Florida Legislative Highlights | Week of March 24-28, 2025

Education Budgets Unveiled

This week both the House PreK-12 Education Budget and Senate PK-12 Appropriations Committees released and voted on Chairwoman Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Chairman Danny Burgess’ budget recommendations. 

Both budgets anticipate an additional 60,750 students for a total of more than 3.1 million students statewide, including scholarship students.  

• Both proposals increase the total funds per student. The Senate would increase per-pupil funds by $135.26 up to $9,122.93, and the House would increase funds by $62 up to $9,050. 
• Both proposals reduce the computer science bonus allocation—the House by $5 million down to $5 million total, the Senate by $3 million down to $7 million nonrecurring. 
• The House proposal would fund several Foundation budget priorities including $6 million for Schools of Hope charter schools program, $500,000 for the Florida Diagnostic Learning Resources System (FDLRS) centers to support the development of Individualized Education Plans for students who participate in the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, and $2 million for regional math directors and coaches. 
• The House budget would reduce New Worlds Scholarship Accounts by $4 million for a total of $20 million, while the Senate has proposed elimination of the program. 
• Both proposals provide for a $50 million reduction in the School Recognition Program from $200 million to $150 million. 
• The House also would reduce by 50% all add-on weights for student participation and performance in advanced and accelerated coursework. The reductions align the weights to actual program costs. 

Full budget recommendations and details will be released later today. Look for a more detailed budget breakdown next week. 

Foundation’s Education Priorities Advance

Committees advanced several Foundation for Florida’s Future education priorities, including: 

• HB1309, sponsored by Rep. John Snyder, passed the House Budget Committee unanimously. The bill would improve literacy by; 
• Expanding interventions, supports and instructional methods developed by the Florida Center for Reading and Research for grades 4-12, including career and technical education centers; 
• Strengthening district reading plans by adding requirements for districts to include evidence-based reading interventions for students who have reading deficiencies, determine how they will assign high-quality teachers to K-2 and deploy reading coaches subject to Department of Education approval. 
• HB 875, sponsored by Rep. Alex Rizo, passed the House Careers and Workforce Committee. The bill would establish a new framework for approving teacher preparation programs, grounding the requirements in evidence-based reading practices, a unified statewide program to provide alternative pathways into the classroom, and the Florida Institute for Teaching Excellence at Miami-Dade College. 
• HB 1387, sponsored by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, passed the House Government Operations Committee. The bill makes changes to collective bargaining, including requiring a quorum of union members to participate in a certification election, restricting release-time allowances, and restricting the ability of public employers from certain activities during a campaign leading up to a certification election. 
• HB 1367, sponsored by Rep. Erika Booth, passed the House PK-12 Budget Subcommittee. The bill would establish a statewide definition and uniform standards for absenteeism and add requirements for districts to play a more active role in reducing student absenteeism. 
• HB 1267, sponsored by Rep. Demi Busatta, passed the House Education Administration Subcommittee. The bill would expand the Schools of Hope charter school program by expanding the definition of a “persistently low-performing school;” requiring the Department of Education to create a standard mutual management agreement; and making it easier for Hope operators to access vacant, underutilized and surplus public-school facilities, including co-location.  
• HB 1145, sponsored by Rep. Jason Shoaf, passed the House Education and Employment Committee. The bill would allow charter schools to participate in the Workforce Capitalization Incentive Grant program and expand the Money-back Guarantee Program, requiring Florida College System Institutions and participating school districts to identify six programs of study that would be considered money-back guarantees if an individual graduates and cannot find a job in their program of study at a certain wage within six months of graduation. 

Both Chambers Propose Changes to Scholarship Program Operations

The Florida House and Senate advanced different versions of legislation that both make significant changes to the operation of the nation’s largest scholarship programs. 

Both take differing approaches to funding. The Senate version would place scholarship funding outside of the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) into its own budget line and establish a new monthly payment cycle. The House version would establish a “cap” on scholarships based on scholarship forecasts by the education estimating conference as well as a district-level cap based allocated state funds.  

Both bills also would establish new application deadlines and new requirements for the release of applications and funds that will make it more difficult for families to effectively interact with the programs.  

Finally, the Senate version would keep in place the enrollment stabilization fund, which is designed to accommodate enrollment volatility throughout the school year, while the House version would eliminate the fund.