Gov. Rick Scott listens to teachers at Boca Raton High School during his Education Listening Tour.
Election Day isn’t keeping the State Board of Education from meeting this week in Boca Raton.
The panel has a full agenda on Election Day that includes a discussion of whether to appeal court rulings in two lawsuits:
Teacher evaluations – The Florida Education Association and two named teachers sued the State Board of Education and the Department of Education over changes to way teachers are evaluated.
Out-of-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants – The plaintiffs are five U.S. citizens whose parents are undocumented. The students are charged costly out-of-state tuition because of their parents’ legal status. The Board will decide whether to appeal the ruling that said the students can pay the cheaper in-state tuition.
The Board will also get an update on the move from textbooks to digital materials, and the roll out of common core standards and assessments. Both transitions have begun and will continue through 2015.
A state school funding task force is recommending raising property taxes if the Legislature can't agree on a stable funding source for district and charter school maintenance and construction.
A task force established by the Florida Legislature last spring is charged with making recommendations for equitable funding of charters and other schools operated by a school district.
Last month, the task force recommended that “the legislature identify a stable and reliable state funding source to adequately fund capital outlay requirements for charter schools, and that adequate provision for the construction and maintenance of traditional schools be made by increasing the maximum discretionary millage a school board may levy for capital purposes to 2.0 mills.”
If a reliable and stable state funding source cannot be identified, the panel recommends a half mill property tax increase. The money would go to both traditional and charter schools.
Duval County schools have settled a lawsuit over an online charter school to be run by K12 Inc. The Florida Department of Education is investigating whether the company used improperly certified teachers.
Duval County schools have settled a lawsuit over an online charter school to be run by K12, the nation’s largest online education company, according to the News Service of Florida.
The two sides agreed to dismiss the case after the school district recommended approving a second application, according to an attorney for the non-profit group which will oversee the school. The school board will decide on that application later this year.
Amendment 4 would change property tax laws for commercial properties, rentals and second homes.
Property taxes are complicated, and school officials are worried Amendment 4 will make them more so.
It’s why they’re opposing the amendment even though schools are not included in the change.
Amendment 4 is one of a handful of ballot questions intended to lower property tax bills. As with all amendments, it must be approved by 60 percent of those voting.
The amendment would give first-time homebuyers an exemption equal to half the home’s taxable value, up to the median price of a home in the county. The exemption would then be phased out over the next five years.
The change would also cut the maximum increase in taxable value on commercial property, rentals and second homes to 5 percent from 10 percent.
Amendment 5 would allow the state Senate to confirm Supreme Court judges and allow the Legislature to set the rules of state courts.
Editor’s note: This post has been corrected from its original version. Please see the bottom of the story.
A group arguing Florida’s Supreme Court judges are too political is citing the 2006 decision striking down vouchers as an example of the court deciding cases based on their own beliefs rather than the state constitution or law.
Americans For Prosperity Florida says the state Supreme Court has become “politicized” and is running advertising to educate voters about the issue.
The campaign comes as voters will decide on Amendment 5, which according to a Collins Center analysis, would require the state Senate to confirm Supreme Court judges and allow the Legislature to change the rules governing the court system.
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