Schools of Hope: The Florida Department of Education is reopening the process for schools to apply for an extra $2,000 per student under the state's "Schools of Hope" program for struggling schools. The Legislature set aside $51 million in the new education law, H.B. 7069, to pay for the extra services at up to 25 schools. Fifty-nine schools applied for the grants, and 11 received them in the first round. Now the DOE is giving the other 48 schools, and other eligible schools that didn't initially apply, until Dec. 1 to submit an application. Up to 14 more could receive the grants. Gradebook.
Displaced students: Three Florida members of Congress send a letter to FEMA officials asking for extra money for housing, schooling and other services for the more than 90,000 people from Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, signed the letter along with Orlando Democratic representatives Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto. They're asking that Florida get reimbursement from FEMA's host-state program. Florida Politics.
Searching for options: Parents who are given more school choice options tend to do more research for schools for their children, according to a recent study by researchers Michael Lovenheim and Patrick Walsh published in EducationNext. The authors looked at areas with newly expanded school choice options and found a correlation between more choice and an increase in the number of searches on the website Greatschools.org. redefinED.
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 circuit court in Tallahassee. In August, the Leon County judge ruled largely in favor of 14 parents from several districts who refused to let their children take the tests, then sued districts that held back those students. “The test can only achieve that laudable purpose (assessing reading skills to determine promotions) if the student meaningfully takes part in the test by attempting to answer all of its questions to the best of the student’s ability," the appeals judges wrote in their opinion. "Anything less is a disservice to the student — and the public.” Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. News Service of Florida. WUSF. Associated Press.
State of the state: In his State of the State address to open the 2017 legislative session, Gov. Rick Scott urges lawmakers to approve his increase in education funding for K-12 schools and colleges and universities while also cutting taxes. Sunshine State News. Florida Politics. Associated Press. The transcript of the speech. News Service of Florida.
Leaders' priorities: Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, expands his priorities for the Legislature's session to include the bill that protects students' religious expression in schools. “I think it’s very important that students of any faith or no faith” have a right to free speech, Negron said in his speech on the opening day of the 60-day legislative session. Miami Herald. Negron also says charter schools should get a fair share of state funding for construction and maintenance. Politico Florida. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, says his top budget priority for the legislative session is to put an end to the state's so-called "failure factories," or underperforming public schools. While Corcoran has not detailed how he'd do that, he's hinted that adding charter schools is part of the solution. Politico Florida.
Scholarships expansion: A Florida House education subcommittee approves a bill that expands scholarship programs for low-income and disabled students. The amount available for disabled students under the Gardiner and McKay scholarships would jump from $73 million to $200 million, and the number of disabilities covered would be expanded. The bill also increases the per-pupil amount for low-income students who qualify for the tax credit scholarship program. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the Gardiner and tax credit scholarship programs. Orlando Sentinel. redefinED. (more…)
