Education bill: The House has amended the massive education bill, HB 7209, and sent it back to the Senate for a vote. It does not include a provision that aimed to prevent charter school operators from using public dollars to construct or improve buildings they own. “If there’s a 150-page amendment or something that flies over here, and it’s a take-it-or-leave-it, we’ll probably leave it, and we won’t do it,” Senate President Andy Gardiner said. “And I think they would probably do the same thing, because that’s where you end up doing something you regret.” Miami Herald. Politico Florida.
Competency bill: The Legislature approves a bill to set up a five-year pilot program that allows students to be promoted if they can demonstrate they've mastered what they should be learning. Pinellas, Palm Beach, Lake and Seminole counties will take part in the competency-based education program, as will the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Sunshine State News. WFSU. The bill would also ease certification requirements for science, technology, engineering and math teachers. Politico Florida.
Testing alternative: A Senate bill that would have allowed students to use alternatives to state exams appears to be dead in the House. The Senate is expected to pass the bill, which allows tests such as the SAT and ACT to be used instead of the Florida Standards Assessments. Politico Florida. Meanwhile, Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, proposes canceling the state's standardized testing contracts. Politico Florida.
Teacher bonuses: Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, tells colleagues the amount for teacher bonuses was bumped up to $49 million because $44 million wasn't enough to give teachers who qualify almost $10,000 apiece. Politico Florida.
Scott signs bills: Gov. Rick Scott signs a bill setting standards for school leadership programs that prepare educators to become administrators. Gradebook. He also signs a bill that changes the makeup of the 25-member Education Practices Commission, which judges whether to suspend or revoke educators’ licenses. Politico Florida. (more…)
K-12 budget: The Senate and House make no progress on resolving their differences on education spending. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, presented a final version of the bill to the House, but the cochair of the education budget conference committee, Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, apparently wanted to continue negotiating. So Gaetz ended the talks, and work on resolving the issues will continue in appropriations committees. "Most of the issues, although the entire budget's getting bumped, are closer than what it would seem," Fresen says. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Naples Daily News. Here's a status update on the major education bills in the Legislature. Politico Florida. The Senate's next president, Joe Negron, R-Palm City, expresses satisfaction at increasing school spending without relying on property taxes. Politico Florida.
No test glitches: No glitches are reported on Monday, the first day of statewide Florida Standards Assessments testing. Testing continues through May. Sun-Sentinel. Gulf Breeze students talk about the pressures of testing. Pensacola News Journal.
Opting out: Opt-out movement leaders predict more students will skip the Florida Standards Assessments tests that began Monday. In 2014, about 5,500 didn't take the exams. In 2015 that number was more than 20,000 - but that's just a tiny fraction of the 3 million-plus exams taken. Orlando Sentinel.
Pre-K questions: The man who helped create the state's free, voluntary prekindergarten system now questions how the state is calculating readiness. David Lawrence Jr., chairman of the board of the Children’s Movement of Florida, says any assessments have to include early literacy skills. Pensacola News Journal.
Tornado days: As weather forecasting skills continue to improve, school "tornado days" are joining "snow days" in the education vocabulary. Forbes. (more…)
Charter school bills: A bill requiring school districts to share capital funding with charter schools is heading to the House floor. The bill also would penalize schools that spend more on construction than is allowed under state law. Politico Florida. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. WFSU. The Florida League of Women Voters says the bill that sets up a state-appointed board controlling charter schools is "an egregious attack on public schools." Miami Herald. News Service of Florida.
Other education bills: Votes on several other education bills are expected today in the House. Among them: making the teacher bonuses program permanent and giving principals more autonomy over struggling schools. Also up for a vote is a bill requiring mandatory recess in elementary schools, but it appears to be dead in the Senate. Politico Florida.
Pledge of Allegiance: Students would be notified in a school handbook about their right to opt out of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, under a bill approved by a House committee. Excused students would not be forced to stand or place their hand over their hearts. AP, via Palm Beach Post.
