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Gov. Rick Scott

Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Charter schools, disqualification list, bonuses and more

Compiled by redefinED staff March 19, 2019
Compiled by redefinED staff

Charter schools expansion: A bill that could expand the number of charter schools in low-income neighborhoods in Florida is passed by the PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee. The bill would allow “Schools of Hope” charters to open in 427 financially struggling neighborhoods with persistently low-performing schools that are designated as “opportunity zones” by President Trump’s tax bill of 2017. The bill also would allow the schools to open near traditional public schools that received grades from the state lower than C in three of the past five years. The current law does not mention “opportunity zones,” and requires those traditional public schools to receive D or F grades for three consecutive years before Schools of Hope would be encouraged to open nearby. Gradebook.

Disqualification list: The Senate Education Committee is considering a bill today that would create a “disqualification list” of teachers who have been involved in serious disciplinary actions. The list would include teachers from traditional public schools, charter schools and private schools that accept scholarship money, and districts and schools would be barred from hiring anyone whose name appears on the list. Private schools that hire an individual on the list could be closed by the education commissioner. Florida Phoenix.

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March 19, 2019 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: Education suit dismissed, BOE appointments and more

Compiled by redefinED staff January 7, 2019
Compiled by redefinED staff

Education lawsuit dismissed: A nearly 10-year-old lawsuit alleging that the state has failed to live up to its constitutional duty to fund a “high quality” K-12 public education system has been dismissed by the Florida Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision. The court majority upheld a lower court ruling that the phrase “high quality education” is not defined in the constitution, and what it does mean is a political question, not a judicial one. The court “lacks the institutional competence — or the constitutional authority — to make the monumental funding and policy decisions that the petitioners (the plaintiffs) and the dissenters seek to shift to the judicial branch. And there is not a hint of any manageable judicial standards to apply in making those decisions,” wrote Chief Justice Charles Canady. The group Citizens for Strong Schools filed the suit in 2009 and lost at the circuit court and appeals court levels. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Phoenix. Politico Florida.

Choices for Florida BOE: Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow died in the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, is one of two people appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Board of Education. The other is Thomas Grady, a Naples lawyer and former state representative. Both will serve until Dec. 31, 2022. They were among 76 appointments Scott made last week on his way out of office. Sun Sentinel. Associated Press. Gradebook. Politico Florida.

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January 7, 2019 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: Shooting report, arming teachers, education bills and more

Compiled by redefinED staff January 3, 2019
Compiled by redefinED staff

School shooting report: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission approves a 458-page final report that calls on the state to arm willing teachers, provide more money to add school resource officers and harden school buildings and campuses, and streamline communications between schools and law enforcement agencies, among the dozens of recommendations. The report now goes to Gov. Rick Scott, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. Sun Sentinel. Miami Herald. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Gradebook. WJCT. WTVJ. WTLV. Capitolist. Florida Politics. DeSantis says he’ll decide soon whether to suspend Broward Sheriff Scott Israel for the agency’s failures during the shooting at the Parkland school Feb. 14. Sun Sentinel.

Education and Legislature: State Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, the chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations committee and vice chair of the education committee, says the Legislature is likely to tweak the significant education bills passed in 2017 and 2018, but probably won’t have any single bill that “will dramatically change the education system, as we’ve done the past few years.” Gradebook.

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January 3, 2019 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: School shooting is top AP story, panic alarms and more

Compiled by redefinED staff December 21, 2018
Compiled by redefinED staff

School shooting is top story: A gunman’s murder of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14 is voted the top story of the year in the Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. The shooting spurred security reforms at schools across the country and launched a student-led movement, March for Our Lives, that helped organize walkouts, peaceful protests and a campaign for stricter gun laws. Associated Press. The dozen biggest K-12 education technology stories of the year. Education Week.

Panic alarms bill: State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, files a bill that would require at least one silent alarm, also known as a panic button, in every public school building that would instantly alert local law enforcement. Book calls S.B. 174 “Alyssa’s Law,” in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who was killed during the shootings at Stoneman Douglas High. News Service of Florida. Orlando Weekly. Sun Sentinel.

