2/21/19
Ending what was a comparatively quiet and uneventful legislative week as far as education is concerned, was a more eventful event: Senate press conference on its Prek-12 education priorities for 2019. Education Chair Manny Diaz, Ed Appropriations Chair Kelli Stargel and Senate President Pro Tempore David Simmons conducted the 23-minute announcement (linked here on the Florida Channel) that included expansion of scholarships for students, retooling the Best and Brightest teacher/principal scholarship and revision of the Schools of Hope wrap-around services into a Community School Grant program to provide health, family engagement and student enrichment services. The full release follows below. Sen. Diaz indicated these would be rolled into a single committee bill, except for school safety/security which is already moving through committee as part of SB7030.
The creation of a 'Family Empowerment Scholarship" is modeled after the Governor's "Equal Opportunity Scholarship" announced last week. The Best and Brightest changes are similar, but go a little further than the Governor's proposal to attract teachers in specific areas--math, science, computer science, reading and civics.
Of significance to districts is the proposed wording for educational facilities related to the five-year survey and construction costs. You may recall this almost passed as part of HB7055 (amendment by Sen. Bill Montford in Senate bill, but not in final version) last session.
We will need to wait to see draft legislation that will contain more specifics. Such a draft may be out by the first week of session in two weeks.
Otherwise, several education committees did not meet. Two that did--House and Senate Education Appropriations--focused on hearing individual member project bills. The full House Education Committee spent two hours hearing from students and others of successes within the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship program and the backlog of parents trying to get their children in...which is referenced by the the Governor and Senate in their proposed new scholarship (voucher) bills.
In House Oversight, Transparency and Public Management Subcommittee, members approved HJR229 on an 11-4 vote. The measure would put a referendum issue on the November, 2020 state ballot to implement term limits for school board members. The clock would be for an 8-year limit starting with the 2020 election. The bill requires a 60% vote by both chambers and, if on the ballot, a 60% approval by voters in order to pass.
Next week is a "district" week for lawmakers. The pre-session committees have ended. Session starts Tuesday, March 5 and is slated for 60-days through May 3rd. It can be extended if warranted. Everyone is expecting the legislature will conclude its work on time, passing the only "must" bill: general appropriations, which will be SB2500 and accompanying implementing and conforming bills.
Attached is the obligatory and updated tracking chart that shows bills filed this week and actions taken. Enjoy the weekend!
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Senate Education Leaders Announce 2019 Priorities
Senators Discuss Legislation to Improve Safety, Empower Families, Elevate Neighborhood Public Schools
Senator Manny Diaz, Jr. (R-Hialeah Gardens), Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, and Senate President Pro Tempore David Simmons (R-Altamonte Springs) today announced key components of legislation the Senate will consider during the 2019 Legislative Session.
“With more than 100,000 students receiving a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the growing demand for this option is outpacing available funding, creating a waitlist that prevents students from attending school in the educational environment their parents believe is best,” said Chair Diaz. “Legislation establishing a new Family Empowerment Scholarship will reduce this waitlist, using funds Florida taxpayers have already dedicated to education to provide school choice options to more low income families. Additionally, policy and budget enhancements moving through the Senate this session will elevate our traditional public schools and strengthen their ability to keep our students safe and secure.”
“Parents of all children, regardless of income, should be empowered to choose the educational environment that is best for their child, and we are excited to present the Family Empowerment Scholarship as another solution for our lower income families,” said Chair Stargel. “We recognize the majority of Florida families choose to educate their children at neighborhood public schools. As such, we will also pursue legislation that demonstrates our commitment to elevating our public schools by supporting teachers and principals, expanding student support services, and reducing regulations. To facilitate success, it is my goal to support our education policy initiatives with funding investments in the Senate’s education budget.”
Family Empowerment Scholarship
Joined by families whose students are benefiting from school choice options available through the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship, Senators announced plans to file legislation creating a new scholarship program, the Family Empowerment Scholarship, designed to help our low income families attend an eligible private school of choice and reduce the FTC Scholarship waitlist.
The Family Empowerment Scholarship will be available to low income families (up to 260 percent of the federal poverty level), and will require that the student have previously attended a traditional public school or be eligible to enroll in kindergarten. The scholarship will be funded through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) at 95 percent of the district average cost per student and capped at 15,000 students statewide, with the ability to grow as the overall public school student population grows.
Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition Bonuses for Teachers and Principals
Senators also announced plans to file legislation to restructure the current Best and Brightest Teacher’s Program, eliminating SAT/ACT requirements, and instead focusing on recruitment, retention, and recognition of Florida’s top teachers and principals.
