By: Jackie Llanos Gov. Ron DeSantis recommended one of his top aides as the state’s education commissioner, replacing Manny Diaz Jr. following his appointment as interim president of the University of West Florida. The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on Diaz’s replacement... Continue Reading
By Kate Payne A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking... Continue Reading
By Britt Kennerly The honors bestowed upon Richard "Dick" Blake in life were many and well deserved, from a Rockledge park and a Cocoa sports stadium named for him to receiving the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Service Award from Brevard Democrats in 2015. Now, as word of Blake's death at... Continue Reading
By A.G. Gancarski After an acrimonious process and personal attacks against him, Santa Ono failed in his attempt to become the new University of Florida President after one of the most dramatic meetings of the Florida Board of Governors in history. This throws the decision back to the UF... Continue Reading
By Jeffrey S. Solochek A key aide to Gov. Ron DeSantis with little public profile could soon rise to the nationally prominent post of Florida’s education commissioner. Anastasios I. Kamoutsas, one of DeSantis’ four deputy chiefs of staff, has emerged as one of the most frequently... Continue Reading
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that will expand a restriction on cellphone use in Florida schools. The bill (HB 1105), which was approved by the Legislature on May 2, revises a law that has prevented students from using cellphones during instructional time. The bill will prohibit... Continue Reading
By Cory Turner, Michel Martin MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Private school voucher programs have been popping up all over the country in recent years. But now, for the first time, a national voucher plan is on the table - part of the big tax bill passed by the House that the Senate is now... Continue Reading
By Jim Turner When lawmakers begin budget conference talks Tuesday, a couple of priorities of Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, likely will already be off the table. Lawmakers aren’t expected to approve Albritton’s “rural... Continue Reading
By Gabrielle Russon Wayne Blanton, a public education icon who was an advocacy force in Tallahassee for 40 years, died Thursday at age 78. “Members of the Florida Legislature come and go. Governors come and go, and department heads come and go,” said his friend, former Sen. Bill... Continue Reading
By Jesse Scheckner Parents in Florida will soon have an outsized say in whether a private company should operate their kids’ public school. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed HB 1105, a patchwork of multiple education-focused measures lawmakers carried this year that failed to pass... Continue Reading
BY Jason Lanning The school year is ending for students and teachers, but Manatee County school officials will be busy this summer. The school board’s first order of business is finding a new superintendent. Last week, in a meeting that caught several members of the school board off... Continue Reading
by: Riley Lehman Plans for a new school on Tyndall Air Force Base are moving forward. Bay district leaders held a workshop meeting on Tuesday to discuss the next steps for the Tyndall Academy K-8 facility. The current school is old. It was built in 1950 and has had several upgrades,... Continue Reading
