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Regarding the Class Size Amendment, Florida legislators have worked double-time to subvert the will of the people who voted twice for the initiative. They’ve written legislation to ease class size restrictions specifically for charter schools to allow school wide averages for calculations. They’ve excluded elective courses from class size. The net result is two…
by: Alan Singer|Huffington Post July 20, 2014 Obscure laws can have a very big impact on social policy, including obscure changes in the United States federal tax code. The 2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, included provisions from the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000.…
Opinion|Miami Herald November 14, 2015 Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is gearing up for the next round of a months-long battle with the state over flawed standardized student tests that will also determine school grades and measure teacher performance. The controversy centers on the state’s Department of Education’s plan to use scores from the new state…
Predictions and reflections from Fund Education Now in this week’s Orlando Sentinel Central Florida 100. Enjoy. Looking ahead: The Florida House Education committee will repeat last year’s effort with a bill that transforms high school athletes into free agents able to transfer schools at will. It promises to limit the authority of the Florida High…
by: Jessica Saggio|Florida Today November 3, 2015 Superintendent Desmond Blackburn has axed 192 mandatory district-level assessments for students in Brevard Public Schools while he reevaluates the examination system in the county. The decision comes on the heels of an announcement from the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, which includes all 67 superintendents in Florida,…
Very pleased to announce that Fund Education Now co-founder Kathleen Oropeza is participating in weekly reflections and predictions as part of the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida 100. These items are short and to the point. Enjoy. Central Florida 100 – this week’s contribution: Last week: When Gov. Rick Scott appointed personal friend and former one-term House member…
by: Leslie Postal|Orlando Sentinel November 4, 2015 James Turner has the wiry build of someone who ran the 400-meter dash in high school. But these days, the business major at FSU is reciting his own poetry and hanging with an a cappella group, not the track team. He likes watching Florida State football, is already…
by: Marlene Sokol|Tampa Bay Times October 29, 2015 After six years of effort, high hopes and more than $180 million spent, the Hillsborough County school system is unraveling the teacher evaluation system it developed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The news came in an email this week from superintendent Jeff Eakins to more…
Central Florida 100 responses, October 28, 2015 100 of Central Florida’s most influential people weigh in on current events. Read their thoughts on the biggest stories of the week and see what they think will make headlines next week. Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder, FundEducationNow.org, will be submitting weekly thoughts. Last week: President Obama and Education Secretary…
Notice of Development of Rulemaking DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION State Board of Education RULE NO.: RULE TITLE: 6A-1.09981 Implementation of Florida’s System of School Improvement and Accountability PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose and effect of the rule development is, primarily, to revise the rule to conform to statutory changes by creating a new school grades calculation…