Specifically, the legislation will create a new recruitment bonus, a one-time award for newly hired teachers who are content expert in mathematics, science, computer science, reading, or civics. Legislation will also create a retention bonus for effective or highly effective teachers at schools that have demonstrated academic improvement, as well as a recognition bonus for highly effective teachers selected by the school principal, based on performance criteria and policies adopted by the district school board. The legislation will also retool the principal bonus around performance of schools demonstrating academic improvement.
Remove Barriers to the Teacher Certification Process
Senate legislation will expand access to teacher certification exams and increase options for school districts to retain quality teachers. Specifically, to address concerns with the cost of certification exams, legislation will require the State Board of Education to establish examination fees for initial and retake registrations, and specify requirements to reduce retake fees. The legislation will also provide flexibility for teachers to meet the requirement to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge.
Reduce Regulations that Impede School Construction and Facility Improvements
Senate legislation will also provide school districts with flexibility by no longer requiring an educational plant survey recommendation when only local funds, including ad valorem revenue, are used for facility construction. The legislation will also remove cost per student station restrictions when the school district uses only local funds for construction.
Enhance Support for Community Wrap-Around Services
The legislation will also stabilize state support of neighborhood public schools with unique community needs. Leveraging the successful leadership of the Center for Community Schools, legislation will promote the expansion of, and encourage funding for, new Community Schools. Additionally, the legislation will secure Florida’s investment in the success of public schools in, or exiting, district-managed turnaround status through sustained support for wrap-around services such as after-school programs, extended school day or school year, counseling, or other support services.
Improve Safety and Security for Students and Schools
The Senators also discussed ongoing efforts to implement recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Last week the Committee on Education passed Senate Bill 7030 to implement the Commission’s recommendations in the areas of school safety and security with key improvements to school security measures, enhancements to student safety, and by providing greater flexibility for school districts to transfer funds towards school safety expenditures. Additional legislation will address recommendations related to 911 Emergency Services, and duty to warn in threat situations (SB 7048), while the Senate’s education budget will include funding to support and sustain school district investments in school safety and security enhancements.
The creation of a 'Family Empowerment Scholarship" is modeled after the Governor's "Equal Opportunity Scholarship" announced last week. The Best and Brightest changes are similar, but go a little further than the Governor's proposal to attract teachers in specific areas--math, science, computer science, reading and civics.
Of significance to districts is the proposed wording for educational facilities related to the five-year survey and construction costs. You may recall this almost passed as part of HB7055 (amendment by Sen. Bill Montford in Senate bill, but not in final version) last session.
We will need to wait to see draft legislation that will contain more specifics. Such a draft may be out by the first week of session in two weeks.
Otherwise, several education committees did not meet. Two that did--House and Senate Education Appropriations--focused on hearing individual member project bills. The full House Education Committee spent two hours hearing from students and others of successes within the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship program and the backlog of parents trying to get their children in...which is referenced by the the Governor and Senate in their proposed new scholarship (voucher) bills.
In House Oversight, Transparency and Public Management Subcommittee, members approved HJR229 on an 11-4 vote. The measure would put a referendum issue on the November, 2020 state ballot to implement term limits for school board members. The clock would be for an 8-year limit starting with the 2020 election. The bill requires a 60% vote by both chambers and, if on the ballot, a 60% approval by voters in order to pass.
Next week is a "district" week for lawmakers. The pre-session committees have ended. Session starts Tuesday, March 5 and is slated for 60-days through May 3rd. It can be extended if warranted. Everyone is expecting the legislature will conclude its work on time, passing the only "must" bill: general appropriations, which will be SB2500 and accompanying implementing and conforming bills.
Attached is the obligatory and updated tracking chart that shows bills filed this week and actions taken. Enjoy the weekend!
------------------
Senate Education Leaders Announce 2019 Priorities
Senators Discuss Legislation to Improve Safety, Empower Families, Elevate Neighborhood Public Schools
Senator Manny Diaz, Jr. (R-Hialeah Gardens), Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, and Senate President Pro Tempore David Simmons (R-Altamonte Springs) today announced key components of legislation the Senate will consider during the 2019 Legislative Session.
“With more than 100,000 students receiving a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the growing demand for this option is outpacing available funding, creating a waitlist that prevents students from attending school in the educational environment their parents believe is best,” said Chair Diaz. “Legislation establishing a new Family Empowerment Scholarship will reduce this waitlist, using funds Florida taxpayers have already dedicated to education to provide school choice options to more low income families. Additionally, policy and budget enhancements moving through the Senate this session will elevate our traditional public schools and strengthen their ability to keep our students safe and secure.”
“Parents of all children, regardless of income, should be empowered to choose the educational environment that is best for their child, and we are excited to present the Family Empowerment Scholarship as another solution for our lower income families,” said Chair Stargel. “We recognize the majority of Florida families choose to educate their children at neighborhood public schools. As such, we will also pursue legislation that demonstrates our commitment to elevating our public schools by supporting teachers and principals, expanding student support services, and reducing regulations. To facilitate success, it is my goal to support our education policy initiatives with funding investments in the Senate’s education budget.”
