Tag:

Florida and private schools

redefinED roundup: Parent trigger in Florida, charter schools in N.C., vouchers in Texas & more

Sherri Ackerman March 11, 2013

Sherri Ackerman

Kansas: Lawmakers are pushing for two new bills, which include recommendations from the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools, to bring the school choice movement to a state with only 15 charter schools (The Topeka Capital-Journal).

Georgia: Proposed legislation looks to cap the state’s private-school tax credit program and limit it to students with a financial need (Atlanta Journal Constitution). A parent-trigger bill that paves the way for traditional public schools to convert to charters also gets a nod from legislators (Atlanta Journal Constitution).

New Hampshire: The House is set to vote on a measure that could end a Board of Education moratorium on charter schools (New Hampshire Union Leader). More from The Telegraph of Nashua.

Tennessee: A $4 million Mathematica study finds KIPP students show significant learning gains in reading, math, science and social studies in the first four years (The Commercial Appeal).

Alabama: State school board members offer mixed reactions following the surprise passage of the Alabama Accountability Act, which gives tax credit scholarships to parents who want to remove their children from failing public schools and enroll them in private schools or a non-failing public school (AL.com). Also, a circuit judge blocked the signing of a controversial bill that created tax credit scholarships (The Anniston Star).

March 11, 2013 0 comment

Blog Administration Customization Education and Public Policy Education Legislation Education Politics Education Reporting Funding Parent Empowerment Parental Choice Private Schools Religious Education School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships

redefinED looks at what people are saying about Rubio, federal tax credit scholarships

Sherri Ackerman March 6, 2013

Sherri Ackerman

March 6, 2013 0 comment

Blog Administration Charter Schools Customization Education Legislation Education Politics Parent Empowerment Parent Trigger Parental Choice Private Schools School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships Technology and Innovation Testing and Accountability Virtual Education

Florida lawmakers to consider a stack of school choice bills

Amy Graham March 5, 2013

Amy Graham

Editor’s note: Another year, another legislative session, another stack of school-choice bills in Florida. Here’s a roundup of choice legislation that lawmakers will consider in the annual session that begins today.

Career Academies:

SB 1076 by Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz. Expands the “Career and Professional Education Act (CAPE),” revising requirements for high school graduation and accelerated high school graduation, and allowing students to earn and substitute certain industry certifications for certain course credits. Also requires districts to make digital materials available to students and to use the Postsecondary Industry Certification Funding List in determining annual performance funding distributions to school districts and Florida College System institutions, etc.

Charter Schools:

HB 373 by Rep. Joe Saunders, D-Orlando. Provides that a contract for a charter school employee or service provider may not extend beyond the school’s charter contract, and that the employee or service provider is not entitled to compensation after the school’s closure. (Identical to SB 780 by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando.)

HB 453 by Rep. Victor Torres, D-Orlando. Requires the compensation and salary schedules for charter school employees to be based on school district schedules. (Identical to SB 784- Charter Schools by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando.)

SB 744 by Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs. Requires charter school applications to demonstrate the applicant is financially qualified to open and maintain a high-quality charter school, requires the charter to set forth detailed reporting of the financial operations of the school to ensure employees are not paid unreasonable compensation, and requires that the term of the charter must provide for cancellation of the charter if the school becomes insolvent, fails to provide a quality education, or does not comply with applicable law. The bill also clarifies that a charter school system shall be designated a LEA solely for the purpose of receiving federal funds if certain criteria are met.

SB 828 by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah. Grants school districts the ad valorem tax exemption given to charter schools, and restricts the use of capital outlay funds for property improvements if the property is exempt from ad valorem taxes. It restricts charter schools or technical career centers having financial problems from certain activities, and grants flexibility to high-performing school choice districts.

HB 1001 by Rep. Karen Castor Dentel, D-Maitland. Prohibits charter schools from requiring, soliciting, or accepting certain student information before student’s enrollment or attendance. Also requires charter schools to submit attendance plans to the school district for students enrolled in school; provide funding to the school district in event of student transfers; and report to the school district certain student enrollment and wait-list information.

SB 1092 by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando. Requires charter school to submit attendance information for each student to the school district, and requires the charter school to provide a prorated portion of per-student funding to the school district if a student transfers to another public school in the school district before the last day of the school year.

SB 1164 by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland. Revises the eligibility criteria for extracurricular activities to include students in charter schools, and revises the criteria for bylaws, policies, or guidelines adopted by the Florida High School Athletic Association. (Compare to HB 1279 by Rep. Larry Metz, R-Groveland.)

