A group of appointed members from a 1998 Constitution Revision Commission filed a legal brief Tuesday arguing the state has fully complied with a constitutional mandate, proposed by the commission and approved by voters that year, requiring Florida public schools to be “high quality” and adequately funded. The CRC contingent was among five different groups… Read more »
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Florida schools roundup: Hope Scholarship, Kavanaugh and more
Hope Scholarship delays: While the new state scholarship for bullied students technically begins when school resumes in August, funds for the Hope Scholarships won’t be available until after Oct. 1 and possibly not until later in November. The scholarships will be funded through voluntary donations of the $105 from the sales tax that drivers pay… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Education lawsuit, commissions, security and more
Education lawsuit: The group suing the state over its funding of public education is asking the Florida Supreme Court to send the case back to lower courts for another review. Both a trial court and an appeals court have rejected the arguments made by the plaintiffs in the Citizens for Strong Schools v. Florida State… Read more »
Montana moms get their day in court
Shortly after Montana created its first tax credit scholarship, Mike Kadas, head of the state’s Department of Revenue, unilaterally declared that scholarships could not be used at religious private schools. Kadas argued the state’s Blaine Amendment, a 19th century relic of Catholic discrimination, barred “direct or indirect” appropriations to religious organizations. School choice moms struck… Read more »
Florida commission advances proposal to revamp charter school oversight
A constitutional amendment that could open the door to new forms of public school oversight took a step closer to Florida’s November ballot today. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission voted 27-8 to support a proposal that, among other things, would allow the Legislature to create new charter school authorizers. The measure now heads to a… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Tax breaks, medical marijuana rules and more
House tax package: The Florida House is expected to introduce a $332.7 million tax relief package today. About 46 percent of the total – $154 million – would come in the form of credits for companies that contribute to the tax credit and Gardiner scholarship programs. Another $74.5 million would be for a 10-day sales… Read more »
Manatee school board approves rare charter school conversion
Manatee County School Board members cast a rare vote Tuesday night. They voted 4-1 to convert one of their district’s middle schools to a charter school. Only 22 other district-run public schools in Florida have converted to charters. The effort at Lincoln Middle School won the support of parents and teachers. It also received backing… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: School arrests, back to school, marijuana and more
School arrests: The Orange County School District and county law enforcement officials agree on a plan to move away from arresting students for minor crimes, and instead will issue them civil citations. They think that will keep more students in school and out of the criminal justice system, which improves students’ odds of graduating. The… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Project manager, budgets, charters and more
Managing the boom: The Palm Beach County School Board will consider a plan to hire a company to manage the district’s building boom, at a cost of $26.4 million over 10 years. California-based AECOM would act as the program manager in exchange for a 2.2 percent cut of the $1.4 billion the district is spending to… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Choice lawsuit dismissed, charter law upheld and more
Choice lawsuit dismissed: The Florida Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by several groups that were challenging the constitutionality of the state’s tax credit scholarship program. The vote was 4-1. The decision upholds an appeals court ruling that the plaintiffs, including the Florida Education Association and the Florida NAACP, did not have standing… Read more »
