Education

Weekly political notes from The News Service of Florida: Delving into the state budget "sprinkle list" and New College officials' react with negative humor to protests on campus.

Teachers unions have quickly filed a constitutional challenge to a new Florida law that places additional restrictions on public-employee unions, describing the measure as political retaliation by Gov. Ron DeSantis.The Florida Education Association, the United Faculty of Florida, the Alachua County teachers union and the University of Florida faculty union filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Tallahassee, alleging that the law violates First Amendment, equal-protection and contract rights.

At this year’s state competition 847 middle and high school students presented award-winning research in a variety of media including documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, and websites. The top two winners of each category are invited to represent Florida at the National History Day (NHD) contest in June.

How should the consumption of alcohol by minors be handled?

Books on LGBTQ+ topics are currently being restricted in schools across Florida due to proposed legislation. Educators share how access to similar books helped them understand their sexual identities growing up.

The Florida Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to shift to holding partisan school-board elections.The proposal (HJR 31) will go on the 2024 ballot and, if approved by voters, would do away with a requirement that school-board candidates run without party labels. Partisan elections could begin in 2026.

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The Immokalee Foundation is refurnishing its classrooms with over $20,000 of new furniture thanks to the generous donation from the Community Trust Fund of The League Club.

During a forum moderated by the Florida Gulf Coast faculty senate, Mack described himself as an “innovator, a disruptor and a relationship builder.” Mack also pointed to his knowledge of the Legislature as a factor that would separate him from three other finalists.

A proposal that would require school districts to share local property-tax revenue with charter schools is teed up for consideration by the full House, after a committee debate Monday about whether it could bring “parity.”Property taxes collected through discretionary 1.5-mill local levies go toward such things as constructing and renovating traditional public schools and buying land. Meanwhile, charter schools largely receive such money through the state budget.

For the 2022-23 academic year, Lee County high schools transitioned from block scheduling to period scheduling. Oasis High School, an area charter school, was not subject to this district change, but is now discussing the idea.

A measure that would expand 2022’s controversial “Parental Rights in Education” law — known to critics as “don’t say gay” — is primed for consideration by the full Florida Senate.The proposal (SB 1320) would broaden the 2022 law’s prohibition on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.