While the Easter Bunny is delivering festive eggs this week, the Florida Education Association said lawmakers are trying to take a chunk out of teachers’ nest eggs. The teacher’s union held a news conference in Tallahassee blasting state leaders for trying to impose “changes to the pension system that guarantee retirement insecurity.” The Florida Legislature […]
Supporters of the parent trigger bill held a briefing with reporters today near the Capitol. The briefing was hosted by Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future. The foundation was created by former Gov. Jeb Bush. The group is staunchly behind proposed legislation titled Parent Empowerment in Education (SB862/HB867). It’s much better […]
A circuit court judge has ruled that teacher evaluation data is exempt from public records laws for a year, denying the Florida Times-Union’s request seeking the information. The paper was seeking three years of the component data used to calculate teacher evaluations gathered by the state. The Florida Department of Education initially said in January […]
Teachers and other state workers will have to continue contributing 3 percent of their salary to their retirement. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the pension law passed by the Legislature in 2011 will stand. Now, the state teachers union is blasting lawmakers for imposing what it calls a tax on working families. The […]
In 2011 lawmakers approved a law requiring public employees — including teachers — pay 3 percent of their salary into their retirement account. Public employee unions challenged the law, arguing it unconstitutionally changes a contract with workers and violates workers’ right to collectively bargain pay and benefits. A circuit court overturned the law, but Thursday […]
Florida’s new education commissioner made his debut before the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee this morning. Tony Bennett clearly knows how to schmooze the folks responsible for funding his office. Bennett began by telling the 13-member committee he has been an admirer from afar. “I was taught at a very young age that you can always […]
Staying true to his word, Gov. Rick Scott will sit down again this afternoon with Florida Education Association President Andy Ford. They’ll meet in the Governor’s Office at the Capitol to talk education policy. “This needs to be the beginning of a long series of meetings that examines the direction we’re going with public schools […]
Gov. Rick Scott’s announcement that education is his priority moving forward got the attention of the Florida Education Association (FEA). FEA President Andy Ford had dinner with Scott last week and is talking about why he thinks the governor is now so focused on improving education in Florida. Q: How did your dinner with Gov. […]
Increasing the number of jobs in Florida has been Gov. Rick Scott’s priority since he was on the campaign trail. He told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday his focus now is on education. “If you look at where the state’s going long-term, if we have the best education system, we’re going to have the jobs,” […]
Do you have a right to pension benefits in a right-to-work state? That’s one big question the state Supreme Court is facing in a lawsuit over the constitutionality of changing Florida’s pension requirements. In 2011, lawmakers needed to plug a multi-billion budget hole and saw a chance to save the state almost a billion dollars […]
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