Family Empowerment Scholarship
Joined by families whose students are benefiting from school choice options available through the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship, Senators announced plans to file legislation creating a new scholarship program, the Family Empowerment Scholarship, designed to help our low income families attend an eligible private school of choice and reduce the FTC Scholarship waitlist.
The Family Empowerment Scholarship will be available to low income families (up to 260 percent of the federal poverty level), and will require that the student have previously attended a traditional public school or be eligible to enroll in kindergarten. The scholarship will be funded through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) at 95 percent of the district average cost per student and capped at 15,000 students statewide, with the ability to grow as the overall public school student population grows.
Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition Bonuses for Teachers and Principals
Senators also announced plans to file legislation to restructure the current Best and Brightest Teacher’s Program, eliminating SAT/ACT requirements, and instead focusing on recruitment, retention, and recognition of Florida’s top teachers and principals.
Specifically, the legislation will create a new recruitment bonus, a one-time award for newly hired teachers who are content expert in mathematics, science, computer science, reading, or civics. Legislation will also create a retention bonus for effective or highly effective teachers at schools that have demonstrated academic improvement, as well as a recognition bonus for highly effective teachers selected by the school principal, based on performance criteria and policies adopted by the district school board. The legislation will also retool the principal bonus around performance of schools demonstrating academic improvement.
Remove Barriers to the Teacher Certification Process
Senate legislation will expand access to teacher certification exams and increase options for school districts to retain quality teachers. Specifically, to address concerns with the cost of certification exams, legislation will require the State Board of Education to establish examination fees for initial and retake registrations, and specify requirements to reduce retake fees. The legislation will also provide flexibility for teachers to meet the requirement to demonstrate mastery of general knowledge.
Reduce Regulations that Impede School Construction and Facility Improvements
Senate legislation will also provide school districts with flexibility by no longer requiring an educational plant survey recommendation when only local funds, including ad valorem revenue, are used for facility construction. The legislation will also remove cost per student station restrictions when the school district uses only local funds for construction.
Enhance Support for Community Wrap-Around Services
The legislation will also stabilize state support of neighborhood public schools with unique community needs. Leveraging the successful leadership of the Center for Community Schools, legislation will promote the expansion of, and encourage funding for, new Community Schools. Additionally, the legislation will secure Florida’s investment in the success of public schools in, or exiting, district-managed turnaround status through sustained support for wrap-around services such as after-school programs, extended school day or school year, counseling, or other support services.
Improve Safety and Security for Students and Schools
The Senators also discussed ongoing efforts to implement recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Last week the Committee on Education passed Senate Bill 7030 to implement the Commission’s recommendations in the areas of school safety and security with key improvements to school security measures, enhancements to student safety, and by providing greater flexibility for school districts to transfer funds towards school safety expenditures. Additional legislation will address recommendations related to 911 Emergency Services, and duty to warn in threat situations (SB 7048), while the Senate’s education budget will include funding to support and sustain school district investments in school safety and security enhancements.
| 2019_filed_billsfeb21.xls |
2/13/19
Governor Ron DeSantis today issued three missives related to public and school safety. First, he issued Executive Order 19-45, the press release and link to the order is at the bottom of this update. In it, he's requiring the Department of Education to get data from school districts on a number of issues and to reopen the Feis Guardian program for additional applications this year through April 1. So far, about 25 sheriff's are participating in varying degrees, but over $50 million remains unspent. The presser below includes his point-by-point order.
Late today, he filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a statewide rand jury to examine school safety measures statewide and the responses of public entities to laws "designed to protect schools suchas the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act" (SB7026). The Governor's announcement follows his press release on EO 19-45, below.
Separately, Gov. DeSantis is directing Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FLDE) Commissioner Rick Swearingen to develop a "unified statewide strategy for identifying and managing threats of targeted violence." He's directly FDLE to assist local law enforcement to provide better cooperation and collaboration. The Governor's letter to Swearingen is attached.
In brief:
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Governor Ron DeSantis Issues Executive Order 19-45
Ensuring the Safety of Our Children in Our Schools
Titusville, Fla. – Today, nearly one year after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where fourteen students and three staff members were murdered, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 19-45, which is focused on improving the safety of Florida schools.
“Although protecting our students is a perpetual process, there are steps we can take immediately to improve safety in our schools” said Governor DeSantis. “While we cannot bring back the innocents lost, we can honor their memory by learning from the mistakes that were made and resolving to swiftly correct all of those within our control.”
Specifically, Executive Order 19-45 does the following:
For a PDF copy of Executive Order 19-45, click HERE.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Calls for Statewide Grand Jury on School Safety
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to examine and review school safety measures throughout the state, as well as the responses of public entities to laws designed to protect schools such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.
