High school students who want Bright Futures scholarships for college would have less paperwork to submit under a bill being considered in Florida.
With no discussion or fanfare, the Senate Education Committee has approved a bill that would remove a small piece of red tape for students who want to receive Bright Futures scholarships.
Fund Education Now says Florida lawmakers aren't listening to parents who want no part of the Parent Empowerment in Education bill.
As parent trigger legislation again moves through the Florida Legislature, the group Fund Education Now is mad at the lawmakers who revived the bill after its narrow defeat last year.
The Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger, would enable parents at chronically failing schools to petition the school board for significant changes.
Options include closing the school, replacing the staff, principal or both or turning the school over to a charter school operator.
The bill is supposed to be about parents, said Fund Education Now co-founder Kathleen Oropeza, but that’s not who is supporting the idea.
“I do think it is important to recognize that not one single authentic Florida parent asked for this bill last year or this year,” she said. “One of the things we fought very hard for last year is for the perspective of authentic Florida parents to be included in the narrative about this legislation.”
Rep. Carlos Trujillo sponsors the Parent Empowerment bill. The measure is much like the one that narrowly failed on the final day of session last year.
House Choice and Innovation subcommittee approved The Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger, Thursday.
The bill (HB867) is making a return after passing the House last year but dying in the Senate on a tie vote the final day of the legislative session.
Orange County Superintendent Barbara Jenkins was recognized during Gov. Rick Scott's State of the State address.
When Gov. Rick Scott gave his State of the State speech this week, he made a point of recognizing educators who “help make dreams come true for the next generation.”
“Barbara, will you please stand so we can honor your commitment to the teachers in your district and your dedication to student achievement,” asked Scott.
After her moment in the spotlight, Jenkins spoke with us about her district’s move toward Common Core State Standards.
The standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Common Core standards emphasize deeper understanding of fewer topics, and ask students what they know and prove how they know it.
“I think it’s just good, sound education for our students to be 21st century learners, to delve deeply into things like creative thinking and problem solving and justifying your answer,” Jenkins said. “That kind of stretch for our students is going to be good for public education. It’s going to help transform what we do for our children.”
Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr. wants school districts to post testing schedules for local assessments. They're already required to post schedules for statewide tests.
A House committee unanimously approved a bill requiring school districts to post standardized testing schedules online.
Schools districts would have to identify additional testing they’ve required. Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr, R-Hialeah, said districts would have to post the schedule by October 1st of each school year.
“This allows for all of the stakeholders in the districts – parents, teachers community members – to know exactly what’s going going on and which tests are local tests, which tests are state mandated tests,” Diaz said.
Diaz was asked why he wanted the rule to be in state statutes.
“There are some districts that already post their testing schedule, however it is not uniform across the state,” Diaz said. “I want to bring up that there are districts that have up to 151 additional tests.”
Gov. Rick Scott addresses the Florida Legislature in his third State of the State speech.
Gov. Rick Scott delivered his State of the State speech this morning before the Florida Legislature.
After thanking lawmakers and family members, education was first on Scott’s agenda.
He said he has two priorities for growing the economy: remove the sales tax on manufacturing equipment, and invest in teachers by providing them “a well-deserved pay raise.”
“The single most important factor in student learning is the quality of teaching,” Scott said, repeating a line he used during his speech in 2011.
“We don’t want a war on teachers; we want a war on failure,” Scott said.
In the Democratic response, Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale,said Scott started the war on teachers by proposing $1.3 billion in budget cuts after taking office.
Smith challenged Scott to “provide leadership to make sure the Legislature follows through” on the raises. Smith also urged Scott support raises for other state workers, such as prison guards.
House Speaker Will Weatherford is holding out for an online university in Florida.
House Speaker Will Weatherford banged the opening gavel in the Florida House this morning, introducing the 60-day session with a speech heavily focused on education.
He promised the continued “pursuit of a world-class, student-centered K-12 education system in Florida.”
But he said attention must be paid to higher education as well, because “education solves problems that government cannot.”
Weatherford encouraged lawmakers to break free from a “narrow vision that has encouraged a culture of mediocrity.”
Here are more of Weatherford’s remarks on higher education, including emphasizing a high-quality online university and granting the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants access to in-state tuition rates:
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts filled up early for the Session 2013 Town Hall hosted by WLRN and The Miami Herald.
The Florida Legislature convenes next week for its annual 60-day session.
Education will be among the key issues getting lawmakers’ attention.
The Miami Herald and WLRN radio hosted a town hall meeting this week in Fort Lauderdale featuring three panelists – Senate majority leader Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater; Senate minority leader Chris Smith, D-Oakland Park; and Mary Ellen Klas, Tallahassee bureau chief for The Miami Herald.
Moderator Phil Latzman, Sen. Chris Smith, Sen. Jack Latvala, and The Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas made up the town hall panel.
Education took up a big chunk of the Fort Lauderdale town hall Monday hosted by WLRN and The Miami Herald.
Topics ranged from college affordability to K-12 funding to teacher raises.
Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas ran through some ideas lawmakers are considering.
“Gov. Scott has proposed an initiative that would give us a promise of $10,000 degrees, and several community colleges have signed on to basically promise a degree in four years that would not cost more than $10,000,” Klas said.
“There are some other initiatives as well. The Senate is heavily pushing an effort to tie any kind of degree with the job market,” Klas continued, “and they want to find incentives for students to take courses of study that are going to give them jobs.
Teachers will be able to give DOE their opinions about the new system, which bases 50 percent of their evaluations on student performance. Eventually, teachers will be paid based on their evaluations.
All public schools, including charters, must comply with evaluation standards in the Student Success Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 736) starting next year. The new rules will go into effect this summer, giving districts time to make any necessary changes.
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