Rep. Vance Aloupis, R-Miami, narrowly beat his Democratic opponent in 2018 to represent Florida’s 115^th District, a seat held by former Education Committee Chair Michael Bileca. One of many freshman members serving this year on House education committees, Aloupis wants to become a legislative leader in early childhood development. (more…)

Charter schools. Parents at a charter school that is putting off plans to open in August have few options beyond their zoned schools. Gradebook. The Miami-Dade school district faces a legal tab in a charter school retaliation case. News Service of Florida.

Digital learning. The Miami Herald's back-to-school edition takes a look at the digital landscape. Topics include: The growth of virtual school options, girls learning about high tech, digital literacy, the digital divide in poor communities, students learning to code and the rise of blended learning.

Home education. The Ocala Star-Banner looks at the growth of home schooling in Marion County.

Testing. The Seminole school board backs a plan to drop state assessments in favor of national norm-referenced tests. Orlando Sentinel.

Budgets. Duval, Lee Alachua and Collier districts approve spending plans. Tax rates fall, but tax collections may rise. Florida Times-Union. Fort Myers News-Press. Gainesville Sun. Naples Daily News. (more…)

One state enrolls 80 percent of its four-year-olds in publicly supported preschool programs, while spending less than $2,300 per student on average. Another spends more than $4,000 per student, but only serves 30 percent of its prekindergarten-aged children.

Which state has made a greater commitment to early learning?

The first would be Florida, where a nearly $400 million Voluntary Prekindergarten program is one of the most widely used forms of school choice, and serves a larger proportion of four-year-olds than its counterparts in any other state but Vermont.

The second is an imaginary state representing the national average in 2014, according to the annual State of Preschool report released earlier this month by the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The scope of Florida's investment in preschool, mandated by a state constitutional amendment passed in 2002, would exceed the national average since it serves a larger proportion of youngsters. That point isn't exactly emphasized in the report's accompanying press release lamenting the level of funding in early learning programs, though it does note a funding increase approved last year is "encouraging."

The VPK program funds scholarships, which help parents send their children to preschools of their choice. The vast majority of providers are private early learning centers.

The scholarships are considerably less than per-student funding for K-12 schools, or for other private scholarship programs. While the state mandates fewer hours of instruction for pre-k than it does in elementary schools, some advocates say increased funding could encourage more schools to participate, or to improve their existing programs. (more…)

Charter schools. The Broward school district could soon be in the hunt for high-performing charter school operators looking to move into high-needs neighborhoods. Sun-Sentinel. A charter school with a rejected application may be poised to succeed on appeal with the state. Lakeland Ledger.

Preschool. A popular preschool may be forced to close because its affiliated church is losing membership. Tampa Bay Times. Readiness rates for Florida's early learning providers will be released later in the Spring. Palm Beach Post.

Legislation. The Sun-Sentinel looks at the education-related bills filed so far this year.

Testing. Districts look for ways to accommodate parents who opt out of assessments. Tampa Bay Times. Testing becomes a concern at a Manatee County forum. Bradenton Herald.

Financial literacy. Lawmakers plan to take another stab at requiring a "money course." Gradebook.

Technology. A grant helps Hillsborough schools pay for an infusion of laptops. Tampa Tribune.

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School choice. Palm Beach County's first black local GOP chairman says school choice has helped Republicans like Gov. Rick Scott win votes. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. School choice could help Republicans reach minority voters, the Fordham Institute's Michael Brickman argues on Watchdog.org.

Lawsuits. A Miami-Dade school board member proposes a resolution opposing a lawsuit challenging Florida's tax credit scholarship program. Naked Politics.

Charter schools. Two new charter applications come before the Hillsborough school board with favorable staff recommendations. Tampa Tribune.

Magnet schools. The Orange County school district plans a collegiate high school option to revamp a stumbling magnet program. Orlando Sentinel.

Dual enrollment. The Volusia school board plans to launch a collegiate high school program. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

School boards. A complaint against a newly elected, pro-school choice board member is dropped.  Indian River Press Journal. VeroNews.com. The Clay County school board hires a new interim board attorney. Florida Times-Union.

CAPE. Career education programs provide a recruiting ground for fire departments. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

STEM. The country's largest school districts - including Miami-Dade and Broward - pledge to teach computer science amid a coding push by the White House. Associated Press. High school students get hands-on marine biology lessons. Bradenton Herald.

Early learning. Advocates hope a national early-learning emphasis will trickle down to state policy. News Service of Florida.

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Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts. Hundreds of parents have started applications for Florida's newest school choice option for special needs students. Gainesville Sun. Gradebook.

Lawsuits. The Washington Examiner takes on the Florida Education Association's lawsuit over school choice legislation.

Early learning. PolitiFact checks Gov. Rick Scott's claims about preschool funding.

Campaigns. Scott is among the Republican governors being targeted by national teachers unions. Politico, via StateImpact. Rival Charlie Crist continues to talk about education issues during campaign stops. Naples Daily News. Fort Myers News-Press. Sarasota school board candidates debate Common Core. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Arts. Hernando schools will allow students to transfer out of schools that lack music programs. Tampa Bay Times.

Budgets. Digital learning, a new program for children with autism and an expansion of district choice options are part of the funding proposal in Miami-Dade. Miami Herald. WPLG. Supporters are gearing up for an Orange County sales tax referendum. Orlando Sentinel. Manatee schools are trying to find money for new initiatives. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Proposed schools budgets will lower the property tax rates slightly in Okaloosa and Manatee Counties. Northwest Florida Daily News. Bradenton Herald.

