FSCA Legislative News

school safety

2009-07-10T09:36:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, July 8, the House Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities will hold a joint hearing to examine strategies for improving school safety, including ways to prevent violence, bullying and harassment. Recent studies show students are more likely to succeed academically and graduate when learning environments are free from harassment and violence.

http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/07/strengthening-school-safety-th.shtml

More federal stimulus funding on the way to Florida schools

2009-07-04T00:26:00.001-04:00

Source: The Gradebook | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times and tbt* by Jeff Solochek

Acknowledging growing budget pressures that states face, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced the release of an added $2.7 billion in stimulus funds for states to spend on schools around the country. Florida's share: $162,179,566. (Want to know what each state will get? See the DOE's distribution spreadsheet.) "This money, which represents the final third of the government services fund, provides maximum flexibility for states to save jobs and drive reform," Duncan said in a news release. Back in May, Florida received $1.8 billion in federal funds for education after a lengthy debate over whether the state qualified for a waiver to get the money. School districts already have begun spending the money, in many cases protecting jobs that otherwise would have been eliminated.

Gaetz Takes Senate Office to Shalimar Neighborhood

2009-07-03T13:13:00.001-04:00

For Immediate Release: July 2, 2009

Gaetz takes Senate office

to Shalimar neighborhood

Over 150 new or revised state laws went into effect July 1. The changes affect everything from how your child is disciplined in school to who can receive payment for your visits to the doctor to protecting jobs on the state's 21 military bases. Not to mention property insurance, fee increases and limits on property taxes.

Residents of Poquito Bayou and Shalimar can have a cup of coffee with their senator and share their views about these and other state issues next Wednesday, July 8.

From early morning until well into the evening, Senator Don Gaetz will meet with citizens one-on-one, listen to the concerns of business and civic groups, and walk door-to-door during his "Shalimar-Poquito Neighborhood Day."

Since his election to the Senate in 2006, Gaetz regularly takes his Senate office to neighborhoods throughout Northwest Florida to hear citizens' ideas and suggestions and discuss their problems face-to-face.

"Very few people have the time or opportunity to travel to Tallahassee to express themselves about state issues," Gaetz (R-Niceville) said. "Neighborhood Day is a chance for me to spend a whole day in a neighborhood and listen to small business owners, moms and dads, veterans, teachers, and taxpayers who live and work there. There's no government office, no need to make an appointment, it's all very informal."

Gaetz said he will offer coffee, iced tea and an invitation to meet individually with anyone who lives or works in the neighborhood.

"Neighborhood Day" kicks-off at 7:00 a.m. with Senator Gaetz live on News Talk 1260 AM WFTW with host Ken Walsh. Citizens can call 664-1260 and speak with the senator on the air.

At 8:00 a.m., Senator Gaetz will discuss the results of the 2009 legislative session with members of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, located at 34 Miracle Strip Parkway.

Beginning at 9:00 a.m., at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Gaetz will meet one-on-one with anyone who would like to talk with him about problems with state agencies or offer opinions about energy, education, insurance, taxes or other concerns. If individuals want to meet with the senator at a specific time that day, call toll free 1-866-450-4DON. No appointment is necessary, however. People can simply stop by the church, located at 1 Meigs Drive in Shalimar, until 11:00 a.m. and, in the afternoon, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Everyone who comes by will have an opportunity to visit with Gaetz.

At lunch, Gaetz will speak to the Republican Women of Okaloosa Federated, at Two Trees Restaurant located at 1955 Lewis Turner Blvd., Fort Walton Beach.

Following his afternoon office hours, Senator Gaetz will visit with residents of the Air Force Enlisted Village located at 92 Sunset Lane in Shalimar.

Late in the afternoon and evening, Gaetz will walk door-to-door in the neighborhood to meet with residents on their turf. "I enjoy talking with folks on their own doorsteps," Gaetz said. The senator has knocked on over 25,000 doors in Northwest Florida.

Elected in 2006, Gaetz is in his first four year term representing Bay, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. He is chairman of three Senate committees: the Select Committee on Florida's Economy, Health Care Committee, and the Policy and Steering Committee on Business and Industry with jurisdiction over commerce, transportation, regulated industries and banking and insurance. Aside from his chairmanships, Gaetz is also a member of the rules, health appropriations, and education committees.

Prior to his service in the Senate, Gaetz was the elected Superintendent of Schools in Okaloosa County, served on the Okaloosa School Board and was the first town chairman of Seaside, Florida.

Don and his wife, Vicky, live in Niceville. They have two adult children – Matthew, an attorney in Fort Walton Beach, and Erin, a sports and entertainment editor in New York City.

For more information on "Neighborhood Day" or to make an appointment to meet with Senator Gaetz at a particular time, contact Meghan Rice, Legislative Aide to Senator Gaetz toll-free at 1-866-450-4DON or rice.meghan.s04@flsenate.gov . To read about legislation Senator Gaetz has sponsored and supported, please go to www.flsenate.gov and click on his member page.

