Middle school is tough for a lot of kids. For Valentin Mendez, it was hell. At night, he would try to sleep on the floor of the downtown Miami gas station where his mother worked the graveyard shift. In the mornings, he’d think about who was going to beat him up that day. After school,… Read more »
Refugee influx: The academic performances of most students who came to Florida schools after Hurricane Maria will not be counted when the state figures grades for districts and schools, says Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart. She says the federal government approved the exception for English language learners, which covers most of the nearly 8,000 students who… Read more »
Teacher bonuses suit: A legal challenge to the state’s teacher bonuses program will be allowed to proceed, a federal judge has ruled. The Florida Department of Education had asked the judge to dismiss a suit, filed by the Florida Education Association, which alleges the state discriminates against older teachers and minorities because it uses teacher… Read more »
Suit dismissal sought: The Florida Department of Education is asking a court to dismiss a challenge to the new education law, H.B. 7069. The suit was filed by the Palm Beach County School Board, and focuses on the portion of the law that requires school districts to provide money to charter schools for construction and… Read more »
School board term limits: A proposal to limit terms for school board members is among the 103 changes to the state constitution that the Florida Constitution Revision Commission will begin considering Monday. Fourteen education-related proposals have been filed. Twenty-two of the 37 commission members have to approve proposals to put them on the November 2018… Read more »
Free tuition proposal: A proposal is filed with the Florida Constitution Revision Commission to provide free higher education tuition and fees to family members of first responders, law-enforcement officers and active-duty military members who are killed on the job. The proposal was filed by commission member Emery Gainey, and is supported by Gov. Rick Scott…. Read more »
Scholarship hearing: Florida House leaders say they are planning a hearing into the state’s K-12 scholarship programs that provide money for students to attend private schools. According to a recent Orlando Sentinel investigation, private schools where students use the scholarships go largely unregulated by the state. Some hire uncertified teachers and administrators, and in some… Read more »
Bills advance: A bill that would offer bullied students a state scholarship to attend private schools is approved by a Senate subcommittee. The bill for the Hope Scholarship program, filed by state Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, was approved on a party-line vote by the Senate Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittee. It would become the fourth state scholarship program. Step… Read more »
Schools of Hope: The Florida Department of Education is reopening the process for schools to apply for an extra $2,000 per student under the state’s “Schools of Hope” program for struggling schools. The Legislature set aside $51 million in the new education law, H.B. 7069, to pay for the extra services at up to 25… Read more »
Class size changes: A proposal is filed with the Constitution Revision Commission that would make it easier for school districts to comply with the 2002 amendment capping class sizes, and redirect all savings toward increasing teacher pay to the national average. Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and a member of the… Read more »
