Friday, March 28, 2008

Senate education budget released yesterday

Here is a link to the Senate education budget released yesterday: http://www.flsenate.gov/data/committees/Senate/meeting_packets/EA.pdf.
 
Budget Notes:
Total budget for $21.5 billion for 2008-09 ($12 billion in state budget plus $9.5 billion local effort).
Reduction of ($883.6) million in recurring general revenue. Added $41.9 million in education enhancement trust fund.
Pre K -12 Education Summary:

  • FEFP- The 2008-09 FEFP is $18.5 billion, or $7.011 per student. This is a reduction of ($298.1) million, or -1.59%. The per student reduction is ($115.91), or -1.63%.
  • Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK)- No reduction s for VPK program funding, with $343.7 million provided. Student enrollment growth results in a base student allocation of $2,572 (down form $2.677) a -3.9% reduction.
  • School lunch- were not reduced to maintain federal matching funds.
  • State Board of Education – All categories reduced at least -10% in GR. Assessment and evaluation GR reduced by ($13.3) million, or -28.4%. the funds freed up by this reduction are used to partially restore two priority programs , A++ (3.2 million ), and reading grants ($10 million).
  • Florida Schools of Excellence - $500,000 provided to continue operations.
  • All other programs and categories are reduced by -5.1%.
  • No new programs created or funded.

 

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Bills on vouchers, anti-bullying clear hurdles

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/03/bills-on-vouche.html

Bills on vouchers, anti-bullying clear hurdles

from The Gradebook | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times and tbt* by Jeff Solochek

A piece of legislation that would greatly expand Florida's school choice programs took another step forward today. On a largely partisan vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed, the House Policy and Budget Council approved HB 653, which would allow more low-income students to participate in the Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship program.

Democrats argued that the bill ignores the larger problems in public education, and it takes money away from the system at a time when money is short. "If we want to fix this (education system), let's do it right," said Rep. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall of Miami.

Republicans saw it as a matter of parental choice and improved education options, one that might save money, too. "This program provides the means to those parents that are underprivileged ... to go to a school of their choosing at a fraction of the cost of FTE," said Rep. Kevin Ambler of Lutz. "This is the exact right time to be extending a program like this."

The bill next heads to the House floor.

The House Schools and Learning Council also moved forward an anti-bullying bill (HB 669)that the House has approved twice before. To read an interview with the mom who's pushing for the legislation, click here.

 

Monday, March 24, 2008

The State of Preschool 2007

On March 19, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) held a press conference to release its annual survey, "The State of Preschool 2007." The report presents an analysis of which states funded their early childhood education initiatives sufficiently to meet the NIEER quality benchmarks. The survey also ranks all 50 states on the percentage of children served by early childhood education programs and spending per child on early education. The report ranks Oklahoma as the number one state for pre-kindergarten access for children.

According to Steve Barnett, NIEER director, research shows that high-quality, preschool education improves high school graduation rates, college attendance and employment opportunities; increases productivity and wages; and lessens crime and delinquency. Barnett noted, "Few other investments can match the rate of return like early education investments. The return to the individual is $17 for each $1 invested." He further noted that the 2007 report shows more positive news than negative. Barnett stated that for the first time since NIEER began collecting data almost six years ago, spending per child has increased. The report also shows an increase in enrollment in early education programs to more than one million children across the country. The bad news is that there is "tremendous disparity across the states." State spending per child varies, the degree requirements for teachers range from a bachelor's degree to little more than a high school diploma, the maximum class sizes and staff-to-child ratios vary greatly and a dozen states still do not provide state funded preschool education to any of its children.

Sara Watson from Pew Charitable Trust, also spoke about the new report and stated, "Failing to provide early education programs for children compromises their ability to succeed in school and life."

Read more:

http://nieer.org/

 

 

Differentiated Accountability

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings made a major policy announcement last week in St. Paul, Minn., on the state accountability measures in No Child Left Behind (NCLB), flanked by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R). In her remarks, she said, "Today, NCLB functions much like a pass-fail system. We can now make distinctions across that accountability spectrum." She emphasized that the goal for getting all students on grade level for math and reading by 2014 remains unchanged.

Spellings unveiled a new pilot program that would allow states to implement "differentiated accountability" in addressing schools that fail to meet the mandates under NCLB. The program is based on an accountability model that would allow states to interpret the type of intervention needed for each low-performing school, based on the school's degree of achievement toward NCLB goals. The move addresses complaints of NCLB treating all schools the same, regardless of the degree to which Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is met.

