Education Funding

he Republican-controlled House voted 86-25 along almost straight party lines to pass the bill (HB 443), after it was approved 30-7 on Wednesday by the Senate. It is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.The bill is one of a series of measures that lawmakers have considered this year that could help charter schools, which are public schools typically run by private operators and generally not bound by the same regulations as traditional schools. The number of students enrolled in charter schools has increased dramatically over the years as the Legislature has expanded school choice.

A small group of Florida school boards have spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lobbying in Washington, D.C. — unusual given that the money could be used to pay teachers, bus drivers, maintenance workers and other employees.Hiring outside firms to lobby in the Florida Legislature is relatively common for public school districts, but federal government lobbying among them is almost unseen.Of the 67 districts in Florida, only nine have hired lobbyists to work for them in D.C. over the last 15 years. And three of those — Lee County schools is one of them — have just started paying lobbyists within the last couple of years.

Some people in an underprivileged area of Lee County have raised millions of dollars to build a vocational-technical school for adults. It would train people in medical, construction and culinary occupations that could provide better pay for people in need.

Three area residents -- Kae Moore, Sean Kempton and Jamie Merchant -- have been named to the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida by Gov. DeSantis.

A state voucher program that began in the 2023-2024 school year is on pace to double in size — at least — as applications roll in from families who educate children at home and are seeking funds to make a range of purchases.What’s known as the Personalized Education Program provides voucher funds to students who are not enrolled full-time at public or private schools. The program was established through a 2023 law (HB 1) that massively expanded the state’s voucher programs.

The Biden Administration is trying to cancel more student debt, while Republican-led states — including Florida —are trying to stop him.

The School District of Lee County will receive $1.2 million as part of it's share of a $25 million state Workforce Development grant announced last week. The grant will allow the District to add or expand career programs that provide students the essential skills required for success in high-demand occupations.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced an investment of nearly $25 million from the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program to either create or expand 19 programs dedicated to strengthening workforce development across Florida.

In March of this year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB1 into law — expanding the voucher program and significantly increasing taxpayer funding for private schools. The new law eliminates the current financial eligibility restrictions and allows any student who is a resident of Florida and eligible to enroll in K-12 public schools to participate. The new universal voucher program is estimated to cost $4 billion in the first year of implementation alone, according to a cost analysis by Florida Policy Institute and the Education Law Center. We get some context on the new law, and the history of how vouchers work in Florida, with Dr. Norín Dollard, Senior Policy Analyst and KIDS COUNT Director at the Florida Policy Institute; and Damaris Allen, Executive director of Coral Gables-based Families for Strong Public Schools.