It's parent trigger time in the Florida Legislature

It's the third day of Florida's 2013 legislative session, and the parent trigger bill that tied up lawmakers until the close of the 2012 session is back. Senate Democrats have already conceded they don't have the votes to stop the measure, which would give parents the power to petition for specific turnaround options including charter school conversion in their failing schools. House leaders have predicted easy passage on their side. But with opposition still mounting from parent and civil rights groups, which have called the idea controversial, experimental and lacking in evidence, lawmakers are softening the bill's edges as it heads to committee. The House subcommittee on Choice and Innovation, which takes up the legislation this afternoon, has proposed its own substitute for the original HB 867. A key change it is recommending would add a provision that if a school in the midst of implementing a turnaround measure improves its school grade by at least one letter, the turnaround option "is no longer required." That's already in state law, but its addition makes clear that school improvement could stop parent trigger in its tracks. The PCB would not change other provisions allowing for the petition, giving school boards the right to adopt the parent proposal or its own alternative, and then sending the ideas to the state for final determination as to which one "is more likely to improve the academic performance of students at the school." The bill additionally would require annual notification to parents whose children are assigned to a teacher with consecutive poor evaluations, and disallow the assignment of a student to a teacher with consecutive poor evaluations in the same subject area during the following school year. (That part of the bill concerned school district officials more than the petition part last year, because of the potential scheduling problems.) The parent trigger remains a hotly contested national proposal, and it has been used only a handful of times in California with limited success. Eyes again are on Florida, considered a breeding ground for education trial balloons, as the discussion reemerges. Gov. Rick Scott has signaled he would sign the bill into law if it comes to his desk. After that, it would be up to individual schools to see how it would be used. The bill takes its first steps today. Watch here at 1 p.m.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/its-parent-trigger-time-in-the-florida-legislature/2107523

Florida students will spend at least eight hours a year taking new standardized test

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/03/06/florida-students-will-spend-at-least-eight-hours-a-year-taking-new-standardized-test/

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/common-core-testing-will-take-8-10-hours-over-several-days/2107291

Why Hillsborough schools add extra tests to the schedule

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/03/06/why-hillsborough-county-schools-add-extra-tests-to-the-schedule/

High school graduation: House, Senate panels discuss “pathways” to a diploma

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2013/03/high-school-graduation-house-senate-panels-discuss-pathways-to-a-diploma-amid-some-worry-about-dumbing-down-standards.html

Hernando School Board to let workers donate sick time (Joe Vitalo quoted)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/compassion-is-key-in-sick-time-change/2107435

Bay teachers discuss a possible raise (Diane Wishart quoted)
http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/Teachers-Debate-a-Possible-Raise-195709931.html

Bay superintendent won’t back bus privatization

http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/superintendent-won-t-back-bus-privatization-document-1.106822

Gulf voters approve school levy

http://www.newsherald.com/news/gulf-voters-approve-school-levy-1.106242

Flagler School Board favors vote on new tax

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130305/NEWS/303059950/1040?Title=Flagler-School-Board-favors-vote-on-new-tax

Delray charter school forced to close, two others allowed to stay open

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local-education/delray-charter-school-forced-to-close-two-others-a/nWjhr/

New salary, long contract extension proposed for Miami-Dade school superintendent

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/06/3270875/new-salary-long-contract-extension.html

Bill sparks parent group to raise Orwellian fears over student privacy

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-student-privacy-legislature-bill-20130306,0,27601.story

http://politics.heraldtribune.com/2013/03/06/galvanos-student-data-bill-draws-opposition/

State senator proposes crackdown on tutoring companies

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/state-senator-proposes-crackdown-on-tutoring-companies/2107475

Complaint targets philanthropy in public education

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/06/3270091/complaint-targets-philanthropy.html

House higher ed panel pushes along in-state tuition, preeminence bills

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/house-higher-ed-panel-pushes-along-in-state-tuition-preeminence-bills/2107427

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/in-state-tuition-bill-for-children-of-undocumented-immigrants-moving-in/2107417

Groups call for a middle class revival agenda in Florida

http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/groups-call-for-a-middle-class-revival-agenda-in-florida

House speaker calculates pension savings in billions

http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=31864592

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20130307/POLITICSPOLICY/303070028/

Florida's unemployed will take two hits as sequestration's bite is felt

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130306/ARTICLE/130309721/-1/news?Title=Florida-s-unemployed-will-take-2-hits-as-sequestration-s-bite-is-felt

Scott wrong on his role in Florida’s recovery

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-scott-wrong-on-his-role-in-floridas-reco/nWjdY/

Alternatives to Medicaid expansion could be more costly

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/alternatives-to-medicaid-expansion-could-be-more-costly/2107473

Weatherford's dad proven right that Medicaid covered medical bills

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/weatherfords-dad-proven-right-that-medicaid-covered-medical-bills/2107399

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-on-medicaid-family-facts-and-fantasies/2107410

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/weatherford-safety-net-changes-again-help-came-fro/nWjbs/

House approves voting changes, but activists in Tampa call for more

http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2013/03/06/florida-house-approves-voting-changes-but-activists-in-tampa-call-for-more#.UTijrlfPJeF

http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/crowd-demanding-voting-rights-swells-to-200-in-downtown-tampa

The real GOP voter fraud: Employees admit forging voter registration forms

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/03/06/the-real-gop-voter-fraud-employees-admit-forging-voter-registration-forms/

Scott tells House to try again on campaign finance plan

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/scott-tells-house-to-try-again-on-campaign-finance-plan/2107445

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/weatherfords-woeful-campaign-finance-idea/1275362

House bridles at Senate’s proposed ethics reforms

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/florida-house-bridles-at-senates-proposed-ethics-r/nWjfQ/

House panel OKs right-to-speak bill

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_XGR_RIGHT_TO_SPEAK_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=

Corporate tax incentives may offset each other this year

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-senate-banking-tax-break-20130306,0,2698528.story

Republicans emerge from Obama dinner optimistic about deficit deal

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/286699-senate-republicans-more-optimistic-about-the-prospect-of-a-grand-bargain-on-the-deficit-

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/us/politics/congress-ready-to-start-work-on-budget.html

In Supreme Court debate on Voting Rights Act, a dubious use of statistics

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/in-supreme-court-debate-on-voting-rights-act-a-dubious-use-of-statistics/