“As the one-year anniversary of one of the darkest days in Florida history approaches, it’s clear more needs to be done,” said Governor DeSantis. “What’s truly devastating is that the tragedy in Parkland was avoidable. As Governor, I have a moral obligation to protect the children in our state, which is why I have requested a statewide grand jury to investigate school safety practices and failures occurring around the state and to identify measures to improve the safety of our students.”
In February 2018, mass murder was committed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This massacre drew attention to systematic failures by school officials and other state actors who should have ensured student safety. Unfortunately, these systematic failures are not unique to just one school district.
The grand jury investigation will examine districts across the state. The grand jury will investigate any crime or wrong within Florida Statute § 905.34 that relates to the following:
After the Florida Supreme Court approves the Governor’s request, Chief Justice Charles Canady will designate a circuit judge to preside over the grand jury. The presiding judge shall, by lot and at random, select and impanel the 18-member statewide grand jury from the jury lists of circuits he designates. Because the grand jury’s investigation will reach issues connected to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Governor has proposed the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Broward County) as the base operating area.
Pursuant to Florida Statues § 905.33 and § 905.34, the jurisdiction of the statewide grand jury shall extend throughout the state to investigate crimes, return indictments, make presentments or direct issuance of reports, and otherwise perform all functions of a statewide grand jury with regard to the full list of offenses enumerated in Florida Statute § 905.34.
Late today, he filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a statewide rand jury to examine school safety measures statewide and the responses of public entities to laws "designed to protect schools suchas the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act" (SB7026). The Governor's announcement follows his press release on EO 19-45, below.
Separately, Gov. DeSantis is directing Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FLDE) Commissioner Rick Swearingen to develop a "unified statewide strategy for identifying and managing threats of targeted violence." He's directly FDLE to assist local law enforcement to provide better cooperation and collaboration. The Governor's letter to Swearingen is attached.
In brief:
- The Department of Education has filed a rule development notices to revise both the exams and lower certain fees that are required for full for teacher certification. The notice can be read here. Action comes after recent legislative committee hearings, particularly House Prek-12 Quality Education, during which concerns were expressed about the cost of exams and their retakes and the difficulty of parts of the General Knowledge Test (math, especially) that were rewritten two years ago.
- HB399, passed by Local Federal and Veteran Affairs Subcommittee, would allow the property appraiser to post TRIM notices online starting in 2020; taxpayers would have the option to use the online feature or continue to receive their tax notices by mail.
- Proposed House Bill HQS2PB, passed unanimously by House Health Quality Subcommittee, adds vaping to tobacco as being prohibited in or near schools. A copy of the bill is attached and should be reviewed by district legal representatives. A regular bill number will be assigned within the next day.
- The Economic, Demographic and Research (EDR) estimating conference conducted its own review of the nation's economy today, concluding that there remains a growing risk of an economic downturn within the next twelve months, possible in the last quarter of this year, that will end the current growth streak that started nearly 10 years ago. The forecast is based on national rating firms such as Moody's. Slowing housing starts, slowing GDP (gross domestic product projected at 2.1% in 2019, down from 2.7% in 2018 and 3.% in 2017. This morning's results will be posted on the EDR website, linked here.
- House Prek-12 Innovation Committee gave approval to HB401 which applies the competency-based pilot for four districts to all counties and renames it "mastery-based" education. The committee also heard an update from SREB Research Director James Stone on career/technical education pathways and high quality CTE programs. The packet containing both the bill and Dr. Stone's presentation can be view and downloaded here.
- Senate Ethics and Elections passed SB336 that requires a local option discretionary sales tax referendum must be held only at the time of a general election. The bill does not affect ad valorem tax referenda. Also, the Committee approved committee bill SPB7040 that would move the state to an electronic filing format for financial disclosure. The bill sets up a pilot/planning period with actual implementation proposed for 2021.
- House Prek-12 Appropriations was given an update on the Safe Schools Appropriations in SB7026, the Governor's Safe schools recommendations for FY20 and a review of the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool. The backup info is here.
- House Oversight, Transparency and Public Management Subcommittee approved committee bill PCB OTM 19-07 which continues state audit and internal controls requirements for agencies including school districts. The PCB will be filed shortly with a regular bill number, but, in the meantime, the bill and its staff analysis are included in the meeting agenda packet here.
- House Civil Justice members approved HJR249 and HJR251 (implementing) to abolish the Constitutional Revision Commission process in Florida's Constitution. If the legislature passes it (60% vote), it will go on the 2020 November general election ballot. Action comes following significant dissatisfaction of how the last Commisison bundled its proposals for last November's ballot.
