Get Ready to Advocate for Public Schools, Covid Edition
Florida’s legislature will soon be back in session. What attacks do they have planned for Education this year?
- Bills calling for Alternate Charter School Authorizers and School Board Term Limits have been filed… again. Will the 3rd time be the charm for these bills?
- Will the FLDOE get the legislative approval they need to calculate school grades based on “Prior-Prior Learning Gains” or will the Legislature follow the path of states like Georgia and call for a Waiver of standardized tests and school grades during this Covid-disrupted school year?
- Will they attempt to expand standardized testing in preschool, again?
- Will they push to expand vouchers again? Here’s a clue: the very first Senate Education meeting will focus on Florida’s voucher programs.
- Will this be the year they finally pass Universal Vouchers/ESAs?
- What new privatization scheme do they have in store for us?
Now more than ever, we need your help to advocate for our public schools. Now is the time to get ready for Florida’s 2021 Legislative Session!
Interim Committee Weeks begin January 11th and will also be held on the weeks of January 25th, February 1st, 8th and 15th. Regular Session begins March 2nd and is scheduled to end on April 30th (60 days).
You can be an Advocate!
If you care about public education in Florida, this would be another great year to follow education issues, voice your concerns to your representatives and stand up for our public schools.
Watch Committees in Action: As always, meetings and press conferences will be broadcast live on The Florida Channel. If you ever miss LIVE coverage of an event, you can view an archive of it in their Video Library within 24 hours of the time the event concluded (often within an hour or so).
Track Bills: You can follow the movement of House or Senate bills by using the Senate Tracker and/or the House Tracker. You can also ask the Tracker to update you on specific Committee activities and/or press releases.
Meet with Legislators: Local, in-district advocacy may be particularly useful this year given the restrictions due to Covid at the Capitol. For the month of January, at least, Senators have been asked to avoid in-person meetings and to utilize available platforms to schedule meetings virtually. Similarly, House Members and staff are encouraged to use conference calls or virtual meetings as alternatives to in-person meetings. In the House, if in-person meetings are deemed necessary, Members are asked to limit guests (1-2 depending on office space) to allow for adequate social distancing. In-person meetings should be by appointment only.
Build Relationships: It is always a good idea to develop relationships with your legislators and (very important) their aides. You can find your state representatives, along with their contact information, here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find. Call their office, introduce yourself and ask when your local County Delegation meeting will be held. Most Delegation meetings allow public input and many are being held virtually this year.
Advocating at the Capitol during the Pandemic:
New Leadership, new legislators and new Covid-related protocols will make Advocacy in Tallahassee look a little different this year.
Florida Senate:
New Senate President, Wilton Simpson (R-10) released his new Covid Protocols for Interim Committee Weeks:
- No more than three committees will meet at any one time allowing the use of the three largest committee rooms (412 Knott, 110 SB, and 37 SB) and accommodating appropriate social distancing.
- Senate Committee Meeting are scheduled to last 2 1/2 hours (as usual), with an hour between meetings to allow for cleaning.
- In-person committee viewing will be limited to those invited to present information before the committee as well as members of the media.
- Members of the public may view and address the committees, remotely, as follows:
“The Senate worked in partnership with Florida State University to reserve three remote viewing rooms at the Leon County Civic Center, which will provide the opportunity to for members of the public to view meetings and virtually address Senate committees in a safe, socially distant manner.
Each committee notice published in the Senate calendar will include the room number within the Civic Center where members of the public may gather should they wish to address the committee. As always, additional public comment can be offered in writing and for inclusion in the committee packet.”
Florida House:
Things will be slightly different on the House side, where new Speaker, Chris Sprowls (R-65) announced that House committees will be meeting on alternate weeks, minimizing the number of meetings each week to allow for adequate social distancing:
“During the January 11 committee week, half the committees and subcommittees will meet over two days (rather than all the committees meeting over the traditional four days). During the January 25 committee week, the remaining committees and subcommittees will meet for two days. For the week of February 1, the committees and subcommittees that met during the January 11 committee week will meet again, and so on through February.”
- House committees will only meet in Webster Hall, Morris Hall, Reed Hall and Sumner Hall.
- House committees are scheduled to only meet for one house this year (as compared to 2 hour meetings held in the past), with hour breaks between committee meetings to allow for cleaning.
Also in the House, public attendance will be allowed during committee meetings where bills or potential legislation is being discussed:
- Audience seating in committee rooms will be socially distanced and limited to meetings where committees are discussing bills or potential legislation.
- The House will use an online registration system for the public (including lobbyists and advocates) wishing to provide substantive testimony and for the press.
- Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- There will also be an opportunity for the public to provide written testimony to committee members should they not be able to provide testimony in person.
- On certain issues of “great public significance” and when scheduling allows, they will also have expanded seating capacity for on-site virtual testimony. Details to be announce soon.
Other Covid protocols:
- Legislators and staff will be required to test for Covid before each Committee Week.
- Masks will be required in meeting spaces. In the House, all employees “will be required to wear a mask when interacting with others in the legislative process as well as undergo testing at the on-site testing center.”
- For House Members, masks are encouraged: “Masks in the House: For members: “We would also ask you to wear a mask when around other Members, legislative employees, and visitors. Some exceptions may apply based on individual circumstances” (we’re going to be referring to that as “The Sabatini Rule.”)
- Page, Intern, and volunteer programs at the Capitol have been temporarily postponed during the 2021 Regular Session.