Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–February 11
Feb 11, 2010
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Florida counties among group challenging impact fees
Lee, Collier, seven other counties and three government associations filed suit to overturn new restrictions on local impact fees Wednesday, saying the Legislature unconstitutionally forced them to prove their fees are accurate.
16 schools cited by state for class sizes
Sixteen schools – one of them Buchholz High School in Gainesville – have been cited for failing to comply with Florida’s class size limits.
Blog: Fund Education Now: Fight to stop the blood bath
Fund Education Now, the Orlando-based group that advocates for fair and more funding for public schools, sent out a message today with an update from members’ meetings in Tallahassee four days ago.
Editorial: ‘Right size’ deceit
Attempt to amend Florida voters’ 2002 class-size mandate
Here’s the definition of disingenuous: “Not straightforward; not candid or frank; insincere.”
Four in 10 South Florida mortgage holders ‘underwater’
Underwater homes: 40 percent of South Florida mortgage holders ‘underwater’
Roughly four in 10 single-family homeowners with a mortgage in South Florida owe more than the property is worth, Zillow.com said Wednesday.
Legislature to consider dramatic expansion of vouchers
Under a comprehensive bill filed Wednesday – and with fair odds of getting bipartisan support – Florida lawmakers are poised to consider a dramatic expansion of the state’s voucher program for low-income students, including upping the voucher’s value.
State legislators are taking aim at FCAT
While students are sharpening their pencils for the beginning of FCAT testing this week, legislators are preparing to rewrite the use of the high-stakes test.
House proposes bill to up graduation requirements, phase in end-of-course tests
The House Pre-K-12 committee released a proposed bill to up high school graduation standards and roll out a series of end-of-course exams.
Florida kids see big leap on Advanced Placement exams
Students rank fifth nationwide in taking, passing Advanced Placement tests
More Florida high school students than ever are taking Advanced Placement classes and doing well on the exams, putting the state at the top of the national pack when it comes to preparing students for the rigors of college, according to a national report released this morning.
Lee County school board hires firm to study bus routes
Lee County public schools’ bus rides could soon become shorter and cheaper.
Grading system, test exemption policy to be reviewed by Broward school board
Broward schools officials said Tuesday they would tackle a sometimes foggy and always sensitive topic: grading.
Blog: States need meaningful teacher evaluations, better tenure policies, report says
Florida dismisses very few of its experienced teachers 0.4 percent compared to a national dismissal rate of 1.4 percent because it has a pretty meaningless evaluation system and an almost automatic tenure system, according to a new report released today.
Hillsborough teacher evaluation begins with hiring
The Hillsborough County school district will take applications starting today for as many as 116 state-certified teachers to mentor new district instructors and evaluate colleagues.
Florida Education Commissioner: Florida is serious about winning Race to the Top
Re the Feb. 5 letter State attached too many strings, about Florida’s efforts to win the federal Race to the Top competition: Race to the Top is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for states and school districts to build on past successes and dramatically improve the quality of education that they provide to their students.
Florida House panel passes unemployment tax fix
A bill holding down increases in unemployment tax rates for businesses sailed through a House panel Tuesday, setting the stage for early action on what lawmakers say is a job-saving measure when the legislative session begins in March.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Arduin Back as New Senate Budget Advisor
The state Senate’s newest office is going to be staffed by a familiar name from the recent past.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to sgray@cftlaw.com.