School Start Times, SB 296/HB 261

Text of the Bill and a Brief Summary

  • SB 296 (full text)/HB 261 (full text) repeals an unfunded mandate that would set school start times statewide. 

What’s Next

SB 296

SB 296 was passed unanimously by the Senate. It is awaiting a vote in the House.

HB 261

HB 261 passed each of its committee stops and is ready for a vote of the House.

Vote History

SB 296

  • 6-1; March 3, 2025, Senate PreK-12 Education Committee
  • 8-1; March 11, 2025, Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee
  • 19-0; March 20, 2025, Senate Fiscal Policy Committee
  • 38-0, March 27, Senate

HB 261

  • 16-0; March 19, 2025; House Education Administration Subcommittee
  • 19-0; March 26, 2025, House Education and Employment Committee

Talking Points

  • Decisions such as when schools start are best made at the local level. By repealing statewide mandated school start times, this bill helps to restore local control.
  • School districts will incur hundreds of millions of dollars in costs in order to comply with the unfunded mandate to change school start times.
  • Already, Florida is ranked #50 in the nation for average teacher pay. If this unfunded mandate is not repealed, school districts will be forced to spend money on bussing that would better be spent on increasing teacher salaries to help address the teacher shortage.
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