March 5, 2013 0 comment

Blog Administration Common Ground Education Politics Funding Private Schools Technology and Innovation Testing and Accountability Unionism

Florida education summit puts focus on Common Core’s potential, challenges

Ron Matus February 28, 2013

Ron Matus

Florida business leaders put a spotlight Wednesday on the promise and potential pitfalls of Common Core – the tough, new academic standards that are rolling into Florida schools and will help re-shape teaching, learning and testing.

Bennett: “The state should own this initiative.”

At a wide-ranging, day-long education summit in Orlando, several participants suggested a public awareness campaign to inform parents about the changes – which may be initially painful when they’re implemented in the 2014-15 school year – and to rally broad support in a way that has eluded many of the state’s other, recent education reforms.

“These tend to be Tallahassee conversations. But if we don’t do this right, it becomes a Miami conversation or a Jacksonville conversation” and not in a positive way, Marshall Criser III, president of AT&T Florida and chairman of the Florida Council of 100, told redefinED during a break. “We have an opportunity and responsibility to take this back to our communities … Because if not us, then who?”

“The state should own this initiative,” Education Commissioner Tony Bennett told attendees, reminding them of the marketing effort a decade ago for Just Read, Florida. “It shouldn’t be teachers against people. It shouldn’t be the state against schools, state against districts. This should be a statewide rollout that says this is important to our children and this is important to the future of our state.”

The Council of 100 sponsored the summit with the Florida Chamber Foundation, the National Chamber Foundation and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce. About 100 people attended, including three lawmakers, two superintendents, Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand and Florida Education Association President Andy Ford.

Spurred by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core standards in math and language arts have been adopted by 44 states. They’re well-thought-out and well-vetted. They’re benchmarked against international standards. They’re designed to instill a deeper knowledge than state standards do now. In the long term, supporters say, the higher bar will better prepare students for college and careers and an ever-more-competitive world. In the short term, though, ouch: They’re expected to result in a steep drop in test scores – and all the angst that comes with it.

“That’s a pain point,” Criser said. “But people have to understand that’s good,” he continued, because it’s the first step on a better path.

The discussion around Common Core has centered almost exclusively on public schools. But its gravitational pull is expected to be so strong that the impact will be felt at the private schools, too, to varying degrees.

February 28, 2013 2 comments

Blog Administration Charter Schools Education and Public Policy Education Politics Funding Parent Empowerment Parental Choice Private Schools School Choice

In Florida district, academic competitions splinter as school choice expands

Sherri Ackerman February 18, 2013

Sherri Ackerman

For their project, Gussie Lorenzo-Luaces and three classmates at Deer Park Elementary in Tampa, Fla., wanted to find out what kind of paper allows a paper airplane to fly the farthest. After five trial runs, they determined copy paper, with its smooth surface and stable weight, worked best.

Gussie Lorenzo-Luaces, a third-grader at Deer Park Elementary School in Tampa, was one of more than 2,000 students participating in the 33rd annual Hillsborough Regional STEM Fair last week.

The boys’ exhibit was among more than 1,800 presented at last week’s 33^rd annual Hillsborough Regional STEM Fair, which featured 2,000 students from district schools, charter and private schools, and home schools.

That diversity was a big plus for Gussie’s mom, Susie, who was curious where other students in the county registered on the science track.

“I just feel they don’t need separation,’’ she said. “I like seeing them all together.’’

Increasingly, though, Hillsborough students are not all together in academic competitions.

In the past year, district officials have begun excluding charter schools from some districtwide contests, including Battle of the Books, a reading competition, and the Math Bowl and Math League for elementary and middle school students.

The reasons for the splintering are not clear. But everything from cost, to fear of competition, to a desire for charter schools to be more independent, has been suggested. At the least, the move points to potential pitfalls as school choice options mushroom across the landscape – even in a district with a choice-friendly reputation like Hillsborough.

“They’re all our children,” said Lillia Stroud of King’s Kids Academy of Health Science, a new charter in Tampa. Stroud said she can relate to the district’s concerns, but “separation at any level is disheartening.”

February 18, 2013 5 comments

Charter Schools Customization Education and Public Policy Education Legislation Policy Wonks Private Schools Testing and Accountability

Not your daddy’s vo-tech: Florida lawmakers to consider career ed changes

Sherri Ackerman February 15, 2013

Sherri Ackerman

Sen. Legg

Florida state Sen. John Legg has a slogan ready for a bill he plans to file next week: “It’s not your daddy’s vo-tech.’’

The bill will focus on “high-end, high-skilled industry certifications at the high school level,’’ with one plank calling for some certifications to fulfill certain high school graduation requirements, said Legg, R-New Port Richey, who chairs the Senate Education Committee.