The ultimate goal is to allow states to focus their intervention efforts and resources on specific schools in greater need of attention. This pilot program represents a fundamental shift in NCLB policy and may open the discussion around increased state flexibility when NCLB is reauthorized.

States can submit proposals to participate in the pilot by May, and a maximum of 10 states will be approved. In their proposals, states will be required to develop methods to distinguish between schools that drastically fail to meet AYP and those that narrowly miss AYP. States with at least 20 percent of their Title I schools in need of improvement, as well as states that propose the most significant and rigorous reforms will be given preference in the evaluation and approval processes.

Read more:

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/differentiated/factsheet.html

 

The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act

A weekend interview with ...

... Debbie Johnston, a Cape Coral teacher and mother who has tried for three years to convince Florida lawmakers to pass the "The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act" (SB 790) in honor of her son, who committed suicide in 2005 after being harassed and bullied at school. Johnston spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about the bill, her son, and her efforts to bring the legislation to the federal level, too. (AP photo, 2006)

Read more …

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/03/a-weekend-int-3.html

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Bully bill clears first Senate hearing

Measure has support of former opponent

By Betty Parker • special to news-press.com • March 20, 2008

The anti-bullying bill named after a Cape Coral teenager unanimously cleared its first Senate hearing Wednesday, including a vote of support from a major former opponent.

Read more …

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/NEWS0120/803200381/1006/NEWS0104

Thursday, March 13, 2008

ASCA Providing ESSCA Testimony

ASCA was invited to testify today, March 13, 2008, before Congress about the need for funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act. Caroline Williams, the curriculum specialist from Milwaukee Public School District, Wis., and Janet Mays an elementary school counselor at Oliver Wendell Holmes K-8 School in Milwaukee, Wis., will serve as expert witnesses during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Funding for ESSCA has been eliminated from the president's budget every year and each year has been restored through support from members of Congress and the efforts of ASCA, ASCA members and other organizations.

Last year after ASCA president Eric Sparks and ASCA member Lesli Myers testified to restore funding to ESSCP, Congress restored funding at $48.6 million. This was the largest increase in the entire education budget and an all-time high for this particular program. Because the amount was over the $40 million trigger, secondary schools were able to apply for funding for the first time since the program's inception. In 2005, ASCA president Judy Bowers, whose district received ESSCA grants, testified before the subcommittee. So this marks the third time in four years that ASCA has been invited to testify.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Bullying bill passes House committee 10-0 | news-press.com | The News-Press

http://news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/NEWS0120/80311044/1075

An anti-bullying bill named after a Cape Coral teen who committed suicide unanimously passed a Florida House committee today.

By a 10-0 vote, the House Committee on K-12 approved House Bill 669, known as the “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act.”

Debbie Johnston, a first-grade teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary in Cape Coral, has been pushing for the bill since after her son Jeff killed himself at age 15 in June 2005.

Jeff had endured more than two years of cyberbullying from a classmate.

The bill would prohibit bullying or harassment of any public school student or employee during school or related activities, on a school bus, or through a school-run computer system. It would also require every school district to develop an anti-bullying policy.

 

 

Bully bill breakthrough | news-press.com | The News-Press

http://news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/SS08/803110392/1075

Senate committee chairman relents, lets panel consider measure

By jason Wermers AND betty Parker • jwermers@news-press.com and parkerspolitics@aol.com • March 11, 2008

Debbie Johnston is entering the third year of fighting for her son's legacy, and she might have a better chance now.

That's because state Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, the legislator who effectively killed the same anti-bullying bill last year, said he is willing to let the Education Pre-K-12 Appropriations Committee, which he chairs, hear the measure.

Last year, Wise pocketed the bill, which is named after Johnston's son, Jeffrey, who killed himself at age 15 in 2005 after enduring more than two years of cyberbullying from a classmate. That prevented the committee from hearing it. In 2006, Wise's predecessor as committee chairman Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, and now Senate president, did the same thing.

Wise said he had opposed the bill because he felt the protections it offered were already in place under existing law. The "Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act" requires all school districts to develop policies prohibiting bullying and harassment and allows districts to punish students who bully or harass their peers through a computer or communications device, even if the behavior takes place off campus and during nonschool hours.

"I studied it further, and if they want the bill, they can go ahead and do it," Wise said. "I will let it be heard."

State Rep. Nick Thompson, R-Fort Myers, is sponsor of the House version of the legislation. He was glad to hear of Wise's willingness to let the bill be heard in his committee.

"That's great news," Thompson said. "That makes me feel much more optimistic" about its chances for final approval.

