Pasco teachers union: The Florida Legislature is against us
A day after Pasco school district leaders released a list of budget cutting possibilities , the United School Employees of Pasco put out an urgent alert to its members. The message: Tell Florida lawmakers to stop putting the screws to public education: "… Funding for our schools is in Read More
Read More >>Less for education, Florida Senate style
By Beach Blogger at 17 March, 2010, 12:18 pm
Days after the Florida House put out its pre-K-12 education budget language, the Florida Senate has followed suit. While the two sides share some key provisions — particularly in allowing school districts to use textbook funds for software purchases and in moving the counting of class size Read More
Read More >>Pinellas School Board race narrows — again
A second candidate has dropped out of the race for the Pinellas School Board at-large District 2 seat. Jessica Summers of Largo notified the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections office last week that she won't be running after all. The SOE's Web site now lists her campaign as Read More
Read More >>Florida education news: school spending, student testing, voucher expansion and more
MORE RESOURCES: Pinellas School Board members say they want to focus more time, money and people on the district's troubled middle schools. BLEAK BUDGET: Pasco school officials begin looking for ways to cut about $50 million in spending. • The Orange School Board considers similar ideas , Read More
Read More >>Pinellas school board: Tough schools need more resources, bodies
Chronically disruptive students aren't the only problems that John Hopkins Middle and other struggling schools have. And several board members said today that despite tight budgets, they need to find ways to channel more resources to them. "We need to look at the staffing model we have Read More
Read More >>Senate budget proposal includes Bright Futures overhaul
By Beach Blogger at 16 March, 2010, 9:47 am
The Senate's higher education proposal for the coming year is some $373 million more than what the House budget committee unveiled last week, but the most notable part of the Senate proposal is the suggested overhaul for Bright Futures, the popular merit scholarship program that — Read More
Read More >>Good luck, kids
By Beach Blogger at 16 March, 2010, 9:42 am
Overheard at the Pasco County School Board meeting: "I wore my black suit today. I'm in mourning for the children of the state of Florida. The Legislature is in session." — School Board member Frank Parker , a frequent critic of lawmakers' education funding practices, on Read More
Read More >>Pasco schools officials seek fair share of career education fund
By Beach Blogger at 16 March, 2010, 9:06 am
"We're not getting enough," Pasco County School Board member Kathryn Starkey said of state funds for career and technical education. She pointed to a recently released OPPAGA report that detailed how some school districts got more than three times the amount that state formulas Read More
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