The certifications won’t replace any requirements, but serve as substitutions, he said. The idea is to put students on the fast-track for high-tech jobs that help grow the economy.

“Career education has changed since 1982,’’ Legg said. “It’s evolved. We’re trying to get the jobs back that we had in 2003, but we have failed. They’re not coming back, so we’ve got to train for jobs in 2023.’’

The bill, which is still being drafted, is part of a “very large package concerning career and technical education that will become a high priority for the senate,’’ he said.

It complements another bill Legg filed last month that would create “STEM zones” in counties with state universities that have high levels of research activity. Legg is looking primarily at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Senate Bill 192 calls for partnerships between the Department of Education and Workforce Florida to build a gateway to science, technology, and engineering or mathematics careers.

The zones would create education hubs, not only looking to higher education facilities to train adults, but inviting traditional K-12 schools – as well as charters and private schools – to develop innovative curriculum for students and a pipeline of highly-skilled workers. In return, the schools would receive incentives, such as tax credits, expedited permits or grants, Legg said.

February 15, 2013 0 comment

Blog Administration Customization Education Reporting Funding Parental Choice Private Schools School Boards School Choice Teacher Quality Testing and Accountability Unionism

Florida roundup: Tutoring oversight, teachers unions, Tony Bennett & more

Ron Matus February 11, 2013

Ron Matus

Tutoring oversight. In the first part of a two-part series on a requirement initially mandated by No Child Left Behind, a Tampa Bay Times investigation finds at least 36 of 456 tutoring companies in Florida are headed by people with criminal records. In part two, the Times traces last year’s last-minute legislative push to keep the mandate in place.

Educator oversight. Sarasota Herald Tribune: “As Bradenton police investigate allegations that a Manatee High School assistant football coach groped a female student, they are also trying to determine who knew about the girl’s claims and why no one notified law enforcement as required by law.”

Teacher bashing? A StateImpact Florida story headlined “Teachers Question Why Proposed Pay Raises Come Before Teacher Evaluations” quotes a single teacher who says, “For a while now we’ve been hearing how bad we are. [That] we need to weed out bad teachers, there’s so many bad teachers.” Ocala Star Banner editorial page editor Brad Rogers writes in this column: “There are so many wildly talented, caring and dedicated teachers in Marion County’s schools that unfairly take abuse and blame and criticism for what is wrong with our schools and our society, when in truth they represent what is most right and bright and promising about our schools and our society.”

Teacher pay. Sen. Bill Galvano, chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Committee, suggests Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal for across-the-board raises clashes with performance pay, reports the Florida Current. The South Florida Sun Sentinel also writes up the debate over proposals for higher teacher pay.

Strange bedfellows. The Florida Education Association plans to join the Florida Department of Education in fighting the Florida Times-Union’s request for teacher evaluation data.

Tony Bennett. He talks to North Florida superintendents about teacher evals and notes he encouraged his daughter to become a teacher: ““I don’t want it written on my headstone: ‘Here lies the man that ruined the career his daughter chose.’ ” Tallahassee Democrat.

Teachers unions. The United Teachers of Dade will elect a new leader this week. Miami Herald.

February 11, 2013 0 comment

Florida Schools Roundup

redefinED roundup: Charter school parents in New York, tax credit scholarships in Montana & more

redefinED staff February 11, 2013

redefinED staff

New York: More than 1,000 charter school parents rally in Albany to convince the state to let charter schools compete for state funding for pre-K (Fox23 News).

Montana: Lawmakers hear from parents and other child advocates who want their state to open charter schools and support giving families more choices, such as tax credits (Great Falls Tribune). Bills to create a tax credit scholarship program pass out of committees on mostly party line votes (Helena Independent Record). More from the Billings Gazette.

Ohio: Half the students in the state would be eligible for private school vouchers under an expansion proposed by Gov. John Kasich to include all low-income children (ClevelandLeader.com).

Texas: House Speaker Joe Straus warns the Senate that it might not want to go “full bore” on a school voucher bill, calling it an “exercise in futility” (Dallas Morning News). Four groups aiming to open charter schools next year turn in applications that have material copied from other applications (Dallas Morning News).

Florida: The Florida House approved a bill that makes it easier for charter schools to grow, but calls for increased accountability (redefinED). The bill also gives charters greater access to district facilities, something one school official said would be a “logistical nightmare” (Palm Beach Post). More from Tallahassee Democrat. Private schools can apply to administer the FCAT, but, so far, only two have (Orlando Sentinel).

February 11, 2013 0 comment