“The Foundation for Florida’s Future remains concerned about the Senate’s education package, which passed on the Senate floor today. While we support opportunities for removal of unnecessary regulation, we are concerned that many components of the package are long-standing union priorities that move away from transparency, accountability, high standards and choice.
“We have worked closely with the Senate and with Chairman Corey Simon to address the concerns we have specifically in SB 7004. While some progress has been made regarding third-grade literacy, we are still far apart on the importance of maintaining high school exit exams as criteria for graduation.
“Florida’s public education system must remain committed to the promise of a quality education, with no shortcuts to success or awarding of “participation trophies.” The high school diploma’s value is only as good as our willingness to measure students against strong standards. Watering down diploma requirements does not show Florida’s leadership; it rather follows in the footsteps of states like New Jersey and Oregon that are weakening their education systems.
“We remain additionally concerned about components of SB 7002, which would repeal the safeguards in place to ensure charter schools get access to the federal funds they’re due.
“As this legislation moves to the House, we will continue to have conversations about the importance of maintaining funding parity for charter schools and Florida’s longstanding commitment to high standards and robust accountability.”
SB 7000, sponsored by Sen. Alexis Calatayud, contains provisions related to personnel. Among these provisions, the bill expands access to Florida’s teacher apprenticeship program by allowing individuals with a high school degree and enrolled in a postsecondary program to become a teacher apprentice, so long as they achieve and maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher. The language additionally reduces the requirement for a mentor teacher to participate, from needing seven years of experience to five years of experience. The bill also ensures that a collective bargaining agreement cannot preclude a school board from carrying out certain duties and practices. Both of these provisions are FFF priorities.
SB 7002, sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson, contains provisions related to facilities and finance. Among these provisions, the bill harms charter schools that serve low-income students by eliminating the cap on the amount of funds a school district can withhold from a charter school for services provided under Title I. It adds an additional 5% that a school district can withhold from charter schools. The bill also removes the requirement that school districts provide surplus property to charter schools.
SB 7004, sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, contains provisions related to assessments, accountability and choice. Among these provisions, the bill waters down the strong third-grade promotion gate that has been a core part of Florida’s comprehensive early literacy policies for two decades. The bill also removes the requirement that a student pass the 10th-grade English Language Arts and Algebra I end-of-course assessments to receive a standard high school diploma.
