets. redefinED.

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FORT LAUDERDALE - Some of the charter school leaders gathered last week in South Florida reported tensions run high.

Districts are in court to fighting a new law intended to make charter school funding fairer. Many have cranked up the rhetoric or found ways to slight charter schools they authorize.

A delegation from Sarasota County highlighted a different approach. Led by new Superintendent Todd Bowden, they described how districts and charter schools can get along.

Their school board declined to join the lawsuit over House bill 7069. It shared facilities funding with charters before the legislation passed. It also allowed charter schools to participate fully in Title I — a longstanding charter school complaint the legislation tried to address.

But the key might be the district's overall attitude toward the charter schools it sponsors.

"They're a part of our district," Bowden said. This is reinforced by a state law that includes charters in district-wide letter grades. He said that when he addresses community groups, he likes to tout the achievements of Sarasota charters alongside the schools the district runs itself. (more…)

Two key architects of the Florida House’s "Schools of Hope" plan said a compromise with the Senate might be within reach.

But at the same time, they said continuing to simply pour money into struggling schools will not yield results. They argue Schools of Hope present a new approach.

“These kids that are sitting in schools that have failed five, seven, and 10 years,” Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, said in an interview. “We can’t wait anymore. Some of the solutions are going to work for particular communities. Let’s provide all of the solutions. Let’s not say ‘No,’ just because we don’t like who is providing the solution.”

Diaz, the chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, said the state needs to address the issue immediately, calling it an “emergency.”

The Florida House and Senate are wrangling over the House’s $200 million plan to move students from struggling public schools into new schools operated by nationally recognized charter school operators. (more…)

Schools of hope: The Florida House approves a $200 million plan to recruit charter schools as options to persistently low-performing public schools. The so-called "schools of hope" proposal creates a fund to attract charter school companies to enter areas where traditional public schools have received D or F grades from the state for three straight years. There are 115 such schools in Florida now. “This is our ‘Hail Mary’ to the kids of Florida to try to give them better opportunity and a better life,” says Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida. Sunshine State News. Florida Politics. Sun-Sentinel. Here are some specific details in the schools of hope bill. Politico Florida. The House passes an $81.2 billion budget, which is about $4 billion less than the budget approved by the Senate. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. Naples Daily News.

Educator bonuses: The Florida House approves a plan to expand the state's teacher bonuses program, and include principals in it. The bill widens the pool of eligibility and adds $200 million to the program. The Senate has no money proposed for teacher bonuses, but has indicated a willingness to negotiate an expansion that both chambers can agree on. WFSU.

Capitol statue: The Senate Appropriations Committee approves a measure to place a statue of educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune at the U.S. Capitol, replacing the one of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith. News Service of Florida.

Student screenings: Thousands of students in Duval and Clay counties never got the mental health screenings the state paid a Fernandina Beach company to do. Florida Psychological Associates was paid $1 million through Florida State University to do the screenings. The university is now offering to return $200,000 to the state for money it had held back for "indirect costs." WJAX. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)

A plan to draw new charter school operators into academically struggling parts of Florida has ignited the biggest, most impassioned debate over public education in this year's state legislative session.

HB 5105 would accelerate the timetable for school districts to turn around schools that persistently struggle and create what sponsor Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, called a "new set of standards for the best of the best charter school operators in the country to come into Florida."

It would make it easier for those organizations to set up shop in the vicinity of struggling schools. A related budget item would create a $200 million grant program to help them recruit teachers, provide wraparound services and extend their school days.

Legislative leaders spent weeks holding hearings and hinting at plans that laid the groundwork for "Schools of Hope" legislation unveiled last week.

Latvala called the measure "our best effort to bring hope to kids who do not have any." In a statement on the House budget, Speaker Richard Corcoran touted the package of "innovative programs to end failure factories."

The proposal spurred an intense, partisan debate before the House Appropriations Committee approved it.

"This bill, in my humble opinion, creates a separate but unequal system," said Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami. He argued creating a special class of charter schools would run afoul of the state constitution. (more…)

'Schools of hope': The House Education Committee approves a bill that would tighten the timetable for districts to turn around low-performing public schools, and start a new program to bring well-regarded charter schools - called "schools of hope" - that have a history of success with large numbers of low-income students into areas with persistently struggling schools. There are 115 schools that have been in the state's mandatory turnaround plans for four or more years, according to the Department of Education. “We have to change the way that we do things and have a new approach,” said Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater. The bill calls for a $200 million grant program to help those schools recruit teachers, pay for longer school days, buy buses and cover other costs. Loans would be available to help pay for facilities. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. WFSU. Politico Florida.

School recess: The Florida Senate approves the bill that calls for daily recess for elementary school students. The final reading is next week. The Senate bill is being called "the good one" because it maintains a requirement of 20 minutes of daily recess. The House bill removed that requirement. Gradebook.

Union bill passes: The House passes a bill that could make it more difficult for public-sector unions to maintain certification. The bill would require unions for teachers and other public employees - except for firefighters, police and corrections officers - to have more than 50 percent of the workers they represent paying dues or face decertification. Opponents call it a "union-busting" bill. Miami Herald. Florida Politics.

Job-training bill: A bill is filed in the House that would create a new committee within the Department of Education to analyze career education standards and propose ways to improve job-training programs. It's sponsored by Rep. Al Jacquet, D-Delray Beach. Florida Politics.

School choice rankings: Florida leads the nation with five school districts named among the top 25 on the Brookings Institution's 2016 Choice and Competition Index. Pinellas (10th tie), Duval (17th tie), Lee (17th tie), Seminole (17th tie) and Broward (23rd tie) counties made the list, which ranks districts by such criteria as the breadth of school choice options, availability and access. redefinED. (more…)

Class size violations: Fewer Florida schools are in violation of the state's class size amendment this year, according to Department of Education records. They show 1,433 of 125,159 public school classrooms in violation, 1 of 6 lab schools, 47 of 649 charter schools and 10 of 2,331 choice schools. The class size amendment, approved by voters in 2002, puts caps of 18 students in grades K-3, 22 in grades 4-8 and 25 in grades 9-12. A loophole approved in 2013 allows districts to use schoolwide averages to meet the caps if those schools were designated as choice schools. So the number of choice schools has grown from 1,193 in 2013-2014 to 2,331, and 29 of the state's 67 districts show no traditional public school classrooms. An attempt to close the loophole went nowhere in the 2016 legislative session. Gradebook.

Spending and education: A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that spending more on education improves achievement. The national study in 49 states broke down results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing, and showed a consistent pattern of improvement in low-income school districts where spending increased. The effect of the extra money also had a much greater impact than lower classroom sizes. New York Times.

Education leadership: House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, announces leadership assignments to education committees for the next legislative session, which begins in March. Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, will chair PreK-12 Appropriations. Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, will chair PreK-12 Innovation, and Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, will chair PreK-12 Quality. Rep. Elizabeth Porter, R-Lake City, is the chair of Post-Secondary Education, and Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole, will lead Higher Education Appropriations. The full committee membership lists are here. Gradebook. (more…)