September 17, 2018 05:00 AM Updated September 18, 2018 10:21 AM Charter schools play an important role in Florida’s education system but should not be prioritized over traditional public K-12 schools, according to a panel of the state’s leading voices. In a new survey of the Florida Influencers, a group of prominent political and policy figures…
Category: Educators Protest
State Board of Education Adopts Act 46 Forced Merger Guidelines
Foreground, from left: Vermont Agency of Education staff members Donna Russo-Savage, Brad James and Emily Simmons face the State Board of Education at a meeting in Bethel on Tuesday. HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN OCT 3, 2018 After an all-day meeting Tuesday in Bethel, the State Board of Education has adopted a set of guidelines to help steer…
It’s been a tough few years for Florida teachers. Will a new union leader shake things up?
BY COLLEEN WRIGHT AND EMILY L. MAHONEY October 12, 2018 08:07 AM Top education leaders have spent years pleading, lobbying and rallying at the state capitol, but Tallahassee lawmakers keep making life harder and harder for Florida’s public school teachers. The Florida Education Association advocates for the state’s nearly 200,000 educators, but it…
Orleans Parish School Board expands geographic priority for admission to public elementary, middle schools
Della Hasselle October 12, 2018 The Orleans Parish School Board voted Thursday night to tweak the geographic priority component of OneApp, the lottery system used to assign seats in most of the city’s public schools, following years of complaints from parents that children have been unable to attend schools close to their homes. Now, more…
Voter Guide 2018: Amendment 73: Quality Public Education Fund Amendment
Author: Philip Maravilla October 9, 2018 Amendment 73 would change the state constitution and state law on how tax revenue is raised to fund public education, from preschool to grade 12. Amendment 73 would establish the Quality Public Education Fund. Money from the fund would supplement public education funding appropriated through the general fund. The measure is projected…
Education Is on the Ballot this November
By Jessica Yin October 12, 2018, Getty/Portland Press Herald/Derek DavisA child peers up into a voting booth as his mother fills out ballots in Scarborough, Maine. With one month left before the midterm elections, voters have a lot of big decisions to make as they prepare to choose between candidates running for local, state, and national…
Understanding Amendment 73: Funding Public Education
Sarah Ferguson Oct 11, 2018 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Election day is less than a month away now and we want to start breaking down some of the amendments you’ll be voting on this November. Amendment 73 aims to increase funding for K-12 Public Education by establishing tax brackets, or raising taxes for certain…
There are still fewer public school teachers than there were before the Great Recession, and that’s a problem
Quentin Fortrell Oct 5, 2018 Earlier this year, teachers in Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia protested for better wages and school funding J Pat Carter/Getty ImagesElla Roach holds a protest sign in support of her teacher, Kimberly Cox, during a rally in Oklahoma City last April. She was one of thousands of teachers demanding…
OPINION: Public school buildings belong to public school students — including charter students
Nina Rees October 03, 2018 As children conclude their first weeks of school across America, how do you envision their school buildings? The traditional brick-front building with big windows and rows of tidy desks? A more modern structure with laptops at workstations and a dual-use gym and theater? How about an abandoned big box store…
Get to Know Your Public Schools: 7 Revealing Numbers About America’s Education System, From Diversity to Safety, Absenteeism & More
All summer long at The 74, we’ve been using our “Big Picture” series to offer parents a richer understanding of the nation’s public school system — maps and charts that look at specific aspects of district policy and classroom behavior. Even if it wasn’t a complete sampling of every single issue facing families, teachers, principals, and policymakers,…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 