Florida

Putting Education Reform To The Test

Gina Jordan

  • Email: FL_gina@fake.com

Florida House Speaker Uses His Unique Upbringing To Craft Education Policy

Meredith Geddings/myfloridahouse.gov

Speaker Will Weatherford says the House budget will likely include $1 billion in additional funding for K-12 education.

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford is a big proponent of nontraditional education.

Weatherford is pushing for an online state university in Florida, and he encourages families to consider different ways of learning besides district-run brick and mortar public schools.

He’s a strong supporter of charter schools and the parent trigger bill, which enables parents to petition for changes at chronically failing schools.

The Florida Education Association – the teachers union – says of the parent trigger: “We need to invest in the classroom priorities that build a foundation for student learning rather than simply turning our children, our school buildings and our tax dollars over to profit driven corporations and hoping for the best.”

But in an interview with StateImpact Florida last week, Weatherford said he was shocked that anyone would want to defeat the parent trigger bill.

“All it does is give parents a say in making sure their children get a quality education,” Weatherford said.

He says he and his wife haven’t decided yet on schooling for their three daughters. His oldest, not yet in kindergarten, currently attends a private Christian school.

Here’s more from our interview with Speaker Weatherford:

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House Speaker Will Weatherford Pushes Non-Traditional Education Agenda

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford isn’t shy about pushing his non-traditional agenda for public education.

It’s based on his own life experience.

He’s in favor of options that are growing in popularity, like virtual classes and charter schools.

StateImpact reporter Gina Jordan sat down with Weatherford in his office to talk about his educational roots. He tells us why he supports legislation like the parent trigger bill and whether he thinks teachers will get raises next year.

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Weatherford: House Can’t Tell School Districts How To Award Teacher Raises

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House Speaker Will Weatherford says he supports Gov. Rick Scott's proposed teacher raises, but he says local districts ultimately decide how to spend the money.

House Speaker Will Weatherford met with reporters at the Capitol late Thursday.

He answered a variety of questions, including one that has been plaguing him about proposed teacher raises.

Weatherford told reporters Thursday that most of the billion or so dollars being added to the House education budget next year will go toward teacher salaries.

But he said the law doesn’t allow state government to dictate how local school districts spend money.

“We basically write a lump sum to each school district, and then that money is collectively bargained between the union and the school board and the superintendent,” Weatherford said. “So we can’t really micromanage that process.”

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Proposed Senate Education Budget Includes Teacher Performance Pay

flsenate.gov

Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, chairs the education budget committee. He's proposing a K-12 budget that's $1.1-billion larger than last year.

A Quinnipiac University poll released today finds Florida voters approve of one of Gov. Rick Scott’s top budget priorities.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents like his proposal to give $2,500 raises to the state’s public school teachers.

Legislative leaders like the idea of more money for teachers — but not necessarily across-the-board raises.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education met this morning to go over Chairman Bill Galvano’s proposed education budget.

It contains $1.1 billion more for K-12 funding than last year’s budget and includes a boost for teachers in the form of performance pay.

Here are the highlights:

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Why Florida Colleges Include Nursing As A STEM Job

Joe Radle / Getty Images News

Lissette Marquez (C) who said she was laid off in February from her nursing job and Amiel Ali who said he has been out of work since October 2012, look for job opportunities with the help of South Florida Workforce customer service representative, Nelson Munoz (L) February 1, 2013 in Miami, Florida.

Almost one-third of the bachelor’s degrees bestowed upon graduates from the Florida College System (FCS) are in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — fields.

More than half of those STEM-related degrees are in nursing, according to a Florida College System study that shows the economic boost Florida gets from its 28 state colleges.

It’s a statistic that’s not lost on University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft.

“I would like to add another “M” to the STEM because it’s science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical degrees,” Genshaft said. “The job markets are there. We have many new companies looking for the workforce in STEM degrees.”

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Study Says Florida College System Has A $27 Billion Benefit

LaCrai Mitchell/StateImpact Florida

Florida College System Chancellor Randy Hanna says the 28-member system is an important economic development engine for the state.

The 28 institutions that make up the Florida College System (FCS) are doing some bragging.

“The Florida College System — which last year awarded almost 106,000 degrees and certificates – was built, in part, to bolster the economic foundation of our state,” said St. Johns River State College President Joe Pickens at a Capitol news conference.