- My apology to Sen. David Simmons whose name was incorrectly listed in last night's Update concerning SB7030.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Issues Executive Order 19-45
Ensuring the Safety of Our Children in Our Schools
Titusville, Fla. – Today, nearly one year after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where fourteen students and three staff members were murdered, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 19-45, which is focused on improving the safety of Florida schools.
“Although protecting our students is a perpetual process, there are steps we can take immediately to improve safety in our schools” said Governor DeSantis. “While we cannot bring back the innocents lost, we can honor their memory by learning from the mistakes that were made and resolving to swiftly correct all of those within our control.”
Specifically, Executive Order 19-45 does the following:
- Directs the Department of Education (DOE) to audit all 67 county school districts to ascertain any and all types of school-based discipline diversion programs in place, such as the “PROMISE” program in the Broward County School District.
- Specifies that the audit should determine the requirements for eligibility and operation of these programs, the costs of these programs, their stated impact on school and public safety, and whether there is evidence to support their continuation, closure or regulation in law.
- Directs DOE to direct all county school districts to expeditiously provide the information requested.
- Directs DOE and the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to work in partnership to review and analyze these programs and states that the assessment must, at a minimum, determine whether there is adequate information or evidence available to draw an informed conclusion about the efficacy of these programs and their impact on school and public safety.
- Directs DOE and DJJ to further work together to develop best-practices and consistent criteria for school-based discipline diversion programs and directs DJJ to complete and submit a report to the Executive Office of the Governor and the Legislature by July 1, 2019.
- Directs the Commissioner of Education to reopen and extend the application period for participation in the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian program to April 1, 2019, allowing sheriffs who wish to participate in the program the opportunity to apply.
- To date, over $50 million of the funds appropriated for the current fiscal year remain unallocated.
- Directs the Commissioner of Education to immediately communicate to all school district superintendents how to implement compliance with Florida Statutes regarding safe-school officers (school resource officers) and guardians.
- Directs DOE to immediately take all necessary steps to provide a centralized, integrated data repository and data analytics resources to improve access to timely school safety information, by August 1, 2019 prior to the 2019-2020 school year, with the full support of the Departments of Children and Families, Law Enforcement and Juvenile Justice, and the courts pursuant to requirements of Section 1001.212(6)(a)-(e), Florida Statutes.
- Section 1001.212(6)-(9), Florida Statutes, laid out that DOE was supposed to coordinate with FDLE to provide a centralized, integrated data repository and data analytics resources by December 1, 2018. The deadline passed without the requirements being met, which Executive Order 19-45 calls “unacceptable”.
For a PDF copy of Executive Order 19-45, click HERE.
---------------------------
Governor Ron DeSantis Calls for Statewide Grand Jury on School Safety
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to examine and review school safety measures throughout the state, as well as the responses of public entities to laws designed to protect schools such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.
“As the one-year anniversary of one of the darkest days in Florida history approaches, it’s clear more needs to be done,” said Governor DeSantis. “What’s truly devastating is that the tragedy in Parkland was avoidable. As Governor, I have a moral obligation to protect the children in our state, which is why I have requested a statewide grand jury to investigate school safety practices and failures occurring around the state and to identify measures to improve the safety of our students.”
In February 2018, mass murder was committed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This massacre drew attention to systematic failures by school officials and other state actors who should have ensured student safety. Unfortunately, these systematic failures are not unique to just one school district.
The grand jury investigation will examine districts across the state. The grand jury will investigate any crime or wrong within Florida Statute § 905.34 that relates to the following:
- Whether refusal or failure to follow the mandates of school-related safety laws, such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, results in unnecessary and avoidable risk to students across the state;
- Whether public entities committed – and continue to commit – fraud and deceit by accepting state funds conditioned on implementation of certain safety measures while knowingly failing to act;
- Whether school officials committed – and continue to commit – fraud and deceit by mismanaging, failing to use, and diverting funds from multi-million-dollar bonds specifically solicited for school safety initiatives; and
- Whether school officials violated – and continue to violate – state law by systematically underreporting incidents of criminal activity to the Florida Department of Education.
After the Florida Supreme Court approves the Governor’s request, Chief Justice Charles Canady will designate a circuit judge to preside over the grand jury. The presiding judge shall, by lot and at random, select and impanel the 18-member statewide grand jury from the jury lists of circuits he designates. Because the grand jury’s investigation will reach issues connected to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Governor has proposed the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Broward County) as the base operating area.
Pursuant to Florida Statues § 905.33 and § 905.34, the jurisdiction of the statewide grand jury shall extend throughout the state to investigate crimes, return indictments, make presentments or direct issuance of reports, and otherwise perform all functions of a statewide grand jury with regard to the full list of offenses enumerated in Florida Statute § 905.34.
