Meet The New Florida Board of Education

Background

The Florida Board of Education oversees the Florida Department of Education.

The Board is a committee of 7 members and the Commissioner of Education, which are all appointed by the Florida Governor to direct public K-12 & Community College education.

Before 2003, the Commissioner of Education was originally a Cabinet-level position filled by an election. But by a voter-approved revision to the Florida Constitution, the Commissioner of Education became an appointed position.

The revised constitution also created the new Florida Board of Education.

Education Commissioner: Tony Bennett

Board of Education Members:

Mr. Gary Chartrand
Chair, State Board of Education
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Term: May 16, 2011 – December 31, 2014

Mr. John R. Padget
Vice Chair, State Board of Education
Key West, Florida
Term: May 13, 2009 – December 31, 2016

Dr. Ada G. Armas
State Board of Education, Member
Coral Gables, Florida
Term: February 7, 2013- December 31, 2016

Mrs. Sally Bradshaw
State Board of Education, Member
Havana, Florida
Term: September 6, 2011 – December 31, 2013

Mr. John A. Colon
State Board of Education, Member
University Park, Florida
Term: February 7, 2013 – December 31, 2014

Mrs. Barbara S. Feingold
State Board of Education, Member
Delray Beach, Florida
Term: July 18, 2011 – December 31, 2013

Ms. Kathleen Shanahan
State Board of Education, Member
Tampa, Florida
Term: January 6, 2006 – December 31, 2013

Dr. Tony Bennett
Florida Department of Education, Commissioner
325 W. Gaines Street
Suite 1514
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Phone: 850-245-0505
Fax: 850-245-9667

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June 18, 2013

State Board Wants Superintendents To Review School Grading Formula

The State Board of Education has asked that a panel of school superintendents and other education officials to review the state’s school grading system and potentially recommend changes. Superintendents from Hillsborough and Miami-Dade schools said that they are concerned changes to the school grading system will mean a dramatic drop in school grades. The board [...]

May 21, 2013

Board Of Education Wants More Focus On Common Core

The Florida Board of Education is meeting today in Jacksonville. The panel heard an update from Education Commissioner Tony Bennett on three strategic initiatives being carried out over the next year. The initiatives are part of a reorganization at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) that involves analyzing every position. A lot of job descriptions [...]

April 24, 2013

Bennett: PARCC Is Not The Only Exam Florida Will Consider

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett said Florida could choose another test tied to Common Core standards -- despite managing the money for the group designing PARCC.

Update: The headline of this post has been changed for clarity. Despite Florida handling the money for one of two new exams tied to new education standards, Education Commissioner Tony Bennett said the state is not committed to adopting the test. Florida is one of 21 states and the District of Columbia which has joined [...]

April 16, 2013

Alabama, Kentucky and New York Set Own Course For Common Core Testing

Alabama, Kentucky and New York have gone their own way in designing tests for new Common Core State Standards.

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett will update State Board of Education members today on Florida’s progress toward meeting 2014 deadlines for new standards and testing. Lawmakers have said they are concerned Florida schools won’t have Internet infrastructure or computer equipment ready for the testing, scheduled to begin in the spring of 2015. Bennett has also said [...]

April 15, 2013

State Board Will Get Update On Common Core And Teacher Raises Tuesday

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett will update the State Board of Education on how much progress Florida districts have made toward meeting a 2014 deadline for new education standards.

Will Florida need a ‘Plan B’ test for new standards set to hit state schools in 2014? And if not, will school have the computers and bandwidth necessary for the online tests? That’s just one item on tomorrow’s State Board of Education agenda. Education Commissioner Tony Bennett has already said he’ll be updating progress on [...]

April 12, 2013

Education Commissioner Suggested Senate Parent Trigger Change

Senators said they changed a key provision in the session’s most controversial education bill on the advice of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett. Thursday a Senate panel approved the Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger bill. Members altered the bill to conform with the House version, which has already been approved [...]

April 9, 2013

Tony Bennett Says Update On Common Core Progress Coming Next Week

Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says he will have more information next week about plans for implementing new education standards known as Common Core. The State Board of Education is meeting next week. “We have rolled out a very aggressive implementation plan,” Bennett said. “We know that we have to be fully implemented and prepared to [...]

March 20, 2013

A Digital Divide Between State Board And Lawmakers’ Education Budget

State Board of Education member Kathleen Shanahan.

A Florida Senate budget proposal includes money for teacher raises, but the State Board of Education is worried the spending plan does not set aside enough money to expand Internet access at state schools. The Senate budget proposal unveiled Wednesday sets aside $76 million to expand Internet access at state schools. The Florida Department of [...]

February 19, 2013

The Other Problems With Florida’s New Education Standards And Testing

Tony Bennett was Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana for one term. He lost his re-election bid in November 2012, and was appointed Florida's schools chief by Governor Rick Scott.

The cost and technology are the most obvious problems facing Florida schools as they try to implement new, tougher education standards and computerized testing. But Education Commissioner Tony Bennett told the State Board of Education politics are about to become an issue as well. The standards, known as Common Core State Standards, have been fully [...]

February 18, 2013

State Board of Education To Get Updates on Gov. Scott’s Budget, Transition To New Education Standards

The State Board of Education convenes this morning in Orlando with a busy agenda. You can watch live here. Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed $22 billion education budget will be among the biggest draws. The recommended budget includes a boost in teacher salaries and classroom supplies, money for digital instruction materials, and funds for districts to [...]