Amendment 8 court hearing today

SEPTEMBER 08, 2010

The fight to keep Amendment 8 -- the Florida Legislature's proposal to relax the 2002 class size amendment -- off the November ballot hits the Leon County Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. today.

Circuit Judge Charles A. Francis will hear arguments over whether the proposed referendum misleads the public, as the Florida Education Association contends. (See the court documents for more details.)

Senate sponsor Don Gaetz, a former Okaloosa schools superintendent, has told the Gradebook that the ballot measure would provide flexibility to schools that need it to manage classrooms more effectively. Ron Meyer, a lawyer for the FEA, has argued that Amendment 8 really would allow the Legislature to back off its constitutional obligation to fund schools adequately.

Judges already have tossed out three of the Legislature's ballot initiatives. Will class size be the fourth?

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 8:48:50 am on September 08, 2010 in

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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