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2/12/19
State
House and Senate committee meetings continued today in Tallahassee. THE education bill of significance this week is SB7030, school safety and security, which passed out of Senate Education late this afternoon on a party-line 5-3 vote. The bill, linked here, implements a number of recommendations by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, including giving school districts the first option to use guardians in schools in lieu of or addition to school resource officers. Under the bill, if a district so chooses, the local sheriff's office would be required to provide the state-mandated training. The bill also removes the current restriction on employing teachers as guardians. The Senate staff analysis is linked here for the explanation of the bill. In amendments, amendment by Sen. Lori Berman to keep classroom teachers out of consideration to be a guardian (current law) failed on voice vote. Amendment by Sen. Bill Montford that a school guardian may not serve as such unless appointed by the district school superintendent passed on voice vote. Amendment by Sen. Richard Simmons to give the superintendent the option to appoint either a school district employee or a sheriff's employee as the school safety officer passed. Garnering the most discussion and cause for the split vote was whether regular classroom teachers should have the option to be armed (note: law currently allows all other instructional personnel voluntarily to be guardians, but exempts regular classroom teachers, if the program is authorized by the local sheriff and school district).
Earlier today, state bond finance director Ben Watkins told House Appropriations members that Florida's borrowing credit remains good, having been upgraded to Aaa last June by Moody's, continuing to pay down debt and keeping a general fund reserve of $3.1 billion, about 10% of recurring general revenues, for emergencies plus another $5.2 billion in various trust funds.
The House Education Committee heard presentations on various school improvement programs, ranging from the status of the Jefferson County charter school conversion two years ago, to a district community program in Orlando and the status of the 2017 School of Hope" turnaround program for district schools across Florida. No actions were taken. The informational packet can be downloaded here.
Federal
The House Education and Labor Committee (renamed from Education and Workforce following this year's change to Democratic leadership) spent four hours hearing from and asking questions of four panelists from the national PTA, AFT, a North Carolina school superintendent and an economist from Kennesaw State U in Georgia. entitled "underfunded teachers and crumbling schools," the hearing, chaired by Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, focused on levels of teacher salaries, examples of deteriorating conditions of classroom facilities, impact on special education students, proportional costs of administrators and non-teaching personnel to teachers, etc. No action was taken, but several allusions were made to Scott's filed legislation on HJ865, "Rebuild America's School Act of 2019" filed two weeks ago.
Scott stated the federal role has been to "plug the gaps" in needs that states and districts are not meeting, including supplemental funding. Ranking Member (last year's chair) Virginia Foxx stated disagreement on the need for more money, but said to look first at use of existing dollars. and to make sure federal programs are being implemented as authorized.
The hearing on U-Tube can be viewed here. Information on the hearing is here. Fact sheet on HR865 is here.
For your information, the house committee site is also tracking all education-related bills that have been filed to this point. That list can be viewed here.
US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released this afternoon a list of questions and answers regarding student privacy and related matters in conjunction with school safety and security. The announcement is linked here. The 22-page FAQ is attached.
House and Senate committee meetings continued today in Tallahassee. THE education bill of significance this week is SB7030, school safety and security, which passed out of Senate Education late this afternoon on a party-line 5-3 vote. The bill, linked here, implements a number of recommendations by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, including giving school districts the first option to use guardians in schools in lieu of or addition to school resource officers. Under the bill, if a district so chooses, the local sheriff's office would be required to provide the state-mandated training. The bill also removes the current restriction on employing teachers as guardians. The Senate staff analysis is linked here for the explanation of the bill. In amendments, amendment by Sen. Lori Berman to keep classroom teachers out of consideration to be a guardian (current law) failed on voice vote. Amendment by Sen. Bill Montford that a school guardian may not serve as such unless appointed by the district school superintendent passed on voice vote. Amendment by Sen. Richard Simmons to give the superintendent the option to appoint either a school district employee or a sheriff's employee as the school safety officer passed. Garnering the most discussion and cause for the split vote was whether regular classroom teachers should have the option to be armed (note: law currently allows all other instructional personnel voluntarily to be guardians, but exempts regular classroom teachers, if the program is authorized by the local sheriff and school district).
Earlier today, state bond finance director Ben Watkins told House Appropriations members that Florida's borrowing credit remains good, having been upgraded to Aaa last June by Moody's, continuing to pay down debt and keeping a general fund reserve of $3.1 billion, about 10% of recurring general revenues, for emergencies plus another $5.2 billion in various trust funds.
The House Education Committee heard presentations on various school improvement programs, ranging from the status of the Jefferson County charter school conversion two years ago, to a district community program in Orlando and the status of the 2017 School of Hope" turnaround program for district schools across Florida. No actions were taken. The informational packet can be downloaded here.
