Florida

Florida's public education system experienced major changes during 2018-2019 which have the potential to have a long-lasting impact throughout the state. New Governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, has targeted specific priorities for P-12 public education including increasing starting teacher pay,¹ eliminating common core and creating more understandable expectations for education,² and increasing funding for safety, security, and mental health in schools.³ In higher education, the state has focused on how construction projects are funded, with the passage of SB190, which addresses the misuse of money across the Florida State Higher Education System.⁴

Issues, trends, and priorities affecting p-12 education

With the election of a new Governor, the following issues have been brought to the forefront for P-12 education as high priorities. The next year will inevitably lead to robust discussion and legislation on the following issues.

Increasing Starting Teacher Pay

The most publicized topic in Florida Public Education is increasing starting teacher pay. Governor DeSantis has proposed increasing starting teacher pay across the state of Florida to $47,500, which would make Florida the Number 2 state in the country for starting teacher pay.⁵ This action is being taken to address the extreme teacher shortage in Florida,⁶ however, it has already led to concerns and controversies. While funds are available to increase starting teacher pay, there are concerns for veteran teachers, who have yet to be addressed in this proposal and for other essential school personnel, including bus drivers, paraprofessionals, office and custodial staff, and food service workers.⁷

Eliminating Common Core

As part of his election campaign, Governor DeSantis promised to eliminate Common Core from Florida Schools. Immediately after taking office, DeSantis issued an executive order for the State Department of Education to review the standards and provide recommended changes by the end of the year.⁸ Currently, a listening session is taking place across Florida to address these changes, with feedback requested from Florida education stakeholders.

Safety, Security, and Mental Health in Schools

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission led the passage of SB7030, which is designed to provide funding to enhance safety and security measures in schools. This includes requiring each school to have an active assailant response plan, provides regulations for who can serve as a safe-schools officer, and authorizes the transfer of categorical funds toward school safety expenditures, including mental health.⁹

Recent changes to the funding formula for p-12 and higher education

During the 2019 Legislative Session, the following bills impacting state funding passed. SB7030, the above-mentioned bill to ensure the safety and security of every school, includes $180 million designated for Safe Schools and school resource officers; HB7071, $30 million in performance funding for Florida's 28 state colleges, $10 million in funding for teacher professional development and incentives to teach computer science, and $10 million for the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program to partner with business and industry for apprenticeship opportunities for students. SB7070, provides $147.9 million for scholarships for students with special needs, an additional $65 million to invest in the best and brightest teachers and principals, and a sweeping change that permits teachers to have three years to pass the General Knowledge test to obtain state certification, as opposed to one year.¹⁰ Additionally, the Florida Department of Education noted a $75 per student increase to the base student allocation, a $242.60 per student increase to the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), an overall $700 million increase to the FEFP, while still passing a $272 million property tax cut for Floridians.¹¹

Forces diverting funds from traditional public school districts

While SB7070 had elements that were specific to public schools, it should be noted that it included a component identified as the Family Empowerment Scholarship, which provides school voucher and school choice opportunities for 18,000 students from low-income families to pursue alternative forms of education from public schools.¹²

P-12 per-pupil expenditure

The State of Florida uses the full-time equivalent (FTE) system to determine the P-12 student per-pupil expenditure. FTE establishes...