As a stalwart defender of funding for public schools, the Florida Education Association (FEA) brings special expertise to the complex, sometimes arcane ways the state produces its education budget. So its oft-repeated claim this year that scholarships for low-income students increase the total cost of education is presumably a political, not fiscal, calculation.

Joanne McCall, the vice president for FEA, used a recent op-ed to press the case. “Vouchers,” she wrote, “do not reduce public education costs. Actually, they increase costs, by requiring taxpayers to fund two school systems: one public and one private.”

Two school systems? That description conveniently tracks the union’s combative narrative of public vs. private. But in a state that pays for 1.5 million preK-12 students to attend schools outside their neighborhood public schools, treating all these students as though divide neatly into two separately funded school systems is form of educational sophistry.

First, a little financial history is in order. In 1973, the Legislature created the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) in an attempt to remove disparities in funding from one county to another. As the Department of Education describes it, “A key feature of the FEFP is that it bases financial support for education upon the individual student participating in a particular educational program rather than upon the number of teachers or classrooms.”

In other words, the state funds students, not systems. More to the current point, it funds the education option the student chooses even if that conflicts with the district school to which the student is assigned. (more…)

Tax credit scholarships. On his blog The Fine Print, the AP's Gary Fineout lists the "voucher" testing debate as one of the five biggest questions of the session. The Times/Herald takes a look at the "powerful political forces" supporting school choice scholarships. (The tax credit scholarships program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.)

School choice. Palm Beach County School District considers expanding district choice. Palm Beach Post. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Teacher unions. StateImpact Florida talks with FEA President Andy Ford about this year's legislative priorities.

Teacher conduct. A former Pinellas high school teacher is sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old student. Tampa Tribune. Bradenton police are investigations accusations that a Manatee County School District middle school PE coach inappropriately touched female students. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Testing. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano both praises and pans Education Commissioner Pam Stewart's position on testing students with disabilities. Big changes coming for the SAT. Associated Press. (more…)

Charter schools. The Pembroke Pines Charter Schools system, which recently cut teacher pay, is asking parents to pay $1,000 per student per year to restore the system's reserves. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Gov. Rick Scott signs the bill boosting accountability for charter schools. Orlando Sentinel.

Common Core. FEA President Andy Ford says too much testing could sour the public on it. StateImpact Florida.

School grades. Tony Bennett meets with the school grades task force, which  includes a number of superintendents, but says he won't make changes just to soften the blow of bad grades. Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, StateImpact Florida, Palm Beach Post, News Service of Florida, Tallahassee Democrat.

Dual enrollment. Tony Bennett says districts and state colleges need to better collaborate in the wake of the Legislature's decision to shift costs to districts. Gradebook.

Parent power. The Pensacola News Journal writes up the new law that gives more power to parents of students with disabilities.

Superintendents. Duval's Nikolai Vitti: "Folks here know that public education can be better. And they’re willing to put their shoulder to the wheel to make it better." StateImpact Florida.

Teachers unions. The Broward union wins an arbitration case involving changes to the high school schedule. South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald.

Tardiness. Alachua looks for ways to crack down on chronic tardiness. Gainesville Sun.

School spending. Walton will consider upping the millage rate for capital improvements. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Charter schools. The updated CREDO study isn't as flattering about charter school performance in Florida. Gradebook, SchoolZone, StateImpact Florida.

Virtual schools. Pasco sets up a summer program for its e-school so students don't take Florida Virtual School classes - and cost the district money in the process. Tampa Bay Times.

Private schools. The head of a high-end Tampa private school resigns after a rocky year. Tampa Bay Times.

Common Core. Could weed out some teachers. State Impact Florida. But will put teachers in the driver's seat. Eduwonk. Some Florida teachers see a juggling act between the new standards and current curriculum. Tampa Tribune.

ALEC. Progress Florida says the state's ed policy is run amok with ALEC. StateImpact Florida writes it up.

School grades. DOE appoints a task force to review grading policies before this year's grades are released. Gradebook.

School spending. Seminole plans to move ahead with a property tax increase. Orlando Sentinel. Lake decides against changing school start times to make up for a projected $16.3 million deficit. Orlando Sentinel. Lee aims to save $1 million a year under new Superintendent Nancy Graham's re-org. Fort Myers News Press, Naples Daily News. The Marion school board approves a staffing plan with 525 fewer positions. Ocala Star Banner.

School discipline. Black community leaders are concerned about high suspension rates for black students in Flagler. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Teacher merit pay. A judge denies FEA's request to reconsider his decision to throw out a lawsuit challenging the state's new merit pay law. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Teachers. Badass Teachers Association says payback is coming. Orlando Sentinel.

Private schools. The principal of Seminole High in Pinellas is leaving to take the top job at Indian Rocks Christian. Gradebook.

Charter schools. Funding for charters, vouchers and tax credit scholarships figure into Duval's budget considerations. First Coast News.

Kiera Wilmot. Mom: "We've been a living a nightmare." Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher unions. FEA files a motion for rehearing on dismissed SB 736 suit, reports Gradebook. Fedrick Ingram, the new president of the Miami-Dade teacher union, is sworn in, reports the Miami Herald.

Teacher conduct. The Broward County school district should have stopped a middle school teacher from having sex with one of her students, the victim's family alleges in a lawsuit. Miami Herald.

