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Fla. House committee passes bill steering facilities funding to charters

The Florida House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee approved a committee bill that would require school districts to split their local property tax revenue with charter schools. The bill passed with Republican backing and opposition from Democrats. The contentious debate delved into issues such as school choice and equitable funding. A legislative staff analysis estimates the measure… Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Testing, facilities funding, coding and more

Testing bill stalls: The Senate Education Committee temporarily postpones a vote on SB 926, the so-called “Fewer, Better Tests” bill to revise the state’s assessments program. The bill would push all testing to the final three weeks of the school year, require results back in a week, and order the Department of Education to study whether… Read more »

Fla. House bill would steer facilities funding to charter schools

Florida’s school districts raise more than $2 billion a year in property tax revenue for capital projects. For years, state lawmakers have tried to require them to share some of that money with charter schools. But they keep running into the same problem. School districts say they can’t afford to share local property tax revenue… Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Teacher tests, minorities in AP classes and more

Teacher tests: The Florida Department of Education says a historically high percentage of people who want to be teachers are failing the Florida Teacher Certification Exam, which was recently toughened by the state. And now fewer people are taking the test, as many as 10 percent fewer for some subject areas. “We have a real crisis,”… Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Graduation investigation, charter schools and more

Graduation investigation: The Florida Department of Education launches an investigation to see if school districts are dumping struggling students in their senior years into alternative schools to improve the graduation rates at traditional high schools. Last month, the investigative news website ProPublica reported that alternative schools in the Orange County School District are used as “release valves”… Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Charter district, tests, home-schooling and more

Charter district: The Jefferson County School Board agrees to turn over operations of the district’s struggling schools to the charter school company Somerset Academy. The proposed deal will be taken to the Florida Board of Education today for approval. If the deal is approved, Jefferson would become the first charter district in the state. In its application, Somerset… Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Construction funds, Bright Futures, testing and more

School construction funds: Florida will be $36 million short for school construction funding in the next year if legislators do not agree to borrow money. The latest revenue estimates suggest the Public Education Capital Outlay revenue for the 2017-2018 school year will be $337 million. But state education officials have requested $373 million for projects. Gov…. Read more »

Florida schools roundup: Testing, Bright Futures, Vitti, budget and more

Testing bills: The Florida Senate Education Committee meets Tuesday to consider seven bills that could change Florida’s testing-based accounting system. Among the ideas being discussed: moving the testing to the final three weeks of the school year, ending the requirement to fail any third-grader who doesn’t pass the reading test and doesn’t have an exemption, and… Read more »