Education Meetings This Week in Tallahassee – January 13 – 17, 2025
Committees will begin meeting this week in Tallahassee in preparation for the opening of the 2025 legislative session (on March 4, 2025). Although there are no bills on this week’s agendas, early committee week meetings can be interesting to watch because they often include member introductions (and you can learn how many representative home school their children) and you may learn about the chair’s priorities. The scheduled presentations often forecast what issues the committee intends to address.
If you can’t attend in person, you can watch meetings on thefloridachannel.org .
The Florida House
These are the scheduled meetings of House Education committees to date. The House Education & Employment Committee is not scheduled to meet yet but may be meeting on Thursday or Friday (those calendars have not been released yet).
Tuesday January 14, 2025
9am – 11am: House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee
Location:Morris Hall (17 HOB)
Meeting Overview/Summary:
Meeting Florida’s workforce needs: presentation and discussion on Florida’s manufacturing industry
3:30pm -5:30pm: House PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee
Location:Morris Hall (17 HOB)
Overview of PreK-12 Budget with presentations by:
- Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr.
- Senior Chancellor Paul Burns, Division of K-12 Public Schools
- Chancellor Cari Miller, Division of Early Learning
- Deputy Commissioner Suzanne Pridgeon, Division of Finance & Operations
- Executive Director Adam Emerson, Office of School Choice
- Vice Chancellor Darren Norris, Office of Safe Schools
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
9am – 11am: House Student Academic Success Subcommittee
Location:Reed Hall (102 HOB)
Meeting Overview/Summary:
Panel discussion on implementation of CS/HB 379 — Technology in K-12 Public Schools
Background: HB379 (2023) outlined measures for district school boards to enhance Internet safety and regulate technology use in schools. The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously. Since that time, several school districts have banned cell phone use entirely, the state banned social media for children 14 and younger and the federal government is on the brink of banning Tik-Tok altogether.
Key provisions of HB379 included:
- Device Usage Restictions:
- Students are prohibited from using wireless communication devices during instructional time unless directed by a teacher for educational purposes.
- Internet Safety Policy:
- District school boards must adopt policies limiting student Internet access to age-appropriate material.
- The policy must protect students from harmful content, unlawful activities, and technology that jeopardizes personal information.
- Social Media Restrictions:
- Students are prohibited from accessing social media platforms via district Internet, except for educational purposes under teacher supervision.
- Use of TikTok is banned on district-owned devices, through school Internet, or for district communications and promotions.
- Social Media Education:
- Students in grades 6–12 must receive instruction on the effects of social media (social, emotional, and physical).
3:30pm – 5:30pm House Education Administration Subcommittee
Location:Reed Hall (102 HOB)
Meeting Overview/Summary:
- Member report on site visits.
- Overview of early learning system.
- Panel discussion on the administration of School Readiness.
Florida Senate
Both Senate Education committees are scheduleed to meet this week.
Tuesday January 14, 2025
11am – 1pm Senate Education Pre-K – 12
Location: Pat Thomas Committee Room, 412 Knott Building
Presentations on Supports for Families and Students with Autism:
- UF Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment
- Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)
- Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS)
- Palm Beach School for Autism
- South Florida Autism Charter School
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
9am – 12am: Senate Appropriations Committee On Pre-K – 12 Education
Location: Mallory Horne Committee Room, 37 Senate Building
On the agenda:
- Presentation of Pre-K – 12 Education Budget Overview
- Program Review: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) – Federal Funds
- Program Review: Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource Centers (FDLRS)
- Program Review: University Autism Programs – Centers for Autism and Related Disabilities
- (CARD)
The discussion of IDEA funding may be interesting given the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 recommended changing how federal funds for IEPs are distributed and allowing parents to put that money into savings accounts or use it for private schools. To date, Governor DeSantis and Florida Commissioner of Education have been closely aligned to the Heritage Foundation’s education policies.
State Board of Education
January 15, 2025
10am (9am CST): State Board of Education (FLBOE) Meeting
Location Destin High School, 4325 Commons Dr. W., Destin
The agenda is here: https://www.fldoe.org/policy/state-board-of-edu/meetings/2025/2025-01-15/
I will be watching for the state board’s response to Escambia County’s new Turnaround plan for Warrington Middle School, now called Warrington Prepatory Academy. After years of low performance, disrict turnaround, and external operators, the Eskambia Board was left with only two turnaround options for the struggling middle school: charter conversion or school closure. The Escambia County School Board was “strongly encouraged” by the FLDOE and state Board to accept a charter conversion contract with Charter Schools USA (CSUSA), one of Florida’s largest and most politically connected for-profit charter management company. CSUSA opened the school in August 2023 to much fanfare by the Board of Education.
When school grades came out in 2024, Warrington Prep had earned another “D” grade, but had shown some progress. Now, it appears, the Escambia School Board is called before the state board to ask for a one year year extension of their turnaround plan, allowing CSUSA to continue operating Warrington Prep during 2025-26, noting significant academic improvement and a positive trajectory towards a “C” grade.
Will the FLBOE chastise and threaten the Escambia School Board, as they did in the spring of 2023? Will they celebrate CSUSA? I will be watching.
Again, all these meetings can be watched (live or recorded) on thefloridachannel.org.