For more information about this or any other issue, please contact Senator Don Gaetz, by e-mail at gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov, by letter, 217 Miracle Strip Parkway, SE, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548 or call 1-866-450-4DON toll free from anywhere in Florida.

To subscribe/ unsubscribe, please visit www.senatordongaetzreports.com

MAJOR EDUCATION DECISIONS ISSUED BY U.S. SUPREME COURT

2009-07-01T22:14:00.001-04:00

MAJOR EDUCATION DECISIONS ISSUED BY U.S. SUPREME COURT

The Supremes had a big week, handing down three very important education-related decisions. Policy workers and district decision-makers will want to understand these rulings, but that's going to take some work since clear standards for enforcement were not included in the rulings. More lawsuits will inevitably follow as schools try to work out exactly what they're supposed to do.

Forest Grove School Dist. v. T. A.

In this historic 6-3 ruling, the Court held that school districts could be sued and held liable for the costs of private school tuition even when not informed of a parents' decision to transfer their child to a private school, and even when the parents had previously agreed with the district's determination that the child was ineligible for special education services under IDEA.

Court decision: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08pdf/08-305.pdf)

An amicus brief was submitted by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDE). Although its arguments were not upheld by the Court, the brief describes critical issues and consequences that may assist in complying with the ruling.

Brief: http://www.nsba.org/MainMenu/SchoolLaw/AmicusBriefs/Forest-Grove-v-TA.aspx

Safford Unified Sch. Dist. #1 v. Redding

The Court ruled 8-1 that a strip search of a 13-year-old girl that yielded two ibuprofen tablets violated her Fourth Amendment rights, but also found that the school administrators who authorized the search could not be held personally liable in this particular case.

Court decision: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08pdf/08-479.pdf

Horne v. Flores

In a complicated 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that factual and legal changes (such as No Child Left Behind interventions and district-level programming changes) that have occurred after a Court order concerning a state's funding plan for English Language Learners (ELL) entitle the state to argue for relief from order. The case involves nuanced arguments concerning federalism, states' rights, diversity, and individual civil rights. The Court was sharply split in this case, and Justice Breyer took the uncommon step of reading his detailed and vigorous dissent aloud.

Court decision: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08pdf/08-289.pdf

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STAFF CHANGES AT FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Some of the top folks at the Florida Department of Education have left recently, including:

·Cornelia Orr, the FDOE Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Assessment, to accept a position as the new executive director for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which is responsible for setting NAEP policies and standards.

·Pam Stewart, the FDOE Deputy Chancellor for Educator Quality, to accept a position as assistant superintendent of curriculum and learning in the School District of St. Johns County.

·Iris Wilson, the FDOE Deputy Chancellor for Student Achievement

·Yeteva Hightower, the FDOE Chief of the Bureau of Personnel Management

St. Petersburg Times http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/05/florida-department-of-education-to-lose-another-top-official.html

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NERDS REJOICE

Two new online resources bring the awesomeness right to your desktop. You've really got to give these a try. They are potentially game-changing tools for those of you with a real interest in truly competitive grantseeking, program evaluation, needs assessment, bargaining, and demographic analysis and forecasting. Many of you are already familiar with the extraordinary data tools that have long been available from NCES, and so I'm making sure you are aware of two more very special tools for those very special toolboxes.

WOLFRAM ALPHA is a brand-new search engine/calculator/aggregator service that allows you to make natural language requests and get beautiful, documented results. I can't stop playing with it. To see what it can do, look at the galleries and examples online. For a quick check, try entering something like "unemployment rate lee county" and you'll get a glimpse of what's possible. (Also: The possibilities for improving the educational usefulness of homework may be considerably increased by this service.)

http://www.wolframalpha.com/ (Corrected link)

DATA.GOV is a new federal clearinghouse site for all kinds of crunchable data. There is so much here that it's dizzying, but you'll soon get the hang of it. The nice thing about this new site is that you can download raw data files for your own analysis in Excel or SPSS or you can use their online widgets and data extraction tools to get to exactly what you want.

http://www.data.gov

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EDUCATION JARGON GENERATOR

Andy Allan, a science teacher at El Diamante High School in Visalia, California, maintains a personal Web site at http://www.sciencegeek.net as a private endeavor. He has created what he calls an online "educational jargon generator" that randomly strings together some of the awful educationese we sometimes speak to each other. (Example: "enhance mission-critical synergies.") It's a tongue-in-cheek jab, of course, at how educators sometimes mangle the English language, especially in committee-written documents such as grant proposals and reports. You'll be dismayed at how many of the random phrases actually sound like something you might see in your inbox. It's all in fun, but the lesson is a good one: plain language is best.

http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

1. Total cost of required Florida teacher certification exams if taken today: $150

2. Total cost of required exams beginning September 1: $480

3. Percentage of schools failing to make AYP in Florida this year, based on Florida's FCAT test: 77%

4. Percentage of schools failing to make AYP in Wisconsin this year, based on Wisconsin's WKCE test: 5%

5. Percentage difference in average 2007 4th grade mathematics scores between these states, based on the national NAEP test: 0.8%

