Charters and Amendment 8: Charter school companies are providing the bulk of the financial support for Amendment 8, the proposed constitutional amendment that would impose a two-term limit on Florida school board members, require civics literacy and give the Legislature more authority to create alternatives to public schools, such as charter schools. The 8isGreat.org political committee has raised $54,532 in support of Amendment 8 through June, according to state election records. Amendments need the approval of 60 percent of voters to be enacted. News Service of Florida.

Charter school funding: Whether charter schools can expect an equal per-student share of school district money raised when voters approve an increase in property taxes hinges on a legal interpretation. State law requires districts to share “current operating discretionary millage levy” with charter schools, but the Palm Beach County School Board recently got a legal opinion that says it does not. The school board will decide next week whether to share increased revenue if voters approve an increase in property taxes. redefinED.

Schools and pot dispensaries: Duval County School Board members are asking local officials to add restrictions to keep medical marijuana dispensaries from opening near three-dozen schools. They say because the facilities deal in cash, they could become robbery targets. “We have had enough code red lockdowns in the past year,” says board member Warren Jones. “There’s no need to increase them because a marijuana facility was robbed.” Jacksonville City Council members say by law, dispensaries must be treated like pharmacies and can open in most commercial areas. Florida Times-Union. (more…)

Education budget debate: Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, says he wants additional property tax money to provide two-thirds of the extra $215 million Gov. Rick Scott has proposed for K-12 schools. The proposal is opposed by the House, which has been adamantly against higher local property taxes for education. Negron has several other items on his agenda for the session that appear to be outside of the agreement reportedly reached Friday among him, Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach Post. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Senators have been assured that there will be a "full and open" discussion about the proposed education bill during the Legislature's special session today through Friday, says Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, who is chairman of the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. Simmons, who voted against H.B. 7069, says improving the bill would be better than killing it, though he also says "it's got to be gotten rid of unless we can improve it." Gradebook. Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, says he's "not comfortable supporting any compromise" on boosting K-12 funding for 2017-18 that fails "to address the erosion of Florida's commitment to public education that is contained in H.B. 7069." Garcia joined Simmons and Sen. Denise Grimsley of Sebring as the only Republicans voting against the bill. Miami Herald.

Charter schools: Sarasota County School Board members heatedly debate the charter school provisions in the state education budget. It began when one member asked others to sign a letter to Gov. Scott asking him to veto H.B. 7069, which drew objections from other board members and finally provoked this comment from board chair Caroline Zucker: "If you can’t sit here and vote for public school children, then you don’t belong on this board. Because this is what we are — public school advocates.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Duval County School Board approves two charter schools, renews contracts for three others and approves the merger of two charter schools into one. One of the new schools was approved despite concerns from some board members. "It is very frustrating having to sit here and approve a charter school ... when the (district) schools around them are not failing; they are performing well," said board member Warren Jones. Florida Times-Union. The Atlanta School Board rejects an application from the SLAM Academy of Miami to open a charter school. The board cited the school's over-reliance on an outside management company. SLAM (short for Sports Leadership and Management) is known for its connection to Miami rapper Pitbull. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Money for Jewish schools: Among the bills Gov. Scott has signed is one that provides $654,000 to boost security at Jewish schools. The schools and community centers were the target of threats earlier this year. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)