Week 1: Florida Legislative Session (1.14-17, 2020) Here are the public education policy bills that moved. You’ll note that many bills are pushed through committees by both parties, often with the hope of gaining bargaining chips for other bills. Pay attention to the general policy themes like voucher & charter expansion, increased authority over school safety, student data privacy issues, teacher pay and continued attacks on school board authority. When bills don’t have companions, it doesn’t mean they’ll die. It’s possible that the concept will be simply added to a massive train and passed without full public review. This will help you be a better informed public education voter.
School Districts
Potential Train: SB 62 Sen. Stargel/K-12 Education bill – Forces Districts to share ½ penny with Charter Schools, College Acceleration & Dual Enrollment for Homeschoolers. Requiring that a resolution to levy discretionary sales tax include a statement containing certain information; defining the term “early college program”; changing the calculation of full-time equivalent student membership for dual enrollment purposes; providing for calculation of full-time equivalent membership for students earning the Capstone Diploma; requiring school board mental health policies and procedures to include certain items. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 8-0 by all members of the Senate Ed Committee. Members: Senator Diaz, Chair; Senator Montford, Vice Chair; Senators Baxley, Berman, Cruz, Perry, Simmons, and Stargel. Bill sent to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
Charters
SB 536 Diaz – Alternative Authorizer: Bypasses elected school boards by creating an alternate statewide charter school authorizer. (The latter, in the form of a general bill rather than a proposed constitutional amendment, would be sure to provoke a court challenge on constitutional grounds, should it be enacted.) – Establishing the High-Performing Charter School Council; providing the process for approving or denying a charter school application submitted to the council; authorizing charter school sponsors and applicants to provide input to the state board regarding the council’s recommendation; providing grounds on which the council may recommend denial of, or the state board may deny, an application submitted by a high-performing charter school or a high-performing charter school system. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 8-0 by all members of the Senate Ed Committee. Members: Senator Diaz, Chair; Senator Montford, Vice Chair; Senators Baxley, Berman, Cruz, Perry, Simmons, and Stargel. Bill sent to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
Teacher Pay
SB 1088 Diaz Teacher Salary Enhancement: Establishes a teacher salary enhancement allocation in the General Appropriations Act; requiring each school district to use the allocated funds to increase teacher salaries; authorizing school districts that meet the teacher salary requirements specified in the appropriations act to use any additional funds provided in the allocation for any lawful operating expenditure. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 8-0 by all members of the Senate Ed Committee. Members: Senator Diaz, Chair; Senator Montford, Vice Chair; Senators Baxley, Berman, Cruz, Perry, Simmons, and Stargel. Bill sent to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
School Safety
SB 788/HB 997 Sen. Book/Rep. Willhite & Casello School District Communication with First Responders: Requires district school boards of specified school districts develop & execute interlocal agreements with law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, & local emergency medical services organizations for specified purposes. Concern: This is positioned to be the slippery slope that could result in the stripping of all district police agencies from school board authority to be permanently placed under the jurisdiction of Sheriff’s Departments with implications regarding loss of oversight, investment, funding and concerns for student/parent rights. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 7-0 by all members of the Senate Infrastructure & Security Committee. Members: Senator Lee, Chair, Bean, Cruz, Hooper, Hutson, Stewart, Taddeo & Perry. Bill sent to Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice
SB7030 General bill by Infrastructure and Security Public Records/Active Threat Assessments and Threat Management Records: Exempting from public records requirements active threat assessments and threat management records; providing circumstances under which such records are considered active; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 7-0 by all members of the Senate Infrastructure & Security Committee. Members: Senator Lee, Chair, Bean, Cruz, Hooper, Hutson, Stewart, Taddeo & Perry. Bill sent to Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
SB70 Book&Berman/HB23 Gottlieb & Daley Panic Alarms in Public Schools: Requires each public school building on campus of public elementary, middle, or high school to be equipped with at least one panic alarm; provides panic alarm requirements. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 7-0 by all members of the Senate Infrastructure & Security Committee. Members: Senator Lee, Chair, Bean, Cruz, Hooper, Hutson, Stewart, Taddeo & Perry. Bill sent to Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
Bullying
SB1218 Diaz Anti-bullying and Anti-harassment in Schools: Expanding the information private schools participating in any voucher/educational scholarship program are required to publish and provide to parents; requiring such private schools to adopt bullying and harassment policies; requiring such schools to report bullying and harassment incidents to the Department of Education, which will maintain data on these incidents. Note: No related bill. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 7-1 by members of the Senate Ed Committee. Members: Senator Diaz, Chair; Senator Montford, Vice Chair; Senators Baxley, Cruz, Perry, Simmons, and Stargel voted yes. Sen. Berman voted no. Bill sent to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee
New High School Diploma
SB836 Simmons/HB 641 Rep. Placencia Funds for the Operation of Schools: Incentivizes districts to expand the “College Board Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma” which represents two years of AP classes. College Board, which owns AP, already pays districts an incentive to push enrollment in these classes. Bill revises the annual allocation to school districts to include an additional calculation of full-time equivalent membership for student. Grants districts a .3 portion of Full Time Equivalent funding per student graduating with this diploma. In this pay to play scenario, this state-funded incentive cash is added to the total FTE for basic programs in grades 9-12 the following year. Teachers also get $50 for each student who makes a 3 or higher on their final AP course exam. This is the same arrangement districts now receive for the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma. Action: 1.13.20 voted favorably 8-0 by all members of the Senate Ed Committee. Members: Senator Diaz, Chair; Senator Montford, Vice Chair; Senators Baxley, Berman, Cruz, Perry, Simmons, and Stargel. Bill sent to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
HOUSE
Sweeping expansion of K-12 Computer-based learning
HB523 DiCeglie Mastery-based Education: Switches name of the Competency-Based Education Pilot Program (which has not reached the end of its five year term) to Mastery-based Education Pilot Program which opens up all districts to the program, not just the five in the original pilot. This is computer/ed tech-based learning for K-12 students which closely resembles virtual learning. Also authorizes public school districts to submit applications for program; & revises statewide articulation agreement. Concern: Could diminish the role of classroom teachers. Action: 1.15.20 voted favorably 17-0 by members of the PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee, Rep. Santiago was absent. Members voting yes: Aloupis, Avila, Bell, Brannan, DiCiglie, Fischer, Goff-Marcil, Greico, Hage, Hill, Hogan Johnson, Killebrew, Latvala, Massullo, Thompson, Valdes, Webb. Now in Now in PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee.
