Back to school: Florida senators preview possible K-12 deregulation bills
Tallahassee Democrat | By Douglas Soule | November 8, 2023
Florida senators previewed possible education deregulation legislation Tuesday, including one bill that would allow students who are at least 16 to test for high school equivalency degrees with only parental permission.
“It’s just a simple exemption,” Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, told reporters. “If parents sign off, the student can go get their GED and then enter into the workforce or workforce training … We don’t want to hold those students back who already know what they want to accomplish.”
Right now, a 16-year-old can only do so under “extraordinary circumstances” as allowed by their school district. “This opens up the door for them,” Simon said.
He’s the chair of the Florida Senate’s Committee on PreK-12 Education, which held a brief workshop on deregulation ideas from committee Republicans and the state’s Department of Education. Those ideas came in the dozens, floated for the regular legislative session that starts in January.
Florida District 3 Senator Corey Simon takes the oath of office in the Florida Senate on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla. Chasity Maynard/Tallahassee Democrat
The workshop was spurred by a 2023 law that dramatically expanded private school voucher access in Florida. Tucked into that was a provision that required the state to develop and recommend laws to reduce public school regulation by Nov. 1.
“There was no intent to place burdensome requirements on traditional public schools; we have just evolved over the years to where we are today,” said Bill Montford, CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, at the meeting.
“I’m convinced that we’ll be successful in this effort in reducing red tape and removing unnecessary burdens, and it will allow our school districts to be more aggressive in meeting the ever-changing needs of our families,” added Montford, a former state senator for the Big Bend.
Fifth graders Payton Hamric (left) and Suri Smith (right) play rock-paper-scissors with friends Yaylin Mercado (left center) and Cara Reid (right center), all age 10, after their teacher read the book “The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors” by Drew Daywalt on the first day of school at J.D. Parker Elementary School in Stuart, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. LAURIE K. BLANDFORD/TCPALM
Teachers union expresses support
When the voucher law was still making its way through the legislative process, Florida’s largest teachers union came out strongly against it.
The Florida Education Association said it’ll drain money from public schools. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it only a few weeks into the legislative session earlier this year.
But the provision on deregulation isn’t getting opposition from Andrew Spar, the FEA’s president.
“For really the better part of two decades now, we’ve seen significant and regular adding of requirements for school districts and teachers and staff to jump through,” Spar said in a Tuesday afternoon phone interview. “I think the idea of deregulation now is really reversing some of those onerous requirements that get in the way of teachers being able to teach.”
At the same time, Spar questioned some of the Department of Education’s recommendations.
“It’s mostly minor corrections to statutes, a reduction of some paperwork that districts do, but nothing that really focuses on, ‘What are we doing to help students? And what are (we) doing to help address the teacher and staff shortage?’” Spar said.
Among the state’s proposals are a repeal of a requirement for school districts to consult with the state on electronic signature protocols and increasing when school buses are inspected from every 30 calendar days to approximately every 90 calendar days when school is in session.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd of 500 to 1,000 supporters at the Sahib Shriner Event Center on Sunday as part of his Education Agenda Tour across the state. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE
But Spar found himself largely supportive of measures mentioned by the senators. In a meeting packet, those measures were listed under three names: Simon, as well as Sens. Alexis Calatayud and Travis Hutson, all Republicans.Simon spoke on the 16-year-olds getting GEDs idea, which Spar said he’s not familiar with. But he said other Senate ideas had “substance that could have a direct positive impact.”
He mentioned proposals streamlined the teacher certification and pay process and others that take a good chunk out of “burdensome” reporting and paperwork requirements for school districts.
Lawmakers also want to make changes to district finance and budget policies, including reducing financial report frequency.
Student assessment requirement shifts being pitched go beyond the GED idea. One would remove the 10th grade English Language Arts and Algebra 1 end-of-course requirements to earn a standard diploma.
And then there’s the loosening up and alteration of teacher certification, hiring and pay requirements, such as by offering professional certificates with later renewal dates.
“For 18 years, I’ve watched some of the best teachers I know walk out of the classroom, because they can’t reach the students under the regulations that they’ve been given,” Thomas Bugos, formerly a teacher and currently the Seminole Education Association president, said to committee members. “I greatly appreciate everything you’re doing, and I look forward to working with you.”
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. X: @DouglasSoule.
