Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Erin ClarkMarch 3, 2017

As Florida legislators consider ways to get more high-achieving charter schools into the state, school districts have another concern: getting more teachers into the state. The national teacher shortage is hitting Florida hard. Hillsborough County alone could use another 500 teachers. Advocacy group Teachers of Tomorrow identifies Florida as one of the top five states […]

Erin ClarkFebruary 15, 2017

Florida’s new open enrollment policies are still leaving students behind. Florida has one of the most robust school choice programs nationwide, with 45 percent of pre-K-12 students in the state having exercised some type of choice option in the 2015-16 school year. A new law seems poised to amplify that even more. HB 7029, signed […]

Scott PowersJanuary 25, 2017

Asked to prepare for 10 percent budget cuts, Florida’s state university and college leaders pledged to try to avoid affecting students but told the House Subcommittee on Higher Education Appropriations Friday the impacts would still be profound. “The target reductions are set at 10 percent for each entity,” Subcommittee Chairman Larry Ahern said after spelling […]

Staff ReportsJanuary 6, 2017

Acknowledging law officers killed in the line of duty as well as the officers, firefighters, and EMTs who helped Florida through tragedies like the Pulse nightclub shootings, Gov. Rick Scott has proclaimed First Responder Appreciation Week, beginning on Monday. “The bravery displayed by Florida’s first responders in 2016 was inspiring,” Scott said Friday in a […]

Staff ReportsMay 23, 2016

The Florida Ports Council named Niki McKinnell as vice president of public affairs. McKinnell replaces Jennifer Krell Davis who has accepted a position as deputy director of the Office of Public Information at The Florida Bar. McKinnell brings more than a decade of communications and public affairs experience to the Florida Ports Council. She comes […]

Associated PressApril 18, 2016

New bonus payments aimed at attracting and keeping good teachers in Florida have gone disproportionately to those who work with students from affluent families, an analysis by a Florida newspaper has found. Teachers who received bonuses under the $44 million “best and brightest” teacher scholarship program started last year were more than twice as likely […]

Frank TorresSeptember 9, 2015

In spite of a tough upbringing in a poor family, education helped Gov. Rick Scott get ahead, he told state leaders Wednesday morning at an Orlando education summit hosted by Education Commissioner Pam Stewart. The governor next reviewed his educational platform for the audience at the Omni Orlando Resort, connecting it to Florida’s job growth. “If we […]

Jac VerSteegAugust 16, 2015

You always hear that charter schools can innovate because they are freed from some of the stupid bureaucratic rules that plague traditional public schools. A couple of charter schools in Broward County are taking advantage of a “rule break” that truly appears “innovative.” They don’t have to pay their bills. That’s right, according to reporter […]

Phil AmmannJuly 9, 2015

First lady Ann Scott read aloud to a group of summer camp students this week for the second stop of Florida’s 2015 Summer Literacy Adventure. Surrounded by sparkling waters and native wildlife of Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Scott recited John Lithgow’s I’m a Manatee to a group of students from area summer […]

Jac VerSteegApril 15, 2015

The Florida Legislature has passed, and Gov. Rick Scott has signed, an education reform bill that is dishonest – and politically cowardly – at its core. The measure tries to appease parents and others sick of over-testing. It scales back the number of tests. That’s fine. It also reduces the weight given to tests when […]

Tag: Florida Department of Education
Image via AP.

Florida needs teachers, but high schoolers aren’t interested

Hurdles to school choice remain despite Florida’s open enrollment law

Universities, colleges paint depressing picture of dealing with 10 percent cuts

Rick Scott proclaims First Responder Appreciation Week in Florida

Personnel note: Florida Ports Council names Niki McKinnell as Public Affairs VP

Florida’s top teachers found at affluent schools

Rick Scott talks education at DOE summit in Orlando

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Make charter schools pay the money they owe

Ann Scott reads about manatees, wildlife to kids for Summer Literacy Adventure

Jac VerSteeg: Fewer tests in school-grade formula is like less spit in milk