Last night, the Lee County school board became the first district to refuse state testing entirely. Other Florida school districts are also considering saying no to state exams. The Florida School Boards Association is meeting next week and has posted an outline of the consequences for not complying state law. The first step is an […]
A recent University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform report concluded charter schools receive less funding than traditional public schools across the country. But that study only looked at revenue, argues Rutgers University researcher Bruce Baker in a new National Education Policy Center review, and ignores the complex financial relationships between school districts and charter […]
We sat down with Senate Education Committee Chairman John Legg to talk about the recently completed legislative session. Legg said it was a good year for schools, with the budget boosting per student funding and lawmakers adding more options for students who want to earn college credit while still in high school. On the year’s […]
Florida charter school students receive $2,130 less in funding, on average, than students who attend traditional public schools, according to a new study from the University of Arkansas’ Department of Education Reform. Only Tennessee charter school students receive more funding than traditional district students. The gap ranges from $12,736 per student in Washington, D.C. to […]
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott promoted his $18.8 billion budget for education. But if it were up to Florida Education Association president Andy Ford, there would be even more money going to Florida’s public schools. The Florida Education Association is the state umbrella group for Florida teachers’ unions. […]
The chairman of the Senate’s Education Committee said Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers want to spend at least $40 million, and likely more, to upgrade school Internet capacity and add new computers, tablets and other digital tools. Sen. John Legg, R-Port Richey, said education technology is a priority for Scott and both Republican and Democratic […]
Education and the economy will be the most important issues in Florida’s governor race. That’s what Democratic candidate — and former Republican governor — Charlie Crist told MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on Monday. Crist, Democratic former state Sen. Nan Rich and Republican Gov. Rick Scott have all talked about education early in the race to try […]
At the start of last school year there were about 15,000 fewer full-time jobs in Florida public schools than there were in 2007. Almost all of those jobs — 99.5% — are support staff positions like custodians, secretaries and classroom aides. StateImpact Florida has been reporting on the changes in staffing at Florida public schools. […]
A StateImpact Florida analysis of jobs in Florida public schools shows that while full-time staffing is almost back to pre-recession levels, one group of employees hasn’t come back: the support staff. Since the recession began, Florida’s public school budgets have been hit with more than $2 billion dollars in cuts from state and federal funding, […]
The Florida Department of Education wants to spend an additional $126.77 per student and $40 million on school technology, according to the agency’s preliminary budget request. The draft budget is one item on a busy State Board of Education agenda tomorrow. The board will also discuss what’s next in hiring a new education commissioner and […]
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