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December 21, 2018 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: School choice, teacher pay, school report and more

Compiled by redefinED staff December 14, 2018
Compiled by redefinED staff

More choice, accountability: At its first meeting, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ education transition team urges more school choice for Florida students, more information about those choices for parents, expanded personalized learning options and increased accountability for schools. “We’re moving from school choice to informed, high quality school choice,” says Kim McDougal, former chief of staff and education adviser to Gov. Rick Scott. “The closer we can get to individualizing education for each child, the more success we will see,” says Marva Johnson, chair of the Florida Board of Education and co-chair of the transition committee. The group meets again Dec. 19 and 28. Gradebook.

Teacher performance pay: A bill is introduced in the Legislature that would end state restrictions on the way public school teachers get paid. Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, wants districts to be able to decide if they want to use the performance pay plans, instead of forcing them to, and to end a prohibition on using advanced degrees as a criteria when making salary schedules. “The way you pay teachers should be done at the local level,” says Plasencia, who calls the current model “flawed” and “rigid.” Gradebook.

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December 14, 2018 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: Stewart resigns, superintendent choice and more

Compiled by redefinED staff December 5, 2018
Compiled by redefinED staff

Stewart resigns: Pam Stewart, Florida’s education commissioner, submits her resignation effective Jan. 8 as rumors swirl around Tallahassee that former House Speaker Richard Corcoran is Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ choice to replace her. Stewart has been education commissioner since 2013. She announced last year that she would retire when Gov. Rick Scott left office. But two months ago, the Florida Board of Education asked her to stay another year and she agreed. Tuesday, in her resignation letter, Stewart wrote: “There has never been a better time to be a student in Florida, which makes it a good time to hand over the reins so that someone can take our students to the next level of opportunity and success.” News Service of Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. Politico Florida. Florida Phoenix.

Superintendent selection: Manatee County School Board members are interested in erasing the word interim from the title of Superintendent Cynthia Saunders. They say they’ve been impressed with how Saunders has handled several crises since stepping in for the departed Diana Greene, and will draft a contract extension for her that they hope to vote on Dec. 11. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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December 5, 2018 0 comment
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Florida Schools RoundupredefinED education roundup

Florida schools roundup: Corcoran and DOE, arming teachers, lawsuit and more

Compiled by redefinED staff December 3, 2018
Compiled by redefinED staff

Corcoran as commissioner? Republican Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis is reportedly considering appointing former House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, to be the next commissioner of education. The staunch school choice advocate would replace Pam Stewart, who had planned on retiring when Gov. Rick Scott left office in January but in October accepted a request by the Florida Board of Education to stay on another year. It’s unknown what effect the potential appointment of Corcoran would have on Stewart continuing another year. Politico Florida.

Teachers and guns: The argument for arming teachers and school employees gained credence when the chairman of the panel investigating the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School suggested it should be reconsidered. Despite that, many teachers and school board members remain opposed and say only trained law enforcement officers should be carrying guns in schools. Tampa Bay Times. Some school safety experts question whether the recommendations of a federal commission looking into the school shooting will carry any more weight than they have in the past. Education Dive.

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December 3, 2018 1 comment
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Florida Schools Roundup

Florida schools roundup: DeSantis wins, tax hikes pass, board elections and more

Compiled by redefinED staff November 7, 2018
Compiled by redefinED staff

Statewide races: Republican Ron DeSantis, who strongly backs school choice, wants 80 percent of all education spending directed into the classroom and pledges to expand the state’s K-12 scholarship programs and career and technical education opportunities, narrowly wins the governor’s race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. In other statewide races, Gov. Rick Scott defeats incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, Republicans win all three Cabinet seats, and 11 of the 12 constitutional amendments are approved with the required 60 percent majority. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Orlando Sentinel. The 74.

Tax initiatives: Voters approve all eight tax increases for education in the state. Sales tax hikes for construction and repairs of schools pass or are renewed in Alachua, Hillsborough, Lee, Martin and Polk counties. In Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Charlotte counties, voters approve higher property taxes to pay for school safety and teacher salaries. Politico Florida.

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November 7, 2018 0 comment
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