John O'Connor is the Miami-based education reporter for StateImpact Florida. John previously covered politics, the budget and taxes for The (Columbia, S.C) State. He is a graduate of Allegheny College and the University of Maryland.
Two education-related lawsuits head to court this week.
The Florida Education Association sends a helpful reminder that two lawsuits they filed are heading to Circuit Court in Tallahassee this week.
The first case challenges a new state law which requires state employees take a 3 percent pay cut in order to pay a portion of their pension benefits. The suit argues the law is unconstitutional because public employees, including teachers, have a constitutionally protected right to collective bargaining.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The second suit challenges a ballot question intended to overturn a century-old ban on spending public funds on religious organizations.
The law was a key reason the Florida Supreme Court shut down a state program granting vouchers for private school tuition in 2006.
That case is scheduled for a Thursday afternoon hearing.
University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft told two state Senators that any audit of USF Polytechnic is up to the regional campus chancellor.
Republican state Sens. Paula Dockery and Mike Fasano asked Genshaft to audit USF Polytechnic after learning the school hired regional chancellor Marshall Goodman’s son to run a business incubator program. The school also planned to spend $500,000 on a promotional video.
USF Poly, in Lakeland, is pushing to become an independent university. A state board could consider that request next month.
While Rhee was pushing a controversial teacher evaluation system that led to hundreds of firing, Strauss writes, she did not address fundamental issues such as constructing a curriculum for D.C. schools.
The lessons of D.C. apply elsewhere, Strauss writes, including Florida’s new requirement that all high school students must take a class online:
Do not stop charter schools, but question and ask for the highest degree of accountability. Some charter schools are only there is make a profit and use taxpayer’s money. Manny Alonso Pouch unfortunately is a member of that group.
Question, investigate, and demand more from charter schools. If they are well run with a good staff, what charter schools can do is inspiring.
That got us thinking about other recent examples of politicians misquoting data or using data that does not support the point they are trying to make.
The highest-profile example came from Arizona Republican Sen. John Kyl back in April, who claimed that “well over 90 percent” of Planned Parenthood’s activities related to abortion. Planned Parenthood says abortion comprises just 3 percent of its services, according to PoltiFact.org.
The group argues that children of undocumented immigrants should not be charged out-of-state tuition despite those students being both U.S. citizens and Florida residents.
StateImpact Florida profiled one such student in August.
A cat statue found on Key Marco in Southwest Florida.
It’s been a rough week for anthropologists with Gov. Rick Scott singling out the field as an inefficient use of higher education budgets.
Why should taxpayers foot the education bill for an anthropologist who can’t find a job? Scott asked a business group last week. Colleges should “drive” students into science, technology, engineering or math — known as STEM — programs, he said.
“I got accused of not liking anthropology,” Scott said. “But just think about it: How many more jobs do you think there is for anthropology in this state? Do you want to use your tax dollars to educate more people who can’t get jobs? I want to make sure that we spend our money where people can get jobs when they get out.”
But don’t expect to see anthropologists on street corners holding signs reading “will study social interactions for food” anytime soon.
Orange County tops the nation for growth in charter school enrollment, up 42 percent during the 2010-2011 school year.
Miami-Dade ranked seventh for the total number of students enrolled in charter schools, with 35,380 students. Broward County ranked tenth with 24,150 students in charter schools.
Almost 100 school districts have 10 percent of students enrolled in charters, the report note.
Hat tip to our friends at StateImpact Ohio for noting the report.
We told you this morning that Gov. Rick Scott had sent a letter to state universities asking a series of questions in an effort to gauge their performance.
The letter is part of Scott’s larger push to reevaluate the way state universities operate.
Gov. Rick Scott attends a governors' summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in June.
One of every eight state university employees earns at least $100,000, according to a salary database Gov. Rick Scott posted yesterday.
More than half of state university employees earn less than $50,000.
Scott posted the data to a website Monday, though it was already available online. Scott’s spokesman said the public has a right to know what more than 52,000 higher education workers are paid. A union representing professors believes Scott is “hanging people out to roast” by posting the information.
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
