A Florida lawmaker has filed a bill that would force most Bright Futures recipients to stay in Florida after graduation or pay back the scholarship money. Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, wants the bill to serve as an incentive to keep Florida’s top graduates in the state. House Bill 35 says a graduate must stay and […]
In a rare show of unanimity, Florida’s university presidents say they won’t pursue a tuition increase this year if the state will give them more funding. The presidents came together at the Capitol Wednesday to announce the Aim Higher Campaign. “Fundamentally, the system is underfunded…compared to the rest of the country,” University of North Florida […]
The new members of a House education budget panel got a lesson today in how to do their jobs. It’s information the Florida House Education Appropriations Subcommittee will need before starting the work of crafting a massive education budget for 2013-14. The state’s education budget this year is $20.3-billion. That’s 29 percent of Florida’s $70-billion […]
It’s committee week in Tallahassee. Florida lawmakers are arriving for their first batch of committee meetings since the election. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford assigned members to committees and subcommittees, including seven panels relating to education. This week is largely about introductions and getting organized. Lawmakers will tackle preliminary work before […]
The leadership of the Florida House and Senate officially changes hands this week when Rep. Will Weatherford and Sen. Don Gaetz are sworn in as leaders of their respective chambers. Both Republican legislators have already been coordinating their committees and working on rules for the next legislative session. Rep. Weatherford falls in line with Gov. […]
Florida charter school operators want an independent body with the ability to approve or reject charter schools applications. The redefinED blog reports creating an independent panel to review charter school applications is a top legislative priority of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. Charter school leaders gathered in Orlando for an annual conference this […]
Florida voters rejected a handful of constitutional changes opposed by The Florida School Boards Association and other education groups, including measures that would limit state spending and allow public funding for religious groups. Voters also approved most of the school funding measures on ballots around the state, the biggest being a $1.2 billion bond for […]
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. The K-12 Public School Facility Task Force met yesterday to discuss facility funding legislation. Last month, the task force recommended that “the legislature identify a stable and […]
“It is not okay for someone to hurt you.” Lauren Book is sitting with a kindergarten class at Apalachee Tapestry Magnet School of Arts in Tallahassee. “Can you think of another kind of unsafe secret?” Book is reading to the class as part of a new curriculum called Safer, Smarter Kids. “Would you keep a […]
Kindles or other electronic devices will soon replace textbooks in classrooms. New requirements mean Florida students will use digital textbooks by 2015. Some districts have already started making the change. In Pasco County, where there’s a textbook shortage, the district opted to spend money on digital copies of books this school year. The problem is […]
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