6. Percentage difference in average 2007 4th grade reading scores between these states, based on the national NAEP test: 0.4%

7. Percentage difference in average 2007 8th grade mathematics scores between these states, based on the national NAEP test: 3.1%

8. Percentage difference in average 2007 8th grade reading scores between these states, based on the national NAEP test: 1.5%

SOURCES

1, 2: St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/article1002519.ece

3. Florida DOE http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/pdf/0809/SchoolGrades2009_15.pdf

4. Wisconsin DOE http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpi2009_60.pdf

5, 6, 7, 8. NCES http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/statecomp/index.asp

mathematics remediation

2009-06-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

Memorandum that clarifies issues related to the implementation of section 1008.30(3), Florida Statutes, as revised in 2008 by Senate Bill 1908, regarding mathematics remediation. It provides updated information on district high school mathematics course options related to the statutory requirement that high school students be offered opportunities to remediate prior to high school graduation.

As high school counselors discuss course options with students, it is important to explain the differences between entry and exit expectations for Mathematics for College Success and Mathematics for College Readiness and to inform students of which postsecondary courses they most likely will be prepared for when they get to college. Since Mathematics for College Readiness is aligned with a college level mathematics course in The Florida College System, it should be considered college preparatory rather than remediation. It is a mathematics course option that meets high school graduation requirements. Therefore, the high school mathematics remediation option, Mathematics for College Success, should be made available to those students who do not meet the State Board of Education defined cut score of 72 on the CPT and indicate an interest.

The memorandum may be viewed at:

http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5428/sb1908HSMC.pdf

June 15, 2009 Legislative Update from ASCA

2009-06-15T11:51:00.000-04:00

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs064/1101436446206/archive/1102611171760.html

New school accountability system now in place in Florida

2009-06-11T14:03:00.000-04:00

New school accountability system now in place in Florida

School grades still matter. But for many schools, what now matters more is how they rate under a "differentiated accountability" system that Gov. Charlie Crist quietly made official when he signed HB 991 into law yesterday.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/06/new-school-accountability-system-now-in-place-in-florida-.html

2009 Legislative Review Book and Legislative Overview Chart

2009-06-10T12:08:00.000-04:00

2009 Legislative Review Book and Legislative Overview Chart

The 2009 Legislative Review Book and Legislative Overview Chart (which has links to the bill text and the bill summary) have been posted on the Governmental Relations site at http://www.fldoe.org/GR/. It is posted in a printable format so that you may print if you choose.

More than $1.8 Billion in Recovery Funds Now Available for Florida

2009-05-17T16:53:00.001-04:00

More than $1.8 Billion in Recovery Funds Now Available for Florida to Save Teaching Jobs and Drive Education Reform
Application for Part 1 of Florida's State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

FOR RELEASE:
May 12, 2009

Contact: Sandra Abrevaya
(202) 401-1576 or sandra.abrevaya@ed.gov

U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $1.8 billion is now available for Florida under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Florida will be eligible to apply for another $891 million this fall. Today's funding is being made available per Florida's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1.

"The $1.8 billion Florida will receive today is part of the single largest boost in education funding in recent history," said Duncan. "The President's leadership and support from Congress have made this historic investment possible. Florida can now utilize these funds to save jobs and lay the groundwork for a generation of education reform."

To date, Florida has received more than $599 million in education stimulus funds—representing a combination of funding for Title I, IDEA, Vocational Rehabilitation Grants and Independent Living Grants. On April 1, Florida received more than $245 million in Title I funding and $335 million in IDEA funding. This represents 50 percent of the Title I and IDEA funding Florida is eligible for in total. On April 1, Florida also received $16 million in Vocational Rehab funds and $3 million in Independent Living funds.

In order to receive today's funds, Florida provided assurances that it will collect, publish, analyze and act on basic information regarding the quality of classroom teachers, annual student improvements, college readiness, the effectiveness of state standards and assessments, progress on removing charter caps, and interventions in turning around underperforming schools.

Florida is also required by the Department of Education to report the number of jobs saved through Recovery Act funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted, and how funds are used.

See Florida's and other state applications for initial funding under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program at http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/resources.html.

to Save Teaching Jobs and Drive Education Reform
Application for Part 1 of Florida's State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

FOR RELEASE:
May 12, 2009

Contact: Sandra Abrevaya
(202) 401-1576 or sandra.abrevaya@ed.gov

Florida is also required by the Department of Education to report the number of jobs saved through Recovery Act funding, the amount of state and local tax increases averted, and how funds are used.

See Florida's and other state applications for initial funding under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program at http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/resources.html.

