Broward Schools & Property Tax Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–July 23

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Polling Favors ‘Super’ Tax Exemption

TALLAHASSEE – The majority of Florida voters supports a plan to super-size the homestead exemption – even though they don’t know much about it.

 

More local children in jeopardy if Bush vetoes S-CHIP health bill

By threatening to veto crucial child-health legislation, President Bush is playing politics with kids’ lives. Among those lives: More than 9,000 Volusia and Flagler county children who could lose coverage if the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) isn’t reauthorized.

 

County at crossroads with tunnel

Miami-Dade commissioners are being asked Tuesday to ratify the county’s share of a $1 billion tunnel proposal that would create direct highway access to the Port of Miami under Government Cut.

 

Young Florida voters show apathetic streak

Turnout of young Florida voters was among the worst in the nation last year – bucking a national trend that shows that 18- to 29-year-olds are taking an increased interest in voting, a recent study shows.

 

P.E. mandate no sweat for Pasco schools

With classes and recesses, most schools will make only minor changes for a new state rule.

LAND O’LAKES – Florida got loads of national attention this summer for its decision to force elementary schoolers onto the playground for more physical activity.

 

Time to do something for students

If there is anything certain in the Information Age economy, it is that a college degree often is the best ticket to a comfortable middle-class life. But the cost of a four-year undergraduate education continues to rise, and federal financial aid programs have not kept up.

 

Bloggers take aim at city governments — and hit home

Some websites are watchdogs, others are just scurrilous, but their influence on the cities they cover is growing.  “Grandpa Terrace” didn’t mince words. He wanted the mayor of Grand Terrace, a small city wedged between two scenic mountain ridges in San Bernardino County, run out of office.

 

Reading Gap Between Boys, Girls Called ‘A Serious Crisis’

TAMPA – The throngs of boys lined up for Saturday’s release of the latest ‘Harry Potter’ book may have been encouraging, but their enthusiasm for the final book in the series masks what some educators say is a crisis.

 

Governors tackle online predators

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Vigilant parents and well-educated children remain the first line of defense against online predators, even as social networking sites toughen standards and police crack down, experts told a panel of governors Sunday.

 

Florida’s students are opting more and more for the convenience of online courses

At last count, about 13,000 students at state universities across Florida were seeking degrees but rarely — if ever — stepping foot on campus.

 

Few kids opting out of lagging schools

Thousands of Central Florida students can switch schools this year, thanks to state and federal laws that allow transfers from struggling campuses.

 

Intel signs up vendors for Classmate PC in India

The Classmate PC will be sold only to schools and not through retail channels to consumers.

Intel Corp. has tied with three large Indian PC vendors to assemble the Classmate PC, a PC specially designed for schools. The three vendors — HCL Infosystems Ltd., Wipro Ltd., and Zenith Computers Ltd. — will start shipping the product to Indian schools next month.