Bill allows online vendors better access to public school funding

Private online learning companies will get a better shot at Florida public school funding under a bill that won approval on the final day of the legislative session.

Though the vote garnered little attention from outside observers, Republicans hailed it as among the year’s most important victories for school choice.

“We want to open up access and give our kids the very best,” said Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr., R-Hialeah, who sponsored the bill in the House....

Fight over money for tutoring went down to the wire

As the legislative session neared an end this month, state Rep. Erik Fresen found himself in an awkward position.

Just last year, Fresen helped keep a torrent of public money flowing to private tutoring firms. But after revelations of fraud and lax oversight turned the program into a black eye for education reform, his new orders from House leadership were clear: End subsidized tutoring, and do it now....

Bill opens up funding for private virtual schools

TALLAHASSEE — Private online learning companies will get a better shot at Florida public school funding under a bill that won approval on the final day of the legislative session.

Though the vote garnered little attention from outside observers, Republicans hailed it as among the year's most important victories for school choice.

"We want to open up access and give our kids the very best," said Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, who sponsored the bill in the House....

Florida lawmakers boost education spending, expand online learning

TALLAHASSEE — Teachers won raises. School districts got a boost in per-pupil funding. Charter schools nearly doubled their construction and maintenance dollars.

When it came to the state budget, education was one of the session's biggest winners.

Lawmakers were also able to tweak the state's high school graduation requirements, putting new emphasis on career and technical training and heading off a potential logjam of graduates. ...

High school sports bill dies

Among the high-profile bills that died when session came to a close Friday: a proposal that would have revamped the Florida High School Athletic Association and eased the rules on student transfers.

Proponents made a last-minute move to get the bill moving in the Senate. But it never got a hearing on the upper chamber floor.

It was a victory for FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing, who stood to lose his job if the bill became law. Dearing argued that the proposal would have opened the door for high-school free agency and turned schools into "recruiting-frenzied sports giants."...

House, Senate agree to virtual school expansion

With the clock winding down on the 2013 Legislative session, the House signed off on a bill that would revamp virtual education in Florida.

The proposal would enable more private online education companies to do business with public schools. And it directs state education officials to conduct a study on Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, so that Florida may look into offering the classes for credit....

Will Miami Dade College bill get heard?

With just one day left in the Legislative session, South Florida political observers are wondering what will happen with a bill that would benefit Miami Dade College.

HB 1295 would enable Miami-Dade County to levy a voter-approved sales tax to support building and maintenance projects at the college. A small percentage of the revenue would go to Florida International University.

The measure passed 37-1 in the Senate, with Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, casting the lone vote in opposition. But it seems to be tied up in messages....

Parent trigger language finds new life in House

Two days after the Florida Senate killed the parent trigger bill, one of the proposal's more controverisal provisions won the approval of the Florida House.

The language, which would prevent children from being assigned to unsatisfactory teachers for two consecutive school years, was tacked onto the session's big charter school bill. It met resistance from House Democrats, who argued that the state's teacher evaluation model is too flawed to distinguish unsatisfactory teachers....

Florida Virtual School: Proposed budget cuts our funding

School districts, teachers and parents are celebrating the $1 billion addition to the state’s education budget.

But not everyone is happy with their slice of the pie.

Florida Virtual School, the state’s public online school, says it will actually come up about $36 million short due to a proposed change in the state’s education finance formula.

FLVS was expecting to see its $200 million budget increased by $45 million next year to cover the cost of 80,000 new enrollments, CEO Julie Young said. But the increase will be closer to $9 million....

Lawmakers end subsidized tutoring

A last-ditch effort by South Florida lawmakers to keep millions of dollars flowing to private tutoring companies suffered a resounding defeat on Wednesday, giving Florida school districts control over $100 million in federal education money for the first time in a decade.

It happened when a pair of Miami-Dade lawmakers tried to attach funding for subsidized tutoring into a fast-tracked bill that would expand online learning. Their fellow senators cried foul, citing an investigation by The Tampa Bay Times that showed criminals were profiting from the controversial program....

Florida public online school gets small budget increase

TALLAHASSEE — School districts, teachers and parents are celebrating the $1 billion addition to the state's education budget.

But not everyone is happy with their slice of the pie.

Florida Virtual School, the state's public online school, says it will actually come up about $26 million short due to a proposed change in the state's education finance formula.

FLVS was expecting to see its $200 million budget increased by $35 million next year to cover the cost of 80,000 new enrollments, CEO Julie Young said. But the increase will be closer to $9 million....

Lawmakers end subsidized tutoring program

TALLAHASSEE — A last-ditch effort by South Florida lawmakers to keep millions of dollars flowing to private tutoring companies suffered a resounding defeat on Wednesday, giving Florida school districts control over $100 million in federal education money for the first time in a decade.

It happened when two Miami-Dade lawmakers tried to attach funding for subsidized tutoring into a fast-tracked bill that would expand online learning....