Tax-free weekend: The state’s annual back-to-school, tax-free holiday has been cut back in more ways than one. It’s been compressed from 10 days in 2015 to three days this year, and the maximum you can spend on any one eligible item is $60, down from $100. The tax-break days are Friday through Sunday. Sun-Sentinel. Tampa… Read more »
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Florida schools roundup: Budgets, new programs, virtual school ads and more
School budgeting: The Pinellas County School Board approves a preliminary budget of $1.5 billion that includes a slightly lower tax millage rate. But higher property values will raise tax revenues by more than $4 million. Tampa Bay Times. The Lee County School Board approves a $1.4 billion budget. It set a lower tax millage rate, which are… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Budgets, legal fees, firings, start times and more
School budgeting: The Lake County School District’s tentative budget for the next year is set at $549 million. The district’s tax millage rate will fall slightly, but a 7 percent increase in property values will largely offset the decline. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial. The Clay County School District sets a tentative budget of $376 million… Read more »
This week in school choice: Partisans
Are meaningful improvements in student achievement enough to make parental choice and education reform politically safe? The battle to raise a cap on the number of charter schools allowed in Massachusetts suggests the answer is no. The conflict concerns a relatively simple question that will appear on the Massachusetts ballot in November: should the state lift the… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Turnaround plans, teacher shortages, taxes and more
Turnaround plans: Fourteen Florida districts submitted plans to the State Board of Education to improve 47 schools. Plans from three districts – Alachua, Bay and Jefferson – were deferred for a month until they can be revised, while the others are approved. Politico Florida. Bay News 9. Plans to improve five struggling Pinellas County schools are approved. Campbell Park,… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Retentions down, tax rates, testing suit and more
Retentions decline: Fewer than 10,000 Florida third-graders were retained in 2015, a drop of about 40 percent from 2014 and about 25 percent fewer than in any year since 2003. The Department of Education says the blip happened because local school officials had greater say for a year in whether students should be retained, and many… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Teacher of the year, school infrastructure and more
Teacher of the year: Jessica Solano, a third grade math teacher at Lakeland’s Highlands Grove Elementary School in Polk County for eight years, is named Florida’s teacher of the year. Solano, 29, wins $20,000 and a free trip for four to New York City for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also will serve as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education,… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Bright Futures, retention, funding and more
Bright Futures: The number of Florida students claiming Bright Futures scholarships continues to decline, according to the Department of Education. The total number of Bright Futures scholarships is expected to decline 20 percent this year, to 102,000 compared with 128,545 in the 2014-2015 school year. At its peak, about 179,000 students had the scholarships. But there are… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Lawsuit appeal, gifted plan, charters and more
Education lawsuit: The groups suing the state over the quality of public education are asking an appeals court to send the case directly to the Florida Supreme Court for an immediate review. Citizens for Strong Schools claims the lengthy appeals process is harming students. The state, and groups that support the state’s position, say there’s no reason to… Read more »
What to make of another negative result for school vouchers
Students in Ohio’s private school voucher program make less academic progress than their peers in public schools. But the program has a positive effect on public school performance, perhaps because it spurs competition. While the program is aimed at mostly disadvantaged students from struggling public schools, it tends to attract the better-off students within that group. In short,… Read more »
