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Education bill, key to budget deal, clears the Senate by two votes

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Only one of the budget conforming bills debated in the Senate Monday drew a point of order — SB 7069, to implement the House’s ideas about charter schools and teacher bonuses. It didn’t stop the bill from passing, on a vote of 20-18. House and Senate negotiators have paired the bill with separate legislation carrying the Senate’s higher education agenda. Sen. Gary Farmer raised the point of order, arguing that the education compromise violated multiple Senate rules. For example, he…

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Florida legislators agree to small boost for schools

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Florida’s public schools will get only a small increase in money for day-to-day operations under an agreement worked out by state legislators. House and Senate budget negotiators on Friday agreed to increase regular public school spending by $241 million. That amounts to about a 1.2 percent increase in money for each student. Republicans have defended the small increase by pointing out that they are setting aside money in other education programs, such as one aimed at helping students in failing…

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Florida Education Association calls for proper funding for public schools in new ads

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The Florida Education Association is taking to the airwaves to call on lawmakers to better fund public schools. The statewide education association released two advertisements Thursday in response to several measures being advanced by the Legislature. The proposals, education officials said, would under fund public schools and harm public school students. “Students are at the center of everything we do. That’s why we are fighting for students and for better public schools,” said Joanne McCall, the president of the Florida…

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Andrew Gillum, Shevrin Jones lambaste charter school funding plan

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Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum on Wednesday called proposed House funding for charter schools “a giveaway to (House Republicans’) friends and family.” But Gillum at first wouldn’t answer whether he would veto such funding if he were governor, saying instead he would put a “premium” on fully funding the state’s public school system. A spokesman later said he would veto that kind of funding if elected, explaining Gillum “fundamentally believes the bill’s approach is wrong.” The mayor appeared with Democratic state…

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Short takes: Legislative roundup for Wednesday

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House votes on senate gambling bill—by amending it with their own bill The House stood its ground, voting 73-40 Wednesday to replace the Senate’s gambling overhaul (SB 8) with its own version (HB 7037). That sets up the conference process by which both sides say they can “iron out the differences” between their different approaches. The gulf is wide, with the House wanting to lock down gambling expansion in the state and the Senate open to a host of new…

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Florida may shift students away from failing schools

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Calling it an “emergency,” Florida may agree to spend up to $200 million to shift students from chronically failing schools to charter schools run by private organizations. The idea crafted by House Speaker Richard Corcoran and other top Republicans in the Florida House is this: Offer up money to help build “Schools of Hope” in neighborhoods, many of them in urban and poor areas. The schools would be within 5 miles of or in the zones of existing traditional public…

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Florida needs teachers, but high schoolers aren’t interested

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As Florida legislators consider ways to get more high-achieving charter schools into the state, school districts have another concern: getting more teachers into the state. The national teacher shortage is hitting Florida hard. Hillsborough County alone could use another 500 teachers. Advocacy group Teachers of Tomorrow identifies Florida as one of the top five states struggling to find educators, with a 5,708 teacher shortfall. The Florida Department of Education’s 2016-17 report on what subjects are in greatest need of more…

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