Session Week 2: Educational Choices Take Center Stage!
What a week! It began with an exciting day at the Capitol, as more than 11,000 students, parents, educators and advocates gathered for the Rally in Tally. This high-profile event, organized by Florida Voices for Choices and its partners, drew a huge, passionate crowd in support of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Martin Luther King, III was among those who addressed the crowd, all there in support of education options for Florida families. –<href=”#sthash.eqhpkpei.dpuf”>Read more on the rally’s impact via redefinED.</href=”#sthash.eqhpkpei.dpuf”>
This week’s education bill news:
Public School Choice Bills on the Move
On Wednesday, both the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee and the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee passed bills that would allow universal public school choice for Florida families. House Bill 669, sponsored by Representative Chris Sprowls, and Senate Bill 886, sponsored by Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, will empower parents with the ability to choose the best educational path for their child by allowing them to choose any public school in the state, as long as it has space available. These parents said it best:
Hear their public school choice testimony via the video below:
Competency-based Education Bill Passes its first Stop
The Florida Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee also passed Senate Bill 1714, sponsored by Senator Jeff Brandes, which would support pilot programs in selected Florida schools for the implementation of a new education model better designed to meet the individual needs of students. These competency-based education pilot programs would include public schools in Lake and Pinellas Counties and the P.K Yonge Developmental Research School at University of Florida.
In this new model, students advance to higher levels of learning when they demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills regardless of time, place or pace. The work that Pinellas and Lake County school districts are doing is transformational – more on this policy, including comments from both school districts here!
Florida Signs Nation’s First Educational Choice Bill of 2016 into Law
On Thursday, Senate Bill 672 was signed into law by Florida Governor Rick Scott. It expands educational opportunities for students with disabilities through the state’s Gardiner Scholarship Program, formerly known as Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts. Thanks to this legislation signed by Governor Rick Scott, parents can transition from advocates to activists, empowered with the freedom and resources to create pathways for their children’s success. We thank Governor Scott, President Gardiner, Speaker Steve Crisafulli, Senator Don Gaetz, and Representative Erik Fresen for their support of this important legislation.
Course Access and High-impact Charter Network Bill Passes Stop #2
On Thursday, House Bill 7029, sponsored by Representative Cortes, passed from the House Education Committee. It removes arbitrary limits on course access, and it will help create an efficient pathway for out-of-state charter schools with a track record of success to come in and support high-need areas. This policy continues Florida’s path of increasing educational choices for students.
What’s next?
Next week is Literacy Week in Florida! Learn more about efforts to place a command focus on reading. We also expect to hear more about “Pay for Success” via Senate Bill 1200. Exciting stuff! Get involved and learn more by visiting aFloridaPromise.org.