School funding formula: A bill that would change the state's formula for funding school districts is not expected to pass, according to the sponsor. Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalah, says he will try again in the next session. Daily Commercial.
Suspensions questioned: Officials from the Flagler branch of the NAACP want access to school records so they can check complaints about the district's out-of-school suspensions for black students. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Staff restructuring: Palm Beach County School Superintendent Robert Avossa is cutting 58 jobs from the school's district offices and redirecting the $4.5 million savings to the district's poorest 66 schools. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Teaching Trump: A presidential election year provides civics teachers with plenty of instructional material. This year, the rise of Donald Trump as a Republican front-runner is both a bonanza and a challenge. Tampa Bay Times.
About that incomplete: When Florida school grades were issued Friday, 118 schools got "I" for incomplete. Department of Education officials say there are two reasons for a school to get an incomplete: Either it didn't have 95 percent of eligible students take the test, or there was some sort of testing impropriety. Gradebook.
Personalized learning: Lake County schools are experimenting with a personalized learning program that could expand around the state. Six districts nationally, including Lake and Pinellas counties in Florida, are involved in the pilot program. Orlando Sentinel.
Duval divisions: One Duval County School Board member is calling for another to resign over disparaging text messages made about Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Jason Fischer says Constance Hall also insulted people with disabilities. Florida Times-Union.
Transgenders and bathrooms: The Sarasota County School Board will discuss whether to create a district policy on bathroom use by transgender students or allow schools to draft their own policies. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School culture: Duval County teachers give the school district higher marks for the system's culture, training for standardized testing and teacher evaluations. The surveys are taken twice a year. Florida Times-Union. (more…)
School grades: After months of delays, the Department of Education releases Florida school grades for 2014-2015. The grades are similar to the projections issued in December, and will become the baseline for comparison to future grades. Twenty-two of the state's 67 districts received A grades. None received an F, and only two received a D. A grades were given to 1,169 of the state's 3,219 schools. B grades were given to 642 schools, while 859 got a C, 365 got a D and 184 got an F. The next round of Florida Standards Assessments testing is just two weeks away. Department of Education. Tampa Bay Times. Sunshine State News. WFSU. Miami Herald. Tampa Tribune. Orlando Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Florida Times-Union. Pensacola News Journal. Florida Today. Fort Myers News-Press. TCPalm. Bradenton Herald. Naples Daily News. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Gainesville Sun. Ocala Star Banner. Tallahassee Democrat. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Northwest Florida Daily News. Panama City News Herald. Daily Commercial. Lakeland Ledger. St. Augustine Record.
Fresen and charters: Florida Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, has been pushing hard in the Legislature to limit public school capital spending and to force districts to share that money with charter schools. But he's also an executive for Civica, an architecture firm that builds charter schools. Civica has built many schools for Academica, charter school management company in Florida that employs Fresen’s brother-in-law and sister as executives. Fresen sees no conflicts. “Nothing in this bill has anything to do with anything that I do for a living,” he says. Miami Herald.
Charter investigation: A Wellington charter school paid $48,000 to a company owned by the school's chairman for a loan that was never made. Eagle Arts Academy's payments to Gregory James Blount even continued after the Palm Beach School Board began investigating. Palm Beach Post.
Superintendent resigns: Polk County School Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy resigns and leaves with a $230,000 severance package. LeRoy has been a target for school board members since an investigation into complaints lodged against her by an associate superintendent. Board members say if she hadn't resigned, she would have been fired. Lakeland Ledger.
One-room school: The last one-room school in Florida is likely to close at the end of the school year. The principal of Duette Elementary is retiring and won't ask the Manatee County School District to renew the school's contract. It has just 11 students this year. Bradenton Herald. (more…)
School grades: The Florida Department of Education could issue school grades as early as Tuesday. Many think their meaning will be tainted by the controversy over the Florida Standards Assessments tests, which are a major component of the grades. Tampa Bay Times.
