Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorApril 16, 2015

Florida has successfully operated tax credit education scholarships for 13 years. More than 70,000 underprivileged students throughout Florida currently benefit from these scholarships, which provide important school choice options. These students, whose household incomes are only 5 percent above the poverty level, two-thirds of whom are black or Hispanic, and the majority of whom live […]

Ryan RayMarch 30, 2015

The Florida Association of School Administrators — a major plaintiff and arguably the least overtly political — has pulled out of a lawsuit challenging the legality of Florida’s corporate tax credit scholarship program. “Following a full review of priorities, the Board made the decision to focus resources on FASA’s main objective – to ensure that […]

James CallMarch 10, 2015

The House Education Committee spent about an hour Monday discussing and approving an overhaul of Florida’s testing-focused school accountability program. The measure was approved on a unanimous vote. Read a staff analysis here. Chairwoman Marlene O’Toole said this past week she wanted to get the measure to the floor as quickly as possible, and Monday […]

James CallFebruary 24, 2015

Five minutes with Andy Ford, where the FEA Chief suggests respect could go a long way to getting teachers and lawmakers on the same page: Q: The FEA has been challenging in court for at least the past 15 years education policy decisions made by the Legislature. What would a truce to the legal wrangling […]

Bob SparksFebruary 20, 2015

Bill Clinton is known to use the term “dead-bang loser” to deride the policies or actions of political opponents. One of his more recent targets was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for the latter’s epic fights with the state teachers’ union. Clinton described Walker’s success in those fights as a dead-bang loser for Wisconsin. With Walker’s […]

Bob SparksFebruary 20, 2015

Bill Clinton is known to use the term “dead-bang loser” to deride the policies or actions of political opponents. One of his more recent targets was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for the latter’s epic fights with the state teachers’ union. Clinton described Walker’s success in those fights as a dead-bang loser for Wisconsin. With Walker’s […]

Bob SparksFebruary 19, 2015

Bill Clinton is known to use the term “dead bang loser” to deride the policies or actions of political opponents. One of his more recent targets was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for the latter’s epic fights with the state teachers’ union. Clinton described Walker’s success in those fights as a dead bang loser for Wisconsin. […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 18, 2015

A recent commentary published in Context Florida written by William Mattox, a fellow with the right-wing think tank James Madison Institute, provides a glimpse of the strategy pro-voucher forces use to build support for their program. It begins with an anecdote of a student who says he was ill served in “government schools” – a […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 6, 2015

Several days before the White House announced the U.S. would be normalizing relations with Cuba, a high school sophomore from Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood gave a speech that wowed a bipartisan group of state legislators and education advocates at a conference sponsored by the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO). In his speech, […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 3, 2015

Several days before the White House announced the U.S. would be normalizing relations with Cuba, a high school sophomore from Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood gave a speech that wowed a bipartisan group of state legislators and education advocates at a conference sponsored by the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO). In his speech, […]

Tag: Florida Education Association
Donald Trump. Image via AP.

John Legg: Don't let vulnerable kids get mired in politics of education

Key plaintiff pulls out of charter schools lawsuit

House Education panel talks school accountability reform

Five minutes with Florida Education Association chief Andy Ford

Bob Sparks: Tax credit scholarship lawsuit a “dead-bang loser”

Bob Sparks: Tax credit scholarship lawsuit a "dead-bang loser"

Bob Sparks: Tax credit scholarship lawsuit a ‘dead bang loser’

Joanne McCall: Pro-voucher strategy evades accountability

William Mattox: Embattled school in Little Havana fears déjà vu all over again

William Mattox: Protect progress in any language