Governor Charlie Crist's Special Video Message

2009-05-08T15:42:00.000-04:00

May 8, 2009

Attached is a link to a video address from Governor Charlie Crist regarding the closing of the 2009 Florida legislative session.

http://www.clickcaster.com/charliecrist

Governor Charlie Crist’s Special Video Message
Regarding the Closing of Florida's 2009 Legislative Session

May 8, 2009

As the 2009 Florida legislative session comes to a close, I applaud the House and the Senate for putting together a budget that addresses the priorities of the people of Florida. I am grateful that during these challenging economic times, we have been able to avoid drastically reducing services.

I want to thank the Senate President and House Speaker for approving the use of $5.3 billion made available to us as a result of the federal stimulus package. These recovery dollars are helping us prevent deep cuts that would further burden Florida’s families and businesses.

We have also maximized dollars for education. We are able to increase per-student funding for Florida’s 2.6 million students. In addition, this summer I will begin negotiating an agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida based on the guidelines developed by the Legislature. The resulting compact can help create even more dollars for students and teachers in our schools.

I also commend the Legislature for approving the higher education reform that I proposed last November. These reforms will move Florida’s higher education system into the 21st century by helping them compete on the national level. Now our universities will have the resources they need to retain top faculty and researchers. They will also continue to provide access for low-income students and families.

In this tight budget year, we are continuing to invest in economic development and workforce training to strengthen our economy. We have been able to avoid deep cuts in services for our most vulnerable – and our children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. And we are maintaining Florida’s commitment to restore America’s Everglades and conserve public lands through Florida Forever.

Last year, voters approved the largest tax cut in Florida history by lowering property taxes by an estimated $25 billion over five years. I remain committed to reducing the tax burden on Florida’s homeowners and property owners even more. And we are lowering the tax burden of Florida’s property owners.

I applaud the Legislature for proposing Constitutional amendments that will allow the voters of Florida to choose whether to lower the annual property-tax increase on non-homesteaded properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. Voters will also choose whether to grant first-time Florida homebuyers a 25 percent property-tax exemption. And we have leveled the playing field between taxpayers and property appraisers when a property owner challenges the appraiser’s assessment.

I look forward to carefully considering the Legislature’s budget proposals during the next several weeks. I am confident that Florida’s brightest days are ahead of us. I am committed to working hard to improve the quality of life for the people of Florida.

Thank you, and God bless Florida.

Receive Regular E-mail Updates from Governor Crist

I would like to keep you informed about actions my administration is taking on a variety of issues, if you are interested. I invite you to click the link below and select the issues you want to learn more about. Feel free to select as many topics as you like.

Thank you and God bless. It is a privilege and honor to serve you as Governor.

http://www.flgov.com/issuesignupform

To receive Governor Crist's weekly newsletter, "Notes from the Capitol," please visit www.flgov.com and click on "Subscribe to Notes from the Capitol."

www.FLGov.com

Legislative Update

2009-05-04T16:27:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick take on the non-flu-related news in education policy and program development this week:

LEGISLATURE SESSION WINDS DOWN

Although last Friday was the 60th day of the legislative session, it's not yet time for sine die. Lawmakers met over the weekend and will keep working this week on a budget and the gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Essentially all other legislative work is done. A quick summary:

The current budget compromise provides for multiple changes in categorical funding vs. general funding, with very slight net per-pupil increase. The impact of this technical increase, however, is significantly diminished because it now includes essential services previously funded directly, such as transportation. To achieve the balanced budget, lawmakers took full advantage of state trust funds, federal stimulus finding, tax increases and user fee increases. The Legislature cut the salaries of all State of Florida employees earning at least $45,000 a year by 2%, except for those in higher education. For the first time ever, Bright Futures scholarships will not cover increased costs of higher education tuition, which will increase by at least 8 percent.

St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/article997883.ece

A measure to substantially raise Florida's high school graduation requirements seemed to be moving along quickly, but was stopped just short of full approval due to budget concerns. So did a measure to implement a "70% solution." However, an expansion of the state program in which corporate tax credits are exchanged for private school tuition vouchers was approved.

Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1030940.html

St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/article997747.ece

One of the major changes in school funding was a transfer of a portion of each school district's capital funds to operating funds. In some districts, this transfer is workable in the short run because Florida's frantic growth has eased off during the recession. However, in some districts, this transfer creates a potentially dangerous depletion of capital funds. The compromise workaround would allow local school boards to raise local taxes slightly to recover the lost funds, subject to a 2010 local referendum to endorse the measure.

Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1030942.html

The budget situation is still fluid, as is the gambling compact. Stay tuned for the final results this week.

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

1. Estimated FY10 cost reduction achieved by reducing Bright Futures scholarships: $34.4 million

2. Percentage of entering University of Florida freshmen with Bright Futures scholarships: 95

SOURCES

1, 2. Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1026610.html

Legislative Update

2009-04-27T13:38:00.001-04:00

Dear colleagues,

Here's a run-down of this week's news in education policy and program development.

