Ohio voters have rejected a law that significantly weakened the collective bargaining power of more than 350-thousand public employees, including teachers. The bill was signed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich last spring.
Opponents immediately launched a campaign to overturn the law through a ballot referendum that became known as Issue 2. They were successful, with 61.3 percent of the votes in favor of tossing the law. The group behind the effort spent three times as much money as their opponents.
What are the chances of a similar law being passed in Florida? Continue Reading →
As college students “Occupy USF” this afternoon, one of their biggest complaints is the rising cost of tuition. Yes, it’s up…but it’s still cheaper to go to college in Florida than just about anywhere else.
Our friends at The Florida Current have come up with a cool graphic showing the tuition trends, which they’re allowing us to republish here on StateImpact Florida. Continue Reading →
The Florida Department of Education is touting a report that highlights the charter school movement. Research from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools finds that Florida has eight of the nation’s top 50 districts for the number of charter school students in 2010-11. Orange County is the leader with a 42 percent increase in charter school students over the prior year.
Florida had five charter schools in 1996. Fifteen years later, the state has 519 charter schools. Nearly 71 percent of them are considered high performing, getting an “A” or “B” grade in 2010.
“The growth of charter schools in our state will continue to rise as we deliver viable options to families,” said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson.
“Charter schools provide options for parents seeking the best learning environment for their children,” said Governor Rick Scott. “Charter schools play an important role in making sure Florida has the best educated workforce.”
USF Polytechnic could soon shed the “USF” and become Florida’s 12th independent public university, but is that a good idea?
On Wednesday afternoon, Florida’s Board of Governors is scheduled to talk about, and perhaps vote on, whether USF Polytechnic in Polk County should be allowed to split from the University of South Florida. Continue Reading →
We’ve heard plenty about the need for more nurses. But students who want to become nurses are being turned away from training programs because there aren’t enough instructors to teach them.
Schools are looking for alternatives. The latest is the University System of Georgia, where leaders hope computers can fill in some of the educational gaps. The idea is to create online doctorate programs for people who can’t relocate. Those who want to help educate future nurses would be able to continue working while pursuing the required high-level degree.
Florida International Academy charter school students in Opa Locka, Florida.
Charter schools are public schools, but the two public options have a stronger appeal for some students than others.
Here are five differences between district school students and charter school students according to a StateImpact Florida analysis of Florida Department of Education 2010-2011 school year data.
Charter school students are:
More likely to be Hispanic – Hispanics comprise a larger percentage of charter school students, marking the most significant difference between the demographics of traditional public schools and charter schools.
Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide the future of public worker unions. The vote may be a sign of things to come in Florida.
Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a law limiting public employees’ collective bargaining rights, including teachers. Florida residents might want to keep their eyes on that decision.
Gov. Rick Scott and allies such as Patricia Levesque of the Foundation for Florida’s Future have made no secret of the fact that they would like to strip teachers’ unions of their collective bargaining rights.
Republicans have the political muscle in Tallahassee, but there’s a rub: The state constitution guarantees the right to collectively bargain for pay and benefits.
A hug is as popular as a handshake in the South. We greet friends and family with a hug. We bid farewell with a hug. Just tell your kids not to do it in school.
Two Brevard County middle school students received a day long, in-school suspension last week after the principal saw them hugging. There was no other public display of affection between the boy and girl who say they are best friends.
Even the principal at Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay said it seemed innocent. But the school’s no-hugging policy doesn’t differentiate between innocent and less appropriate forms of touching in the hallways. So these teenagers now have suspensions on their records. A spokeswoman for the district said the school’s zero tolerance policy doesn’t allow for opinions about whether a hug is appropriate.
A woman protests against Ohio's Senate Bill 5. A referendum called Issue 2 would ratify those changes to public employee pay and collective bargaining rights.
A lot of money and attention is flowing into Ohio’s Issue 2 election Tuesday. If it passes, it would allow Ohio to do a lot of things Florida has already done.
Our friends at StateImpact Ohio have laid out the pros and cons of the referendum, which places limits on how public employees can collectively bargain and makes huge changes in how teachers are paid.
Florida made a lot of these same changes earlier this year with Senate Bill 736. Florida’s reform package and Ohio’s share a family resemblance. Continue Reading →
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