Legislature changes the math on property tax plan to protect schools
One major change made to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s property tax cut plan before it was approved Tuesday was protections for public school funding. Many were concerned that reducing property taxes would strip billions of dollars from school district revenues statewide. "Funding losses to cities and counties can still have a negative impact on Florida's public schools, which are woefully underfunded in the state. We ranked 41st in the nation in per-student funding," said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association. More from WPBF and the News Service of Florida.
6 Florida colleges on track to be “walking zombies,” researcher says
College is expensive. Not just attending it, but running it as well. And according to new research, some colleges are doing much worse than others. The Open School Ranking analyzed more than 1,300 colleges to hypothesize their future financial outlook based on four factors over the past ten years: enrollment, applications, admissions and endowment. Among them, roughly 300 college and universities nationwide, including six in Florida, showed signs of “severe financial distress.” [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Lawmakers approve public education funds, union says it’s not enough
The Florida Education Association (FEA) is slamming the state’s 2026-27 budget, saying it fails to support public schools. The FEA is critical of several issues, including lawmakers failing to pass any oversight reforms on taxpayer-funded private school funders. The union is also hammering the distribution of teacher pay raises and student base allocation, saying it doesn’t cover inflation costs. More from Florida Politics and& WFLA.
Is pickleball coming to Florida high school sports?
The Florida High School Athletic Association is considering the addition of pickleball to the state's high school sports calendar, after receiving survey responses from more than 500 schools. While the process is still in the early stages, the FHSAA board of directors is scheduled to discuss the sport during its June 8 meeting in Gainesville, the final meeting of the 2025-26 school year. [Source: Florida Times-Union]
Florida high schoolers taking advanced classes are go-getters, but what's the cost to being ahead?
The number of Florida students taking courses for college credit while still in high school has shot up in recent years. But while the practice makes higher education more affordable and speeds up the timeline to graduation, a new study found there are some tradeoffs to being ahead as an in-coming college freshman. [Source: WLRN]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› University of Florida’s lone presidential finalist makes public debut
In his debut public appearance as the University of Florida’s lone presidential finalist, Stuart Bell spent Wednesday trying to answer the question that doomed his predecessor: Can he satisfy Florida’s increasingly powerful conservative higher education movement? A soft-spoken Texas native with a thick Southern drawl, Bell delivered his remarks during public forums inside UF’s Emerson Alumni Hall, where, just one year ago, former University of Michigan leader Santa Ono launched his own ill-fated campaign to be UF’s 14th president.
› Orange County teachers express concerns over healthcare costs
Many Orange County teachers are starting their summer break with tough financial concerns. They say strong inflation, a proposed 1% pay raise, and rising health care costs are pushing their budgets to the brink. The district’s health care proposal for teachers and staff would increase the deductibles and premiums they pay next year. District officials said that if they don’t make big changes, its health care trust fund will face a $145 million shortfall for 2027.
› Former St. Pete Science Center to become AI and startup campus
Plans to redevelop the former St. Petersburg Science Center reveal a 67,324-square-foot campus that would combine artificial intelligence training, startup incubation and science education on a site that has sat largely vacant since 2014. City filings show the roughly $25 million project would more than double the size of the existing facility at 7701 22nd Ave. N. and transform the former museum into a hub for workforce training, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
› Miami-Dade, Broward consider school closures as enrollments decline
The biggest five school districts in Florida, including Miami-Dade and Broward, have collectively lost about 67,000 non-charter students from the 2023-2024 school year through the 2025-2026 school year. That’s according to figures compiled by the Lee County school district, provided in May as part of a discussion surrounding its “budget realignment.” The numbers are as of February 2026, and refer to total membership for grades from PreK-12.