* * * * *

FLORIDA LEGISLATURE FAILS TO REACH BUDGET AGREEMENT

The biggest news of the week, of course, is that there isn't any state budget news. Five days after the first joint conference was scheduled, no such meeting has yet taken place. The House and Senate leadership are in deadlock as the last days of the session approach. If no agreement is reached by Tuesday, then Legislative rules will prevent a budget from being passed during the regular session and special session will have to be convened. Efforts to reconcile major differences that had been scheduled over the weekend were cancelled late Friday afternoon.

Tallahassee Democrat http://floridacapitalnews.com/article/20090424/CAPITOLNEWS/904240327

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FLORIDA'S WAIVER REQUEST STILL PENDING

Florida is one of a handful of states that is currently ineligible to receive federal stimulus funding because its support for public schools has declined so much in recent years. In a disastrous budget year, both houses of the Legislature have relied heavily on these expected federal funds, but those funds cannot flow without a waiver from the U.S. Secretary of Education. However, the Florida Department of Education has not yet filed for the waiver.

The Florida Department of Education says it has completed the request package, but has "strategically waited" for further guidance. The topic was not mentioned in the Commissioner's weekly memorandum to school superintendents.

Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1013138.html

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NEW BLACKJACK DEAL OFFERED BY SEMINOLE TRIBE

In a twist on the Seminole Tribe's proposed gambling compact, a new offer would provide up-front payments of $600 million and $500 million over the next two years in exchange for exclusive rights to blackjack games. These up-front payments would be offset by minimal payments in years 3 and 4 of the 25-year compact. However, the offer did not appear to entice legislators concerned that this infusion of funds would come to an end at the same time as the federal stimulus funding ended.

Orlando Sentinel http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/04/crists-new-seminole-deal.html

Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/1015049.html

* * * * *

FLORIDA SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM MAY EXPAND

Florida currently provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits to businesses the provide vouchers for low-income students to attend private schools. HB 453 was approved by the House in a 94-23 vote this week. If approved by the Senate, this bill would expand this tax credit to insurance companies, thereby providing even more money for the program, perhaps as much as $118 million.

Lakeland Ledger http://www.theledger.com/article/20090423/NEWS/904235098/1003/NEWS00?Title=Bill-Would-Strengthen-Voucher-Program

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NEW FAITH-BASED EDUCATION LICENSE PLATE PROPOSED

A new "I believe" vehicle license plate was proposed in an amendment to SB 642 by a Senate panel. If approved by the Legislature, proceeds from the new plates would be provided to an Orlando firm that promotes faith-based education. A number of other plates are proposed in the bill, including a "Trinity" design to promote natural science, and designs related to autism, surfing, and biodiversity.

St. Petersburg Times http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/04/of-god-the-devil-and-license-plates.html#more

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TURNITIT.COM WINS LANDMARK COPYRIGHT CASE

Turnitin.com is an online anti-plagiarism service in which students upload term papers and reports to the site, which then checks them for passages that appear to have been previously published elsewhere. If such passages are found, a report of potential plagiarism is then provided to the teacher, who can then conduct their own investigation. Two years ago, however, students in Arizona and Virginia sued Turnitin for copyright violation.

In a landmark decision similar to the Google Image Search thumbnail case, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Turnitin does not violate the students' copyrights in their own work, even though the service stores and uses their work to check future papers. The decision includes a carefully-constructed review of how each of the components of copyright law apply in the online era, and concludes that the service is essential "transformative" in nature, and thereby must be regarded as fair use.

See the full opinion at http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/081424.P.pdf

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

1. Number of Americans primarily employed as CEOs: 299,160

2. Number primarily employed as lawyers: 555,770

3. Number primarily employed as bloggers: 452,000

4. Days of suspension from school proposed by the Florida Senate for a fourth offense of droopy drawers: 10

SOURCES

1-3. Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-us-now-has-more-paid-bloggers-than-lawyers-2009-4

4. Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090420/CAPITOLNEWS/90420013/1067/

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Legislative Update

2009-04-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

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HIGHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS APPROVED BY SENATE COMMITTEE

A Florida Senate committee approved SB 2654 this morning, which would have the effect of requiring credit in Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, and Geometry for high school graduation. The bill would also raise the graduation requirement for FCAT reading and mathematics. Three House committees have already approved HB 1293, the House version of the bill.

* * * * *

CLASS SIZE PROPOSAL APPROVED BY FLORIDA HOUSE

The Florida House voted 78-41 to approve HJR 919 this morning. If approved by the Senate, this will place a proposed constitutional amendment before voters. The amendment would limit class size compliance at the school level instead of the classroom level, and would slightly raise the class size limits. If approved, the PK-3 classroom maximum would be 21, with a school average of 18. For grades 4-8, the classroom limit would be 27 with a school average of 22. For grades 9-12, the classroom maximum would be 30 with a school average of 25. A final Senate committee will consider its version (SB 1828) on Monday.

* * * * *

SENATE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES CIGARETTE TAX HIKE

The Florida Senate unanimously approved SB 1840 yesterday, which would implement a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The Senate budget proposal includes nearly $1 billion in tobacco tax revenues to offset healthcare costs, although the House budget does not. The bill has now gone to the House in messages.

