Influence

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Education is big business. These are stories about the politicians, businesses, lobbyists and other leaders seeking to impact education decisions.

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October 19, 2012

After Two Presidential Debates,Three Questions For Florida’s 2010 Teacher of the Year

The National Education Association (NEA) endorsed President Barack Obama last July. The group represents 3.2-million members, many of whom will choose Republican Gov. Mitt Romney over Obama in spite of the NEA’s recommendation. Megan Allen, 2010 Florida Teacher of the Year, is making the media rounds on behalf of the NEA in support of Obama. […]

October 18, 2012

Analyst: Gov. Scott Changing Stance On Education To Boost Reelection Bid

Gov. Rick Scott has changed his stance on education in a few ways this year: He met the teachers’ union president for dinner and promised ongoing meetings. He returned a billion dollars to education funding. He said education is his new priority, since it will ultimately lead to job growth. Seth McKee, Associate Professor of […]

October 12, 2012

Florida Schools Ready To Celebrate Healthier Lunches

National School Lunch Week begins Monday. Schools around Florida have activities planned to promote new, healthier menus. Federal requirements were put into place this year as part of the National School Lunch Program. Fruits and vegetables must be offered every day to students eating school lunch. Jackie Moalli, Outreach Manager with the Florida Dept of […]

October 10, 2012

Highlights From State Board Of Education Meeting

The State Board of Education had a day-long meeting in Orlando Tuesday. Here are the highlights: The Board approved a plan by the Florida Department of Education to ask lawmakers for $15.2 billion in spending next fiscal year. That’s a 4.4 percent increase over the current year. The Board figures the state’s transition to digital […]

October 9, 2012

Getting Students The Right Mix Of Calories At School

Florida has gone to a lot of trouble to follow federal guidelines for a healthy mix of protein, produce, grains and dairy in school lunches. Local districts follow requirements for proper portions, serving sizes and limits on fat intake — without paying much attention to calories. The restrictions used to be that less than 30 […]

October 3, 2012

Five Questions About Amendment 8, Answered

Earlier this week we gave the full explanation about the Amendment 8 debate in Florida — what the change would and would not do. We know that was a lot to absorb, so we’ve boiled it down to a Cliffs Notes version to sort out the details. 1. What is Amendment 8 and what does […]

October 2, 2012

Read The Florida Supreme Court Decision Making Public Funding of Private Schools Unconstitutional

Yesterday we explained why this fall’s vote on Amendment 8 can’t directly mean the return of Florida’s universal voucher program or state funding of religious schools. Here’s why: The 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Holmes. We’ve annotated some significant portions of the opinion. That includes the portion where the majority explicitly says […]

Five Questions For The National Education Association VP

The first presidential debate of 2012 will be held tomorrow night between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. The National Education Association will be watching. NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen says the differences between the two candidates “are night and day.” The NEA has already endorsed Obama, and Eskelsen was appointed by Obama to […]

October 1, 2012

Will Amendment 8 Allow Florida To Fund Religious Schools? Not Directly

Alachua County school board member Eileen Roy has called a proposed constitutional amendment coming before voters in November “the very death of public schools.” The state’s largest teacher’s union is running ads against the change and mobilizing teachers to get out and vote against it. Amendment 8 – dubbed the Religious Freedom Amendment – is […]

September 28, 2012

State Sen. Watches “Won’t Back Down,” Says Parent-Trigger Bill Will be Back

A Hollywood film hitting theaters today is based on an education policy being considered across the country, including Florida. The film “Won’t Back Down,” starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal, is about a group of parents and teachers who take over a low-performing school. Florida Rep. Michael Bileca (R-Miami) proposed this idea, which became known as […]

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