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Degree of efficiency
Florida’s state colleges are winning acclaim for cranking out career-ready graduates at scale, but higher-ed experts worry their success could falter without more funding. Florida colleges are succeeding with relatively modest state funding. Per student spending has decreased over the years, from $9,549 before the 2008 recession to $8,316 today. Overall state college funding has increased 46% since 2013, while the state university budgets doubled. [Source: Florida Today]
Florida lawmakers rely on property taxes in education budgeting
Florida lawmakers closed in on a K-12 education spending plan, agreeing on a bottom line of $29.5 billion, about 3% more than the current year. To get there, leaders limited increases in areas they’ve touted before, such as teacher pay raises and mental health services. They also relied heavily on property taxes to supply the bulk of the additional revenue. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
See also:
» Florida lawmakers agree to fully fund advanced education programs
Opinion: Florida’s students are rising as civil leaders at a critical time
When citizens lack a foundational understanding of how our government functions, how their rights are protected, and how they can meaningfully participate in civic life, the consequences are profound. Disengagement grows, trust in institutions decreases, and our society weakens. But there is hope: civic education works. And we saw that hope in action at Florida’s inaugural National Civics Bee State Finals recently in Tallahassee. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]
Goodbye smartphone? What we know about the Reconnect Movement at Florida colleges
Florida students are joining the Reconnect Movement, opting for flip phones over smartphones to foster in-person connections. The movement, which started at Rollins College in Winter Park, is popping up at colleges around the country. The Reconnect Movement encourages activities like painting and outdoor sports to facilitate genuine social interaction without technology. More from the Gainesville Sun and the Tallahassee Democrat.
Lawmakers seek greater accountability for school voucher money
Florida lawmakers say the state must do a better job of keeping track of students who accept education vouchers. Too frequently, they say, thousands of students move among schools to the point that the place that’s actually educating them does not receive the money to do the job. “Obviously, accountability for scholarships has not gone well,” Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said Monday. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
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› DeSantis reappoints Hosseini, Ridley to University of Florida Board of Trustees
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reappointed Mori Hosseini and Fred Ridley to the University of Florida Board of Trustees. The announcement follows recent comments from Hosseini suggesting the university would continue with or without him. Despite the remark, he expressed strong support for UF presidential candidate Santa Ono during the selection process.
› Did Sumter County try to boost its school grades using virtual 'shell schools'?
The Sumter County School District falsified data by creating "shell schools" for low-performing students, according to the findings of a year-long investigation by the state Department of Education's inspector general. Those students received virtual, or online, instruction in separate classrooms.
› Florida Tech, Patrick Space Force Base partner to offer master's degrees for military personnel
Coming full-circle in a sense, the Florida Institute of Technology will start offering master's degree programs this fall behind the gates at Patrick Space Force Base for military and civilian personnel. "We were founded in the same year as NASA: 1958. And our original mission was to serve as a night school for missilemen, as the Cape Canaveral technicians needed master's degrees in the early days of the Space Race," Florida Tech President John Nicklow said.
› Daytona State College ranks among top programs in Florida for paramedic and EMT exam success
Daytona State College’s Emergency Medical Services students rank among the best in Florida, based on first-attempt pass rates on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians certification exams, according to new data released by the Florida Department of Health.