Tag: Senate President Joe Negron

Florida schools roundup: Opt-out ruling, Legislature, scholarships and more

Opt-out ruling overturned: An appeals court overturns a ruling that some state school districts improperly retained third-graders who had opted out of the Florida Standards Assessment language arts test. The appeals court concluded that lawsuits against the state over the retention policy should have been heard in local courts instead of a[Read More…]

Florida schools roundup: Spending, bill for scholarships, bathrooms and more

School tax hike: The K-12 education budgets of both Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, count on an extra $400 million-plus that would be raised through rising property values on unchanging local property tax rates. Neither considers that a tax hike. But Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, does,[Read More…]

Florida schools roundup: Budget-cutting exercise, charter schools and more

Cutting exercise: Members of the Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee meet to brainstorm about what they might cut out of the education budget if state revenue falls as projected. Many agreed on killing a $14 million incentive plan for student uniforms. Other potential cuts included district-level administrative funds, money to[Read More…]

Florida schools roundup: Senate agenda, graduation rates, top teacher and more

Senate’s education agenda: Senate President Joe Negron’s agenda includes more school choice for K-12 and more money for the state’s universities. The Republican from Stuart also affirms his support for school testing and accountability. WUSF. Graduation rates: South Florida schools’ graduation rates have been rising steadily for five years, and[Read More…]

Florida schools roundup: Building funds, charters, testing, equal access and more

School tax revenue shortfall: Tax revenue for building and repair schools is forecast to be lower than expected, and legislators may consider issuing school construction bonds through the Public Education Capital Outlay fund. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, said issuing bonds would be a last resort, but Senate President[Read More…]