* * * * *

QUICK NOTES

Escambia says no to merit pay.

http://pnj.com/article/20090414/NEWS01/904140308/1058/EDUCATION

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RUNNING THE NUMBERS

1. Millions of dollars Broward believes could be saved by taking a week-long furlough at Thanksgiving: 20

2. Estimated decrease in student enrollment in Florida K-12 schools next year: 9,999

3. Number of vendors Hernando asked to voluntarily cut their fees by ten percent next year: 170

Sources

1. Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/999029.html

2. Florida Legislature Estimating Conference http://edr.state.fl.us/conferences/publicschools/publicschools.htm

3. St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article991428.ece

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Legislative update: Budget and Appropriations

2009-04-13T13:44:00.003-04:00

Congress adjourned for a two-week recess on April 3 after a contentious week of long debates in both the House and Senate regarding a fiscal year 2010 budget resolution. At the end of the week, the resolutions adopted were similar but not identical. The House expressed a willingness to spend approximately $8 billion more on domestic discretionary programs in FY 2010 than the Senate. The House also appeared more willing to set bi-partisanship aside to enact health care and student loan reform legislation via the budget process. Final details of the FY 2010 budget resolution will be decided during the week of April 20, when members return to Capitol Hill.

The adoption of a budget resolution clears the way for the appropriations committees to meet and distribute what are called the "302 B allocations" to each subcommittee. It is anticipated that the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee will receive a relatively generous allocation, perhaps as much as an 8 percent increase over FY 2009. Once allocations are decided, the hard work of dividing up funding among programs at the departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services begins. Congress will wait for budget details from the administration before those details are made public or finalized. That information should reach Capitol Hill by mid May.

Congressional leaders have made it clear that the goal is to finish the budget and appropriations process by Sept. 30, the last day of the current fiscal year. That means mark-ups and floor debates will be held during June and July, and final conferencing and adoption of spending bills will take place in the early fall. It is an ambitious schedule given all the other legislative priorities that have been announced, such as reforming the health care system, reinventing the student loan program, enacting climate change and other energy-related policies, plus a long list of tax considerations. The backdrop to all this activity is the effort from government agencies to distribute, and states to spend, the funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The next recess period comes at the end of May, and for many that won't be soon enough.
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PROCEDURAL PLAN FOR CERTIFICATION OF DISTRICT POLICIES AGAINST BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

2009-04-13T13:44:00.001-04:00

The Department of Education has issued the following memorandum regarding the PROCEDURAL PLAN FOR CERTIFICATION OF DISTRICT POLICIES AGAINST BULLYING AND HARASSMENT (SECTION 1006.147, FLORIDA STATUTES). The memorandum may be viewed at:

http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5360/dps-2009-048.pdf

Fed schools chief says kids need more class time - The Denver Post

2009-04-12T20:01:00.001-04:00

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12090068?source=rss

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

2009-04-09T19:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, the Department of Education released modifications to the previously released guidance for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Guidance Modifications can be accessed at http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/applicant.html.

Florida school grading may be revamped | WINK News - Southwest Florida | Eye on Education

2009-04-08T17:41:00.001-04:00

http://www.winknews.com/features/education/42592917.html

Guidance Counselors and Excellent Teaching Program

2009-04-06T23:07:00.001-04:00

Per Bob Serra, our CEES contact, HB 5005, which is the conforming bill to the education budget would insert the words “classroom teacher” into the section which limits who can get bonuses from the NBPTS certification. Effectively, this would eliminate guidance counselors, library media specialists and reading coaches from receiving bonuses as part of the program.

If we want to undo this position, we should contact Rep. Flores, Rep. Stargel and Rep. Kair to make sure that each understands what is being proposed. The Senate version of the conforming bill does not include this position at this time.”

FSCA Legislative Update

2009-04-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

HOUSE MOVES CLOSER TO SENATE BUDGET

Early versions of Senate and House budgets are coming together in various forms. Both approaches appear to hold FY10 allocations at a level more or less comparable to the current (and oft-reduced) per-student allocation. Closer investigation, however, reveals that these figures include budget items not previously counted in per-student funding formulae. Many other programs and activities normally outside of such formulas are cut sharply in both proposals. As reported last week, while there is some proposed budget flexibility in some areas, there also many new restrictions on spending in other areas. Both budget approaches assume that federal stimulus funding will be available, and both budgets make generous assumptions about proceeds from massive increases in gambling compact, and increased revenues from "user fees." The Senate seems ready to approve considerable increases in taxes on tobacco, but the House seems less so.

Two primary documents related to the budget proposals are provided below, but keep in mind that several other bills will eventually be incorporated, so expect changes in the near term. Analysis of these budget proposals in their current disaggregated form is extremely complicated, so take your time going over them, and take a grain of salt as well.

