Florida Forward Conversations About the Future: Education Reform

Our own Kathleen Oropeza will be a panelist at the Orlando Sentinel’s event- Florida Forward. She will be joined by former Governor Jeb Bush, Orange County School Board Chair Bill Sublette, Tracy McDaniel, Founder of KIPP Reach, and James Gibbs, Hillsborough County Middle School Instructor. The will discuss education reform and the future of Florida’s public…

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Florida Teacher Salaries Have Dropped

This week is bound to be rough.  This week teachers all over Florida will get their first paycheck of the school year. Last session Florida legislators passed a law requiring every teacher to contribute 3% of their salary to the Florida Retirement System. Hearing about a 3% to 5% cut is very different than seeing what that cut looks…

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NYC Tosses Failed Merit Pay Plan

Florida’s New Teacher Merit Pay Plan lacks both Merit and Pay “It’s going to allow our teachers that believe in measurement to get paid better because they’re going to be the most effective ones, and the real winner here is the kids,” said Governor Rick Scott as he signed SB736/Teacher Merit Pay bill. Last week, New…

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Scott and Rhee Push Charters Despite Fail Rate of 740%

Governor Rick Scott and his education advisor, Michelle Rhee, believe that billions of public school dollars are better spent on for-profit charter school management companies (CMOs). “Who are we to deny a child, a low income child, who has the opportunity to take the same dollars and actually get a better education?” Rhee asked when…

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Gov. Scott’s Prized Schools Earn F’s

Back in January, just two days after being sworn in, Governor Rick Scott and his advisor Michelle Rhee flew to Miami to enthusiastically praise what turned out to be an F school. “We have to make sure our system does exactly what you are doing here at Florida International Academy,” said Scott. Last week Jacksonville’s…

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