Senate matches Scott on teacher pay raises; House may not
As we reported in this morning’s paper, the Florida Senate unveiled an education budget proposal that would match Gov. Rick Scott‘s proposed $480 million for teacher pay raises. There are two key...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Citizens in charge at annual public forum
It is a fun night. That much I can promise. Hopefully, we’ll learn something, too. I usually do. For the fourth year, I’ll moderate a community forum in which we – you and I – get to ask questions for...
View ArticleSenate moves closer to House on high school graduation requirements
After making major changes this week, the Florida House and the Senate are moving closer together on sweeping proposals that would expand career education programs and ease graduation requirements tied...
View ArticleUpdate: Senate panel approves parent trigger bill without making changes
Update: With a party-line vote, the Senate Education Committee on Monday approved the “parent trigger” legislation without adding an amendment proposed by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. Stargel said...
View ArticleHigh school sports bill isn’t dead, but may be a long shot
The national high school sports association is joining the opposition to a controversial overhaul of the rules governing high school sports. National Federation of State High School Associations board...
View ArticleSecond study for Senate FRS revision bill in final stages
A second study projecting the costs of a Senate bill that would alter the Florida Retirement System is in its finishing stages and the measure is set to be heard on the floor on Wednesday. The study by...
View ArticleDivision of Emergency Management warns against using federal dollars for...
A plan to fund a school security program by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee with $11.3 million in federal funds previously earmarked for State Homeland Security comes with more restrictions than...
View ArticleDiscussion of Senate FRS revision bill postponed today
Discussion of a Senate bill that would revise the Florida Retirement System was postponed this morning and will not be heard today. There was word around the Capitol that the SB 1392 by state Sen....
View ArticleRewritten charter school bill has something for everyone (and would affect...
From an “innovation schools” proposal championed by Sen. Bill Montford to the rescue of one provision from the the erstwhile Parent Empowerment Act, there’s something for everybody in an education bill...
View ArticleEmails show last-minute blitz by governor’s office, teachers union on pay raises
Getting teacher pay raises was a priority of Gov. Rick Scott in this spring’s legislative session. He got it, but not without difficulty and, records obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat show, not...
View ArticleBoard orders rapid review of school grading changes
After two school superintendents brought dire of falling school grades to the state Board of Education meeting this morning, the board agreed to review the state’s recent changes to its school grading...
View ArticleScott to teachers: Call my people
Gov. Rick Scott’s embrace of teachers continues. He’s hosting more than 40 of them this week for the first-ever summit of teachers of the year. At a reception at the governor’s mansion on Wednesday,...
View ArticleTax credit scholarships see surge of money, students – and still have room to...
In 2012 the Legislature passed a bill raising the funding cap for tax credit scholarships. It clearly had an effect this school year, as the program posted its largest growth in years. According to a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Numbers show how changes affect school grades
After today’s move by the state Board of Education, Florida’s school grades will still drop, but not as dramatically, according to preliminary projections released by the state. The projections at the...
View ArticleLegislative leaders raise concerns about FCAT replacement, say Florida should...
Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz say they want out of a group of states designing tests that were intended to replace the FCAT. The two legislative leaders wrote in...
View ArticleWhat Tony Bennett told Jeb Bush and Mitch Daniels before resigning as Florida...
Almost a full day before his public press conference announcing his resignation on Aug. 1, now-former Education Commissioner Tony Bennett spelled out his rationale in an email to former Florida Gov....
View ArticleComing Sunday: Where do your elected officials really live?
Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox loves to tell the story of how he waves to detractors and reporters at his North Adams Street home when they drive by to check on whether he is really living...
View ArticleCelebrate ‘Defenders’ and celebrate America
For a nation born in civil disobedience, we sure do get uptight when our citizens practice such a great American tradition, especially when such disobedience comes from the young and defiant. Such has...
View ArticleComing Sunday: Out with the old, in with the new in local politics
Anyway you look at it, the face of local government will change after the next election. Make that faces of local government. Senior Writer Jeff Burlew will report exclusively in this weekend’s Sunday...
View ArticleLet’s get passionate about something that really matters
Let me tell you a little story. It gets at something I think is far more important than the emails I’ve been reading lately about whose college football team is getting the most press or what the...
View Article