But Thompson also pointed out that the bill still faces other deadlines and hearings before becoming law.

While Jeffrey was being bullied as a Trafalgar Middle School student, his mother taught science down the hall. She and others tried to address bullying as a group then, but it just drove the behavior onto Internet postings, including a hacking of a video game Web site Jeffrey had set up during the summer between his seventh- and eighth-grade years.

He killed himself after finishing his ninth-grade year at Ida S. Baker High School. He wrote a suicide note found on his computer, "I'll never get over eighth grade."

Debbie Johnston, now a first-grade teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary in Cape Coral, also has joined forces with the family of Megan Meier to promote a federal cyberbullying law.

The 13-year-old Missouri girl killed herself last year after the family of a former friend created a MySpace page posing as a boy interested in dating her. The writer then said he wouldn't date Meier because of rumors he'd heard about her. The family accused of the scheme wasn't charged because no law that covers that form of harassment exists.

Johnston also is spreading "The Megan Pledge" through her Students for Safer Schools network in Florida, encouraging students to sign the anti-bullying promise.

Florida legislators sponsoring the bill say it would protect those targeted by bullies, as well as bullies, not provided under state law now.

"It provides a more formalized and transparent process for dealing with bullying situations, for the schools, the parents, and for the student," said state Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral, co-sponsor of the House version of the bill with Thompson.

"By making it law rather than school board policy, we are adding an extra layer of emphasis on how important it is to protect our children at all times."

 

A Preview of the Legislative Session

FCA ADVOCACY:  YOUR INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS!

 

The following is the first of a series of counseling advocacy updates which you will be receiving during the next several months.

 

A Preview of the Legislative Session

by Eric Prutsman, FCA Legislative Consultant

 

Last year the property tax debate took center stage during Session - this year it is time for the State's budget to be in the spotlight.  On March 4th, the Florida Legislature began the difficult task of passing two appropriations acts - the first, to cut, again, the current year budget (remember they just cut this year's budget by over $1 billion last Fall); and, the second, to cut next year's budget deeper than any Florida budget has ever been cut (currently estimated to be a cut of over $2 billion). Education will not be held harmless from the cuts, but rather it will take significant reductions.

 

The House and Senate have been meeting over the past two months to identify programs in the budget that have to be cut due to decreased state revenues.  Our efforts, on behalf of the Association, have been to convince legislators not to cut personnel dollars that directly fund counselor positions.  At the same time, the Legislature's Office of Economic & Demographic Research continues to release revenue forecasts that the projected revenues continue a downward trend.  Legislators are asking if Florida's economy has seen the worst yet, the State's economists haven't been able to answer that question - but do indicate that there is evidence we will see positive economic growth at the beginning of the 2009-2010 fiscal year (July, 2009).

 

The Governor has proposed a budget that doesn't necessarily reflect the dismal economic news in the Legislature. Instead, he has put forth a budget that uses monies from the "rainy day fund" to replace the disappearing revenues.  Declaring that "it's raining" in the current economic climate, the Governor's staff believe now is the time to dip into Florida's surplus funds to "build a bridge" to the 2009-2010 fiscal year.  As of this date, legislators do not seem interested in bridge building - but it's early - and it's an election year.

 

Even as the discussion of the budget crisis will dominate every issue in Tallahassee, there will be other issues considered by the House and Senate.  However, many bills have yet to be filed and it will not be until a few more weeks that we know all of the bills that we'll be supporting or opposing.  Last year's anti-bullying legislation is back, this time with additional support from legislative leadership.  Suicide prevention will return as an issue, with the Governor's Office redoubling its efforts to promote awareness and effective programs. 

 

Additionally, we may see some controversial proposals from the Taxation & Budget Reform Commission (TBRC), which meets once every 20 years to put constitutional amendments directly on the ballot, thereby skipping over the more obvious ways (by petition or legislative action) to get constitutional amendment issues on the November ballot.  The TBRC is currently considering a proposal that would require school districts to spend 65 percent of their budgets on classroom expenses. It passed the Governmental Procedures and Structures Committee, and now goes to the full commission. Interestingly, the TBRC is beginning to see a number of proposals that never passed in the Legislature, but are now being considered by this group of 25 persons.

 

As the Session moves forward we'll keep you informed of how the Florida Counseling Association is protecting your interests in Tallahassee.

 

 

FCA Office

P. O. Box 300457

Fern Park, FL 32730

407-628-0793

407-628-0790 fax

fcaoffice@aol.com