Teacher pay. The Tallahassee Democrat follows the email trail between the FEA and Gov. Rick Scott's office over the shape of teacher pay raises in the waning days of the legislative session. (more…)

Kiera Wilmot. Prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Kiera Wilmot, the Polk County student who has become a cause celebre after igniting a small chemical explosion on school grounds, reports the Lakeland Ledger. Beth Kassab says the arrest took things way too far. In the aftermath, neighboring Orange will get clarification on its zero tolerance policies, reports SchoolZone. Huffington Post op-ed: "Five ways to stop a black scientist."

Online learning. Privatization, everywhere. Bradenton Herald.

School choice. A private transportation option - at $1,350 annually per student - has emerged for students in Brevard's district choice schools, reports Florida Today.  The Palm Beach County school board is urged to move ahead with plans to create an all-boys middle school, reports the Palm Beach Post.

School administration. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego shuffles the team at the top. Gradebook.

School uniforms. The Volusia school board plans to again discuss the possibility - for students and teachers. Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)

School turnarounds. Tampa Bay Times education editor Tom Tobin offers his take on what it takes: "a long, slow slog that requires principals and teachers to keep on task, stay inspired and fight through times when things don't seem to be working." The Times also offers a statistical snapshot of the five Pinellas schools on the turnaround list.

Legislature. Fund Education Now co-founder Christine Bramuchi offers her take on what happened in this year's session in a Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel. John Romano does here. The Palm Beach Post does here. Orlando Sentinel rundown here. Tallahassee Democrat here. Times/Herald here.

Florida's progress. Accountability through school grades has made a positive difference, writes Matt Ladner at Jay P. Greene Blog.

Teachers unions. The Florida Education Association has been operating without its tax-exempt status since January. Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

Teacher pay. The Broward County School Board agrees to give extra money to high-performing teachers at low-performing schools. Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

Teacher conduct.  A Broward County band teacher is accused of marijuana-fueled, sexual trysts with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In another teacher conduct case, the Palm Beach Post has the latest on a former private school teacher accused of giving students candy in return for sex acts.

Parent trigger. StateImpact Florida does a Storify on the post-trigger battle over #parentempowerment. Margo Pope from Florida Voices: "Parents already have options in state law that empower them. They don’t need another law. They need to know how to use what is already on the books." (more…)

Parent trigger. Joe Henderson from the Tampa Tribune on parent trigger: "In my opinion, it started from the flawed premise that it’s always the institution’s fault when a school fails." Tallahassee Democrat: "What we don’t need is to have for-profit corporations lobbying parents to shut down or privatize a public school." The Foundation for Florida's Future isn't giving up, reports StateImpact Florida.

Bad teachers. Language regarding student placement with unsatisfactory teachers, which had been part of the parent trigger bill, is approved as part of a charter school bill. Times/Herald.

Teacher evals. Lawmakers tweak the new system to ensure teachers are only rated on students they teach. Gradebook.

Teacher merit pay. In a setback for the FEA, a circuit court judge rules that SB736 does not violate collective bargaining rights. Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press, News Service of Florida.

Superintendents. The Palm Beach County School Board should quit worrying about former Superintendent Art Johnson, editorializes the Palm Beach Post.

Mentors. The Sarasota Herald Tribune writes up the mentors who helped Take Stock in Children scholars in Manatee: "A mentor is a mirror. A guide to the big picture. Someone who has walked in someone's shoes and gotten to where they want to be."

Parent power. Florida gets high marks from the Center for Education Reform. Jacksonville Business Journal.

Common Core. Andy Ford's take on Common Core. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher evaluations. Don't shield the data from public scrutiny. Florida Times Union.

Rick Scott. Talks with superintendents about teacher pay, teacher evals, Common Core - and gets kind words from Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee. Coverage from The Buzz, News Service of Florida, Tallahassee Democrat.

School reform. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego is taking a more thoughtful approach to struggling schools than the state has, writes Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano.

Career education. It's good the Legislature is expanding opportunities here, writes Tampa Tribune columnist Joe Henderson. (more…)

Teacher evaluations. The NEA and FEA file a federal suit against the new teacher evaluations system in Florida. Coverage from the Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press, Times/Herald, Tallahassee Democrat, Gainesville Sun, Pensacola News Journal, Gradebook, Education Week, PolitiJax, State Impact Florida, New York Times, Answer Sheet. FEA statement here. Lawmakers need to fix glaring flaws, editorializes the Lakeland Ledger. The Miami-Dade system plows ahead with its own remedies, reports the Miami Herald. School districts around the state are cooperating more to create the hundreds of new tests needed for the teacher evaluations, reports the Tallahassee Democrat.

Tony Bennett. Indiana folks make up his inner circle at DOE. Gradebook.

Michelle Rhee. Michelle Rhee was in Tallahassee Monday, meeting with lawmakers. Naked Politics.

School choice. With rezoning issues out of the way, Bay County cranks up its district school choice process. WJHG.com.

Career education. A big hit in Okaloosa. Northwest Florida Daily News.

School spending. The state Board of Education is not happy after the Department of Education says it overestimated the budget request for new technology by $342 million, reports StateImpact Florida. The Pasco school board decides, for now, not to follow Superintendent Kurt Browning's proposal to cut media specialists and reading coaches, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Sarasota board follows through on plans to cut media specialists, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)