Special needs. The Orlando Sentinel visits summer camp for special needs students.

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This August, Stacy Phillips of Pensacola, Fla. will see her daughter turn five and start her first day of kindergarten, enrolled in a mainstream class like other girls her age.

A year ago, she didn't think that would be possible.

After Jane Phillips was born, an accumulation of fluid in her ear affected her hearing and left her with a speech impediment. As a result, when Phillips signed her up for Pre-K, she had to enroll in an exceptional education program.

But the staff at her daughter's Pre-K center gave her a flyer about a new program for Florida's early learners with special needs. The Specialized Instructional Services program, or SIS, allows parents to use funding from the state's Voluntary Prekindergarten program for therapies or other services that support their educational needs.

In Jane's case, it allowed her to see a speech therapist roughly 45 times to get the intensive help she needed to improve her verbal skills. "It moved her ahead so much faster," Phillips said. And now, thanks to her progress, "she's going to Kindergarten just as a regular student."

In coming years, expect to hear a lot more about programs that give parents educational choices that go beyond deciding which school their children attend.

At the K-12 level, education savings accounts allow parents to use public money on a wide array of education-related services, rather than just tuition at a single school. Arizona created the first such program several years ago, and on Friday, Florida followed suit when Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill creating “personal learning scholarship accounts” for special-needs students.

SIS was quietly ahead of the curve. (more…)

Charter schools. Both sides postpone the sale of a former Pinellas middle school to a charter school operator that plans to serve black students in south St. Petersburg, reports Gradebook. A Miami charter school is looking for a new home because its landlord, the Archdiocese of Miami, abruptly ended its lease, reports the Miami Herald. South Tech Academy, the biggest charter school in Palm Beach County, is adding a middle school this fall, which will essentially make it a school district unto itself and eligible for more federal funding, reports the Palm Beach Post.

Parent trigger. The Tampa Tribune editorializes against it.

Course choice. The Tallahassee Democrat writes up Sen. Jeff Brandes' course choice bill, now headed to the Senate floor.

Rick Scott. Education excerpts from his interview with the Palm Beach Post editorial board. He doesn't say much beyond talking points on teacher pay, the Post editorializes.

Common Core. Tony Bennett says he will have more information next week about implementation plans. StateImpact Florida.

Employee conduct. A Broward bus driver who said she was only using cell phone while driving because her son, a U.S. Marine, was calling from Iraq now says she made it all up, reports the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel. From the Sarasota Herald Tribune: "The Manatee County School District has hired a private investigator to look into whether Palmetto High Principal Willie Clark knew of an alleged sexual assault of a student last year and did not report it to law enforcement, as required by law."  More from the Bradenton Herald. Tampa Bay Times columnist Dan Dewitt says of a guidance counselor who was suspended for not diligently reporting a case of suspected child abuse: "If they can't make protecting children their top job, they shouldn't have a job at all." (more…)

Financial irregularities. Eighty-five percent of district schools in Palm Beach County show financial irregularities, an audit finds, with some cases involving “thousands of missing dollars, spotty tracking of fundraising cash and outstanding deficits in school funds,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Teacher turnover. The Pasco district knows it must find ways to slow the revolving door in high-needs schools. Tampa Bay Times.

Inconvenient truths. Florida Voices columnist Rick Outzen says it’s an “inconvenient truth” that Florida’s grad rates are so low. (It’s also an inconvenient truth, not mentioned in the column, that they’re among the fastest-rising in the country.)

Construction money. Supporters of traditional public schools say charter school funding is leaving them in a bigger bind, reports the St. Augustine Record. Says Colleen Wood with 50^th No More (and Save Duval Schools): “It seems to be the idea that parental choice is the guiding principal (for charter schools) as opposed to (students getting) the best education possible.”

Rubio and tax credit scholarships. Florida offers a model for a federal program proposed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, writes the Choice Words blog. (Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog, administers the Florida program.)

Evals. The ones for administrators came out last week, too. StateImpact Florida. But there's a disconnect between the new evals and school grades, writes Naples Daily News columnist Brett Batten.

Early learning funding formula. Gov. Rick Scott says the state won’t change it this year, drawing praise from early learning coalitions, reports Gradebook.

Stuck in the '70s. In an editorial about the three finalists for ed commish, the Tampa Bay Times likens the DOE to "an old pinball machine" and asks: "At what point does the privatization of the public school system go too far? And what will you do move the focus off of vouchers and back to the heart of Florida's future - its traditional public schools?" Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab says go with Tony Bennett.

A new Florida House subcommittee devoted to all things school choice does not necessarily signal major reforms in the upcoming legislative session, says incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford. The point, rather, is to keep choice in the debate.

“I think choice has always been in the conversation,’’ Weatherford, who is scheduled to be voted in as speaker today, told redefinED.

Creating the Choice & Innovation Subcommittee is really more about helping the Education Committee make sure parental empowerment, technology and other school choice issues don’t get lost in the general discussion, he said. Education is “such a huge policy area,’’ Weatherford said. “There are a lot of bills that get filed.’’

Expect those bills to include many that have more to do with overall education policies and red tape than turning classrooms into a “21st learning experience,’’ he said.  “There’s a lot of reform and a lot of innovating taking place across the country and across the world,’’ Weatherford said. “I want the Legislature to lead this debate.’’

The subcommittee has sparked interest across party lines. (more…)