Alternative tests: Education experts are split on the benefits of a proposed bill that would give school districts the choice of using tests like the SAT and ACT instead of the Florida Standards Assessments. Politico Florida.
Score reports: Newly designed reports are meant to make it easy for parents to see how their children scored on state testing. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. Sunshine State News.
Education bills: Some of the less-publicized education bills are moving in the Legislature. Here's a look at a few, and where they stand. Gradebook.
Construction spending: The chairman of the House Education Budget Subcommittee brushes aside school superintendents' denial that they're wasting school construction money. Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, says he won't change his plans to press for more accountability. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. WFSU.
After-school funding: Florida Senate leaders are discussing changes to the state's after-school programs. They want to increase funding but spread it around to more agencies. Agencies that have been providing after-school services, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys & Girls Clubs, worry about the effect on their programs. Miami Herald.
School start times: A study in the journal Sleep links later high school starting times to lower rates of tardiness and discipline issues. THE Journal. (more…)
School recess: A bill requiring a daily 20-minute recess in every Florida elementary school goes before the House's K-12 education committee today. The bill, pushed hard by parents' groups, would also prohibit schools from withholding recess as punishment. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. A large number of parents will rally for recess at the Capitol today. Tallahassee Democrat.
School transfers: A Florida Senate education committee passes a bill that would allow students to transfer to any school in Florida that has an opening, for academics or athletic reasons. Orlando Sentinel.
Capital spending: Public schools are exceeding a state-imposed limit for spending on construction projects, according to House education budget chairman Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, and he wants to reduce that cap. Some Democrats and school officials say Fresen's conclusions are oversimplified. Miami Herald.
School uniforms: The Volusia County School Board votes tonight on whether to require school uniforms for every K-12 student. Parents seem to be split on the measure, while most board members have spoken in favor. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Charter schools: The Jacksonville Urban Education Symposium on Feb. 6 will focus on charter schools as a viable educational option. Florida Politics.
Private schools. The Human Experience, a private middle school in Orlando, urges its 30 students to "do good, love well, and pursue your passion." The unconventional school has its critics, but founder Nathan Smith says the at-risk students are becoming confident and unafraid. WMFE.
A measure expanding Florida's newest educational option for special needs students is now headed to Gov. Rick Scott's desk.
The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved SB 672, which would allow more families to access Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts and give the program a new name.
The Gardiner Scholarship — renamed for the family of Senate President Andy Gardiner, who championed the program — would be open to more students, including 3- and 4-year-olds and students with muscular dystrophy, as well as more children across the entire autism spectrum. The measure would also boost funding for scholarships to $71.2 million, and create new college programs for special-needs students. (more…)
Legislature and education: A bill that creates more educational options for students with special needs is the first to clear the Florida Senate. Tallahassee Democrat. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. WFSU. Politico Florida. A bill that would allow students to use computer coding to fulfill any foreign language requirement passes a second committee in the Florida Senate. Unresolved are worries that it creates an unfunded mandate. Politico Florida. Gradebook. The House budget chairman, Erik Fresen, R-Miami, joins senators to discuss the teacher bonuses program he helped create. Renewal of the program, which some say discriminates against older and minority teachers, faces opposition in the House and Senate. Gradebook. More than 31,000 Florida students are in classes that are too big, according to the state's class size law. Discussions on tightening the rules on the way class sizes are computed will be held in the Senate today. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, files a bill that would give local school districts more autonomy over financing, curriculum and operations. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Federal help sought: The Miami-Dade School District is asking the federal government for financial help to educate students who have arrived from Cuba and those expected to arrive soon. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says an extra $40 million is needed. Miami Herald.
Teachers rally: More than 2,000 teachers are expected to rally at the state Capitol today to protest statewide education policies. Tampa Bay Times. Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)