House Education Appropriations Committee Staff Analysis of PCB PAC 09-01

http://myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=pcb01a.PAC.doc&DocumentType=Analysis&CommitteeId=2447&Session=2009

Senate Education Appropriations Committee Staff Analysis of CS/SB 1676

http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009/Senate/bills/analysis/pdf/2009s1676.ea.pdf

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EDUCATION LEADERS SUPPORT GOVERNOR'S GAMBLING COMPACT WITH SEMINOLE TRIBE

Both the Florida Schools Boards Association and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents affirmed their support this morning for the Governor's proposed gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The House and the Senate have each included estimated revenues from a compact in their budget proposals, but there are varying estimates about how much revenue could be generated and differences in specifics about what games might be permitted in the tribe's Hard Rock casinos.

St. Petersburg Times http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/04/education-leaders-endorse-compact.html#more

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TOUGHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS APPROVED AGAIN

After three solid hours of debate, the House Full Appropriations Council on Education & Economic Development approved HB 1293 on Monday. This was the third and final critical committee vote in support of the measure, so it now will go the House floor for a vote.

The bill would require college-preparatory courses for all high school graduates, including one credit each in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; Biology 1, Chemistry 1, and one other higher-level science course. The bill would also require a score of Level 3 or higher in 10th Grade FCAT mathematics and 10th Grade FCAT reading.

Although the increase from the current FCAT cut-off score to the proposed Level 3 is not numerically large, it will cause an immediate and significant increase in students at risk of not graduating. The House Committee staff noted that 58% of students statewide failed on their first attempt to achieve the current cutoff level in 10th Grade FCAT reading last year. If these same students had been held to the proposed new Level 3 cutoff, the failure rate would have instead been 89%.

This bill was supported heavily by the Foundation for Florida's Future (headed by former governor Jeb Bush), the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Associated Industries of Florida.

House Education Committee Staff Analysis

http://myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=h1293e.CEED.doc&DocumentType=Analysis&BillNumber=1293&Session=2009

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DOING THE WAIVE

Florida remains ineligible to receive the first wave of stimulus funding under ARRA because of the sharp decline in education funding over the past several years, but has been ready to apply for a waiver that would allow the state to receive an anticipated $2.7 billion in state fiscal stabilzation funds. These ARRA funds are separate from other increases in Title I, IDEA, and Pell grants. The Governor has repeatedly expressed his belief that Florida's waiver will be approved, and both the House and the Senate have included anticipated stimulus funds in their budget proposals for next year.

However, the actual mechanism for requesting the waiver is still not available. Although the application itself has been released, the necessary guidelines for completing it won't be available for about two more weeks. The Secretary has promised a "quick turnaround" when the waiver request is eventually submitted.

Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-stimulus-money-florida-education-040109,0,6965374.story

News-Press http://www.news-press.com/article/20090402/NEWS0104/90402105/1006

On Tuesday, the Secretary sent a "Dear Governor" letter to all 50 states outlining the basic data collection, analysis, and reporting requirements for the second wave of funding that will be made available under ARRA. The general consensus seems to be that Florida is probably better situated to meet these requirements than some other states, since its existing data system is quite extensive.

U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/2009-394-cover.pdf

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SECRETARY REVERSES RECENT CHANGES TO TITLE I REGULATIONS.

In a detailed letter to chief state school superintendents, the Secretary reversed some critical Title I regulations implemented late last year. This will reduce the need to make changes in most state and local programs during difficult economic times. Notably, the Secretary will repeal of the requirement that a State revise its Accountability Workbook provisions regarding AYP. He also intends to amend or repeal a 2002 regulatory provision prohibiting a State from approving districts and schools identified for improvement to be SES providers.

U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/090401.html

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STATE WINS GRANT TO EXPAND ONLINE DATA TOOLS

For the second time, Florida was awarded a multimillion dollar data system development grant. The state will use the 2.45 million award to expand a data governance structures to enhance Federal reporting and reliable research. An innovative new research and analysis tool will allows researchers with approved proposals to intuitively navigate the site and pull data fields appropriate to their research proposals.

NCES http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS/state.asp?stateabbr=FL

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Secretary Duncan Discusses Stimulus, Budget and Obama's Agenda

2009-04-06T08:21:00.001-04:00

Secretary Duncan Discusses Stimulus, Budget and Obama's Agenda: On March 24, Education Week interviewed U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the stimulus package, the 2010 budget and the Department of Education's plans for implementing President Obama's education agenda. Duncan vowed to work closely with states to make sure the stimulus money for education is used for the right purposes. "We are holding back billions of dollars, and if we see states doing things that don't make sense and aren't in the spirit of what this is about, they would put themselves at jeopardy in receiving that second set of money," Duncan said. The secretary stressed, however, that he is much more interested in getting things right the first time. Duncan said that one of the best parts of the administration's FY 2010 budget is the increased access to higher education. "There's more money coming into higher education than any time since the GI bill. It's a staggering resource," he said. Regarding teacher quality, the secretary argued we should do everything in our power to provide incentives, reward and help them. "But, at the end of the day if a teacher is just not making it, and, despite help, despite support, despite mentoring, is not improving, I think we owe it to our children to make a change there." Lastly, Duncan emphasized the importance of comprehensive data systems that track students throughout their educational career and enable us to "shine a spotlight on those teachers that are doing a phenomenal job of driving student achievement."

