LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Florida Association for CTE
School grade designation – would allow the inclusion of career dual enrollment in the computation. No companion bill in House.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/434/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Establishing the Sunshine Scholarship Program; requiring the Department of Education to administer the program; requiring certain financial aid to be credited to a student’s tuition and fees before the award of a Sunshine Scholarship; Allows for 100% cost to be covered. These are similar bills:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/132/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/55/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Proposes to authorize the Governor to approve workforce training grants to certain charter schools under the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. Targets charters at the secondary level which only provide workforce training, probably using Hutson diploma track passed last year. SB130 passed its first committee, Workforce Development and Tourism, earlier this week. These bills are identical:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/130/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/71/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Proposes to create a uniform process for the awarding of postsecondary credit to certain service members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/171/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/372/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Providing for the relief of Clifford Williams; providing an appropriation to compensate him for being wrongfully incarcerated for 43 years, among other compensation he would be exempt from tuition at any public postsecondary institution:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/28/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/6507/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Would allow Technical Colleges/Centers to offer a portion of an applied science or an associate in science degree program or an applied science or an associate in science degree program ONLY to graduates of a licensed practical nursing program offered by the san center. No companion:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/418/BillText/Filed/PDFopens in a new window
Teacher Pay Proposal
Last week Gov. Ron DeSantis officially proposed increasing the minimum salary to $47,500 for teachers across the state. The proposal to increase teacher salaries would cost $600 million and will be included in the governor’s 2020 budget proposal. The proposal will move Florida to No. 2 in the nation in starting teacher pay based on the NEA rankings. The NEA has Florida beginning salary at $27,636 which places Florida 26th in the nation currently.
How will the program be funded? In order to pay for a $600 million-plus program, the options are pretty clear: Cut spending elsewhere or come up with the money through increased revenues. The question yet to be answered is how he plans to fund the proposal. Another concern, how will the plan compensate the teachers who are currently employed? It is not clear if the school district post-secondary teachers are in the count for the increase. We have brought this to the attention of Chancellor Hall and he is now aware that Technical Colleges/Centers have not been included in the funding for raises or bonuses in the past, resulting in the Technical Colleges/Centers having to compensate teachers out of general revenue due to bargaining contracts.
