Within an hour of Fifth Third Bank's announcement via a press release that it will continue to fund scholarships for Florida's most disadvantaged students, state lawmakers took to social media to thank the bank for reconsidering its decision to fund the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program.
Those lawmakers included Rep. James Bush III, D-Miami, who posted: "The return of Fifth Third as a donor to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program is a victory for the more than 100,000 low-income students who need options in their education."
Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, referenced the pressure exerted upon Fifth Third by activists who came out in force this week to support the scholarship program and urged others to tweet @Fifththird to thank the bank for continuing its support.
Several other lawmakers, including Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, applauded Fifth Third for "coming back to the table" and listening to all voices. "This decision means that thousands of underprivileged, minority children will not have to give up their dream of a better future," Sprowls tweeted.
Rep. Patricia Williams, D-Pompano Beach, tweeted: "I celebrate the announcement by Fifth Third Bank, which will bolster education opportunities for those who need it most -- low-income, minority students."
Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, and Rep. Byron Daniels, R-Naples, also weighed in, with the latter thanking Fifth Third for "doing the right thing" in resuming its corporate donations.
Meanwhile, Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, commended the bank for supporting equal education opportunities for all children. "Our great state will be the better for it," Lawson tweeted.
Adding their voices to the praise chorus were two national figures.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program into law in 2001, thanked Fifth Third and tweeted, "Great to see @FifthThird continuing to support Florida's families seeking a better education for their children."
And U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio commended the bank, tweeting "Great job by the bipartisan coalition that made this possible."
Rubio made headlines earlier this week when he called Fifth Third's decision to cease donations, along with Wells Fargo's, a "publicity stunt aimed at earning 'wokeness' points with the radical left."
School security: The Hendry and Suwannee county school boards adopt the state's guardian program and will have school employees carrying concealed weapons in all their schools next August. The school boards will decide who becomes a guardian, and the county sheriff's departments will provide the training. WBBH. Suwannee Democrat. The Pasco County School Board will be asked to approve a $2.8 million program to put armed safety officers instead of sworn school resource officers into county schools. Gradebook. Some Florida legislators predict the school safety act will be revised in the next legislative session. Florida Today. A majority of people responding to a Lake County School District survey say they do not want to arm school employees. Daily Commercial. Orlando Sentinel. A group of Duval County students share their safety concerns with legislators. WJCT. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson talks about the financial challenges the district faces in adhering to the state mandate of having an armed person in every school. St. Augustine Record. Florida senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio introduce a bill to expand the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center as a way to protect students. Sun-Sentinel. Sunshine State News.
Education lawsuit appeal: School boards in Lee and Bay counties vote to appeal a judge's April 4 ruling that the 2017 state education law, H.B. 7069, is constitutional. The other 11 school boards in the suit - Alachua, Broward, Clay, Duval, Hamilton, Orange, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, Volusia and Wakulla - have yet to decide whether they'll join the appeal. The plaintiffs say the law is unconstitutional because it takes power away from local school boards. Fort Myers News-Press. Panama City News Herald. WJHG. The ongoing legal fight reflects the tension between local school boards, which are given the authority to oversee all public schools in their counties, and the Legislature and Florida Department of Education, which have the power to regulate that authority. redefinED.
Private schools investigated: The Florida Department of Education will investigate three private schools that hired felons as teachers. Kingsway Christian Academy and Winners Primary School near Orlando and Southland Christian School near Kissimmee have been asked for records of the employees, including proof of their background checks. State law prohibits private schools that take scholarship money from hiring employees with certain convictions, but the state relies on the schools to conduct background checks. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
Budget and Bright Futures: Florida House leaders introduce what they call an austere state budget of about $85 billion, which is about $2.5 billion less than Gov. Rick Scott has proposed. One of the areas the House would cut back on is higher education spending, in part by not expanding the coverage to 75 percent of tuition and fees for "medallion scholars" in the Bright Futures program, which the Senate has approved. Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole, says the cuts are intended to force colleges and universities to use their stockpiles of unspent funds. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. The proposed House budget also includes a spending boost of $100 per K-12 student, a provision that would eliminate a requirement that the 300 lowest-performing schools use the extra funding they get from the state to add an hour per day of reading instruction, and would allow any district in the state to participate in the principal autonomy program. Gradebook. Politico Florida. redefinED. The House budget includes a specific cut of $381,000 for Broward College that is directly related to the college's decision to pay the outgoing president his $381,000 salary for a year after he leaves, calling it a paid sabbatical. WLRN.
Motto at schools: The motto "In God We Trust" would have to be prominently displayed on every school building in Florida under a bill that receives unanimous approval from the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee. The measure was filed by Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, and Rep. Mel Ponder, R-Destin. The phrase became part of the seal on the state flag in 1868, and was adopted as the state motto by legislators in 2006. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. WCTV. Gradebook.
Personalized learning: A bill that would make the personalized learning pilot program available to all state school districts is approved by the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee. If approved by the Legislature, the bill would broaden the use of the mastery-based learning method, which allows students to advance to higher levels in subjects when they can demonstrate mastery of a topic. The bill would also give districts the freedom to decide how to award course credits. redefinED.