Federal
The House Education and Labor Committee (renamed from Education and Workforce following this year's change to Democratic leadership) spent four hours hearing from and asking questions of four panelists from the national PTA, AFT, a North Carolina school superintendent and an economist from Kennesaw State U in Georgia. entitled "underfunded teachers and crumbling schools," the hearing, chaired by Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, focused on levels of teacher salaries, examples of deteriorating conditions of classroom facilities, impact on special education students, proportional costs of administrators and non-teaching personnel to teachers, etc. No action was taken, but several allusions were made to Scott's filed legislation on HJ865, "Rebuild America's School Act of 2019" filed two weeks ago.
Scott stated the federal role has been to "plug the gaps" in needs that states and districts are not meeting, including supplemental funding. Ranking Member (last year's chair) Virginia Foxx stated disagreement on the need for more money, but said to look first at use of existing dollars. and to make sure federal programs are being implemented as authorized.
The hearing on U-Tube can be viewed here. Information on the hearing is here. Fact sheet on HR865 is here.
For your information, the house committee site is also tracking all education-related bills that have been filed to this point. That list can be viewed here.
US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released this afternoon a list of questions and answers regarding student privacy and related matters in conjunction with school safety and security. The announcement is linked here. The 22-page FAQ is attached.
| sro_faqs_2-5-19_0.pdf |
2/7/19
Governor Ron Desantis announced his proposed revisions to the Best and Brightest scholarship for teachers and principals today at a Tampa high school press conference. The press release is at the end of this email. It is a general release without too much detail. Among the changes:
Of interest to secondary and postsecondary schools and institutions was this morning's House Higher Education and Workforce Committee hearing by state Dept/Economic Opportunity, CareerSource, FCAN and Florida Chamber representatives on Florida's current and future career/job market and talent needs. I would highly recommend appropriate staff and interested individuals take time to watch the vodcast of the meeting and download the back-up material which contains much relevant data at a state level, found here. It reinforces the trend showing a majority of growing occupations do not require a four-year traditional college degree, but do require specialized training. Fastest growing field is allied health.
Both the House (today) and Senate (yesterday) heard an identical presentation by Governor DeSantis' budget director, Cynthia Kelly, on education funding for public schools. The House packet is linked here. Of note was discussion on the Required Local Effort (RLE) on the House side. Freshman Susan Valdez (Hillsborough) questioned by the continuation in not using full taxroll value. Kelly responded the policy is the same as last year with allowing new growth, but reducing the millage to remove any increase in current homeownership (or commercial) property reassessments, hence the .157 mill reduction. Chair Chris Latvala reiterated that would be the House position going into the budget season.
Also of note in House Prek-12 Quality Education subcommittee, HJR229, was approved 14-0. This is the joint resolution, requiring a 60% vote from both the House and Senate, to place on the 2020 general ballot the question of whether to impose an 8-year term limit on school board members, effective as of that date. Members of the democratic caucus in committee discussed making that a 12-year limit (implying to change legislative limits also from 8 to 12 years, possibly), but no action was taken. The measure goes next to the Oversight, Transparency and Public Management subcommittee. Its Senate version, SB274, has not been heard yet.
District financial and budget staff (and any state revenue-o-philes) need to mark March 14th. That will be THE state General Revenue Estimating Conference when economists from the House, Senate and governor's office will meet to issue their last FY20 and beyond forecast for this year's legislative session. Historically, the last March/April conference has found some increase in non-recurring dollars and perhaps a slight bump in recurring funds. This year could continue that trend or be different. The conference will convene about 9am and the final report issued later that afternoon.
Over the weekend, we will provide updated bill tracking information. Filing is in full gear at this point.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Reform to Best and Brightest Teachers Program
Tampa, Fla. - Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced bold steps to reform the Best and Brightest Teachers program with a renewed investment to recruit and retain the best, most dedicated educators for Florida schools. This includes more than $422 million for compensation increases to the most effective teachers and principals in our public schools throughout Florida.
"I'm proud to announce these steps we are taking to ensure our state recruits and retains the very best educators for Florida schools," said Governor DeSantis. "This renewed investment will reward highly effective teachers and principals across our state who are making a positive impact in our students lives. We are also proposing a new recruitment program to bolster the educational ranks of our schools and ensure our students are receiving the best education possible."
Under this new program, nearly 45,000 highly effective teachers would be eligible for bonuses exceeding $9,000. It would also include bonuses of up to $6,500 for principals at schools throughout Florida to reward those who are creating classroom environments to help students thrive. In addition, the new program would remove the SAT/ACT requirements for teachers to be eligible for a bonus.
Also, the new plan would implement an innovative, first of its kind investment in teacher recruitment by establishing the Teacher Talent Pipeline in Florida. This new program would include $10 million per year for the next five years to launch a loan and tuition forgiveness program for as many as 1,700 new teachers per year who commit to working as a teacher in Florida for five years.
