Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Tag archive

education bill

Rick Scott signs HB 7069, shifting education from ‘traditional public schools’

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Surrounded by House Speaker Richard Corcoran and many of his members in a small, Orlando Catholic school dedicated to special needs students, Gov. Rick Scott signed House Bill 7069 into law, initiating major shifts in how Florida provides education. While the education omnibus bill offers changes for all kinds of schools in Florida, from requiring recess to reducing mandatory testing, it accelerates state tax dollar funding for-profit and nonprofit charter and private schools, expands parents’ abilities to chose schools, and tightens…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

First Amendment Foundation calls on Rick Scott to veto education bill

in Statewide by

The First Amendment Foundation is weighing in on a wide-sweeping education bill, asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto the measure when it gets to his desk. In a letter to Scott on Tuesday, Barbara Petersen, the president of the First Amendment Foundation, said the organization’s concerns “relate only to the lack of transparency in the process by which major policy decisions regarding Florida’s education system were decided.” Lawmakers narrowly approved the bill (HB 7069) on the final day of the…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Don’t expect major education bills in 2016, says John Legg

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

There won’t be any major education bills expected in the 2016 Legislative Session, according to Senate Education chair John Legg. As reported by LobbyTools, testing legislation was one of only a handful of substantive bills that ultimately passed in the 2015 session. And for the upcoming session, set to begin next month, Legg said education does not seem to be gaining any traction. “I am talking to fellow senators, and they are not talking about their priorities in education,” he…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Students may be able to cross county lines for school

in Top Headlines by

The House on Friday voted 80-36 for a bill that would let children enroll in any school in the state regardless of where they live. The provision is included in a comprehensive education bill that now heads to the Florida Senate. If the bill (HB 1145) becomes law families could enroll in any public school if it has space. Families would be responsible for taking their children to and from the school. House Democrats criticized the bill, saying the open…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Inconceivable: Florida’s media’s view on Crist vs. Meek vs. Rubio or why Adam Smith isn’t always right

in Peter/Statewide by

Two weeks ago, I posted a story about the ongoing negotiations between New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s advisors and Charlie Crist’s campaign about Hizzoner possibly endorsing the People’s Governor.  The story quickly went viral, making its way to Politico and the Washington Post, as well as the St. Petersburg Times, which dismissed the story out-of-hand based on the quote of Bloomberg advisor Howard Wolfson: After a St. Petersburg blogger reported a likely endorsement, we asked Deputy New York Mayor Howard Wolfson about…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Inconceivable: Florida’s media’s view on Charlie Crist vs. Kendrick Meek vs. Marco Rubio or why Adam Smith isn’t always right

in Peter/Statewide by

Two weeks ago, I posted a story about the ongoing negotiations between New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s advisors and Charlie Crist’s campaign about Hizzoner possibly endorsing the People’s Governor.  The story quickly went viral, making its way to Politico and the Washington Post, as well as the St. Petersburg Times, which dismissed the story out-of-hand based on the quote of Bloomberg advisor Howard Wolfson: After a St. Petersburg blogger reported a likely endorsement, we asked Deputy New York Mayor Howard Wolfson about…

Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Go to Top