Legislative Update

2009-04-06T08:19:00.001-04:00

On April 2, the House and Senate, on strong party line votes, adopted FY 2010 budget resolutions. Although the bills differ modestly in spending authority, they both offer President Obama an endorsement of much of his spending and policy plan for the year. In the compromise measure that will be worked out over the next two weeks the increase in domestic spending will fall at around 8 percent. The focus of this increased spending will be education, health care and energy. This is good news for education advocates who are already overwhelmed by the flow of unanticipated stimulus dollars. The challenge might actually become how to spend all this new funding in an effective and timely manner -- a challenge few ever thought they would face.

One complicated, yet unresolved aspect of the budget debate is reconciliation. Although the Senate specifically prohibited this process, which is used to avoid filibusters, for energy reform, it remains a possibility in the student loan and health care debates. Republicans are crying foul as the limitation on the requirement of a 60-vote majority greatly diminishes minority party influence. Given the importance of the health care proposals in particular, some Republicans are already saying that any attempts at bipartisanship will be undone. Most Democrats respond by reminding their colleagues how often this procedure has been used in the past.

Once a conference committee reaches agreement on the budget resolution, appropriators will meet to divide up the cash, in the neighborhood of $3.6 trillion overall when both mandatory and discretionary spending are taken into account, among all the subcommittees. Hearings are already underway in spite of the absence of any spending details from the Obama administration. Plans for spending at all federal agencies are expected on Capitol Hill by mid-May. Overall, Congress is off to a quick start on this year's budget. The hope is it will meet the Sept. 30 deadline for the first time in many years.

FSCA Legislative Update

2009-04-03T18:39:00.000-04:00

HOUSE MOVES CLOSER TO SENATE BUDGET (BUT READ THE FINE PRINT)

House Education Appropriations Committee Staff Analysis of PCB PAC 09-01

http://myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=pcb01a.PAC.doc&DocumentType=Analysis&CommitteeId=2447&Session=2009

Senate Education Appropriations Committee Staff Analysis of CS/SB 1676

http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009/Senate/bills/analysis/pdf/2009s1676.ea.pdf

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EDUCATION LEADERS SUPPORT GOVERNOR'S GAMBLING COMPACT WITH SEMINOLE TRIBE

St. Petersburg Times http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/04/education-leaders-endorse-compact.html#more

* * * * *

TOUGHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS APPROVED AGAIN

This bill was supported heavily by the Foundation for Florida's Future (headed by former governor Jeb Bush), the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Associated Industries of Florida.

House Education Committee Staff Analysis

http://myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=h1293e.CEED.doc&DocumentType=Analysis&BillNumber=1293&Session=2009

* * * * *

DOING THE WAIVE

Orlando Sentinel http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-stimulus-money-florida-education-040109,0,6965374.story

News-Press http://www.news-press.com/article/20090402/NEWS0104/90402105/1006

U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/programs/statestabilization/2009-394-cover.pdf

* * * * *

SECRETARY REVERSES RECENT CHANGES TO TITLE I REGULATIONS.

U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/090401.html

* * * * *

STATE WINS GRANT TO EXPAND ONLINE DATA TOOLS

NCES http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/SLDS/state.asp?stateabbr=FL

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Governor Crist Invites Floridians to Review Florida's Use of Federal Stimulus Dollars

2009-04-03T13:52:00.001-04:00

Governor Charlie Crist unveiled the Florida Office of Economic Recovery’s Web site this month. The site, FlaRecovery.com, allows the people of Florida to review state and local government use of federal funds coming to the state as a result of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Launched in the early stages of the federal recovery effort, the FlaRecovery.com Web site will evolve as information flows down from the federal level. The Web site is a clearinghouse of all public records and documents related to the implementation of the federal stimulus dollars, as well as a one-stop resource for citizens interested in learning more about assistance made available by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Visitors to the site will be able to easily connect to information about education, unemployment compensation, workforce training, food stamps and cash assistance.

New Report Provides Blueprint for Education Response to Fiscal Crisis

2009-04-03T13:51:00.001-04:00

Despite the current economic crisis, Florida has a unique opportunity to improve its current K-12 education system by protecting policies that provide incentives for higher achievement while cutting back on those that do not contribute to performance, according to a report co-authored by three scholars at Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University, and Brown University.

In the report, prepared at the request of the Florida State Board of Education, Paul E. Peterson of Harvard, Eric A. Hanushek of Stanford and Martin R. West of Brown say that the fiscal crisis should be seen as an opportunity to enhance school productivity.

To read more on the report, visit http://www.fldoe.org/news/2009/2009_03_16-2.asp.