He said a new study shows how well the system is living up to its mission.

The system’s Council of Presidents hired Economic Modeling Specialists International to conduct an economic impact study.

The findings show the Florida colleges pump nearly $27 billion a year into the state’s economy.

“They do this by producing well-educated graduates who are better prepared to become high-income earners,” Pickens said.

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Will Florida’s Push For High-Tech Degrees Pay Off?

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A Georgetown report found "that STEM talent winds up outside of STEM occupations because STEM jobs often do not fully satisfy individual social and entrepreneurial interests."

Curtis Nyarko is putting in a lot of late nights followed by early mornings at the lab – hoping to snare a high wage job in a high-tech field.

Nyarko is a junior at Florida State University majoring in biology. He wants to stay in Florida and pursue a career in medicine.

Nyarko says his STEM degree — science, technology, engineering and math — will be worth it.

“This degree is not an easy degree at all. But at the end of it all when you have your career – and it’s a good career – it is worth it,” Nyarko said. “You know, nothing great comes without great sacrifice.”

Jacqueline Arbelez also hopes to attend medical school in-state. She’s studying animal biology at the University of South Florida.

“I’ve heard that having a major in the STEM field guarantees you a spot in the industries after you graduate. You’ll have a stable job. That’s what I look forward to,” Arbelez said. “I can enjoy my major as well as look forward to finding something stable after I graduate, even if I don’t get into medical school.”

In January, Florida had more than 56,000 job openings in STEM fields. That’s up 15 percent from a year ago.

Gov. Rick Scott says the state needs more workers trained in STEM majors.

The governor says jobs in those fields pay better than the average salary and could boost Florida’s economy.

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House Republicans And Democrats Spar Over Charter School Bias Charge

myfloridahouse.gov

Rep. Dennis Baxley says opponents of the charter school bill may have an underlying bias against alternative forms of education.

The fact that the House budget committee approved a charter school bill Thursday isn’t nearly as interesting as the debate that took place.

Rep. George Moraitis, R-Fort Lauderdale, said his bill is designed to increase accountability for charter schools – since they are using public dollars – and increase flexibility and growth.

Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, suggested a small change to an amendment that would require districts to turn former classrooms over to a charter school if requested. Jones wanted district schools to be able to continue using the buildings — if they were storing textbooks there, for instance — even if it was for a purpose other than teaching students.

The great debate over Jones’ proposal epitomizes the perceived rift between Democrat and Republican views of education.

Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, started it with this sentence: “There’s an underlying bias here that really concerns me.”

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Bill Requiring School Districts To Post Testing Schedule Moves Forward

Jordan Michael/StateImpact Florida

Rep. Manny Diaz explains his testing bill to the House Education Committee.

A bill moving through the Florida Legislature would require districts to post the testing schedule not just for statewide assessments like the FCAT, but also for local assessments.

The bill’s House sponsor says some districts require up to an additional 151 tests, and many parents don’t know when local assessments are being given.

Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr., R-Hialeah, told the House Education Committee today there are no penalties for districts that don’t comply.

“We’re not looking to penalize districts for this,” Diaz said. “We want to use it as an information gathering tool.”

Rep. Carl Zimmerman, D-Dunedin, supports the bill.

“As a teacher, I can say that my classroom is constantly disrupted,” Zimmerman said. “I think part of it is not just in the volume of tests that are being administered, but in the lack of knowledge of all parties involved on when those tests are being offered.” Continue Reading

Senate Committee Approves Bill Expanding Job Training, Financial Education Programs

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Financial literacy is part of a proposed law designed to better prepare students for life after graduation.

A Senate committee has approved a bill which would change requirements for certain degree programs in Florida, designating some as “high demand.”

The Career and Professional Education Act, known as CAPE, would also require high school students to take a financial literacy course.

The bill is a priority for Senate President Don Gaetz.

The legislation – SB 1076 — is designed to make sure students are prepared to earn a living once their schooling is done.

Robin Warren with the Florida Council on Economic Education is particularly happy the bill requires lessons in money management.

“Student loan debt is now in this country a trillion dollars,” Warren said. “The average debt of students when they get out college is now nearly $30,000, and the average 18- to 24-year-old now uses 30 percent of their income to retire the debt that they’ve accrued.”

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