Lawmakers Take Up School Choice And Other Education Priorities In Tallahassee

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Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

It’s committee week in Tallahassee.

Florida lawmakers are arriving for their first batch of committee meetings since the election.

Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford assigned members to committees and subcommittees, including seven panels relating to education.

This week is largely about introductions and getting organized.

Lawmakers will tackle preliminary work before going into the regular legislative session in March.

All meetings are open to the public and most can be streamed online.

TUESDAY

The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee gets an overview of its jurisdiction. 8:30 a.m., 17 House Office Building

The House Education Choice & Innovation Subcommittee will hear an overview of Florida’s school choice options. 10:30 a.m., 404 House Office Building

The House K-12 Subcommittee will hear an overview of K-12 academics and accountability. 1 p.m., 17 House Office Building

The House Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee will hear about findings from the Florida Blue Ribbon Task Force on State Higher Education Reform. 3 p.m., 102 House Office Building

The Senate Education Committee will get an overview of the committee’s jurisdiction and hear about the top priorities of agency heads.  2 p.m., 412 Knott Building

WEDNESDAY

The full House Education Committee will get an overview of the PreK-20 Education System.10:30 a.m., 102 House Office Building

THURSDAY

The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee hears from the state’s top education leaders about their priority initiatives: Frank Brogan – Chancellor of the State University System of Florida; Pam Stewart – Interim Commissioner of Education; and Mel Jurado – Agency Director of Florida’s Office of Early Learning. 11 a.m., 412 Knott Building