The DeSantis Administration will also work in conjunction with the Florida Legislature to develop a Bad Actor List to prevent school operators who have been sanctioned or shut down by the state from working with Florida schools in the future. These individuals would be banned from engaging with schools in our state in any capacity for life.
- eliminate the tie-in to SAT test scores
- add funds to the program bringing the total appropriation from $233 million current year to about $422 million and transfer the program from outside the FEFP into inside the FEFP for calculation purposes (has the impact of raising the total potential by about $100/FTE);
- would apply only to "highly effective" teachers...keeps the same definition of "teacher" limited to regular classroom teacher and does not apply to other instructional personnel as defined in law;
- requires the school grade where the teacher works must have risen by at least .1% from the prior year in terms of points;
- remains a bonus program, not subject to retirement calculation, and increases the value of the bonus to upwards of $9,000 for each year awarded; principals would receive $6,500;
- provides a threshold increase from 1% to 9.8% for the number of scholarships to be awarded to African-American teachers;
- provides loan forgiveness or tuition waivers for teachers provided they commit to teaching at least five years;
- provides $10 million for teacher recruitment focusing on high needs areas;
- separately provides a "bad actor" list of failed charter schools to prevent them from operating elsewhere in Florida.
Of interest to secondary and postsecondary schools and institutions was this morning's House Higher Education and Workforce Committee hearing by state Dept/Economic Opportunity, CareerSource, FCAN and Florida Chamber representatives on Florida's current and future career/job market and talent needs. I would highly recommend appropriate staff and interested individuals take time to watch the vodcast of the meeting and download the back-up material which contains much relevant data at a state level, found here. It reinforces the trend showing a majority of growing occupations do not require a four-year traditional college degree, but do require specialized training. Fastest growing field is allied health.
Both the House (today) and Senate (yesterday) heard an identical presentation by Governor DeSantis' budget director, Cynthia Kelly, on education funding for public schools. The House packet is linked here. Of note was discussion on the Required Local Effort (RLE) on the House side. Freshman Susan Valdez (Hillsborough) questioned by the continuation in not using full taxroll value. Kelly responded the policy is the same as last year with allowing new growth, but reducing the millage to remove any increase in current homeownership (or commercial) property reassessments, hence the .157 mill reduction. Chair Chris Latvala reiterated that would be the House position going into the budget season.
Also of note in House Prek-12 Quality Education subcommittee, HJR229, was approved 14-0. This is the joint resolution, requiring a 60% vote from both the House and Senate, to place on the 2020 general ballot the question of whether to impose an 8-year term limit on school board members, effective as of that date. Members of the democratic caucus in committee discussed making that a 12-year limit (implying to change legislative limits also from 8 to 12 years, possibly), but no action was taken. The measure goes next to the Oversight, Transparency and Public Management subcommittee. Its Senate version, SB274, has not been heard yet.
District financial and budget staff (and any state revenue-o-philes) need to mark March 14th. That will be THE state General Revenue Estimating Conference when economists from the House, Senate and governor's office will meet to issue their last FY20 and beyond forecast for this year's legislative session. Historically, the last March/April conference has found some increase in non-recurring dollars and perhaps a slight bump in recurring funds. This year could continue that trend or be different. The conference will convene about 9am and the final report issued later that afternoon.
Over the weekend, we will provide updated bill tracking information. Filing is in full gear at this point.
---
Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Reform to Best and Brightest Teachers Program
Tampa, Fla. - Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced bold steps to reform the Best and Brightest Teachers program with a renewed investment to recruit and retain the best, most dedicated educators for Florida schools. This includes more than $422 million for compensation increases to the most effective teachers and principals in our public schools throughout Florida.
"I'm proud to announce these steps we are taking to ensure our state recruits and retains the very best educators for Florida schools," said Governor DeSantis. "This renewed investment will reward highly effective teachers and principals across our state who are making a positive impact in our students lives. We are also proposing a new recruitment program to bolster the educational ranks of our schools and ensure our students are receiving the best education possible."
Under this new program, nearly 45,000 highly effective teachers would be eligible for bonuses exceeding $9,000. It would also include bonuses of up to $6,500 for principals at schools throughout Florida to reward those who are creating classroom environments to help students thrive. In addition, the new program would remove the SAT/ACT requirements for teachers to be eligible for a bonus.
Also, the new plan would implement an innovative, first of its kind investment in teacher recruitment by establishing the Teacher Talent Pipeline in Florida. This new program would include $10 million per year for the next five years to launch a loan and tuition forgiveness program for as many as 1,700 new teachers per year who commit to working as a teacher in Florida for five years.
The DeSantis Administration will also work in conjunction with the Florida Legislature to develop a Bad Actor List to prevent school operators who have been sanctioned or shut down by the state from working with Florida schools in the future. These individuals would be banned from engaging with schools in our state in any capacity for life.