Florida universities extend some admissions deadlines because of hurricanes
College and universities across Florida were shutting down their campuses this week, as Hurricane Milton barreled toward the coast of Florida. Campuses from Miami to Tampa to Gainesville and Daytona Beach have shut down. Some colleges have shifted to remote classes. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Florida Board of Education asks Legislature for $27 billion
The Florida Board of Education has voted to request $27.2 billion from the Legislature for next year’s budget. The board met on Sept. 25 to discuss funding requests for the 2025-26 operating and fixed capital outlay budget. The meeting lasted approximately 15 minutes, and the board unanimously approved the funding request for the Department of Education. The request is approximately $165 million more than the appropriations for the 2024-25 fiscal year. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Federal judge dismisses Florida lawsuit challenging accreditation system
A federal judge last week dismissed Florida’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation requirements, though the ruling allows the state to revise its complaint. Florida sued the Education Department last year, arguing that federal accreditation requirements violate the Constitution by giving private agencies “unchecked power” to determine educational standards at colleges. [Source: Higher Ed Dive]
Florida looks to improve pre-K quality with new preschool ratings
For decades, Florida faced criticism for judging the quality of its pre-K program on a “readiness” test given to young students after they started kindergarten. It was a system, critics argued, that penalized preschools serving the kids who struggle the most — often those from low-income families. Now, the state is debuting a new rating system that gives more credit for the progress these fledgling students make over the course of their time in preschool. More from the Orlando Sentineland the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida Department of Education extends various deadlines in response to Hurricane Helene
The state of Florida has issued guidance for schools impacted by Hurricane Helene, which will also help schools that will soon be impacted by Hurricane Milton. The guidance relates to Survey 2 reporting that has been affected by school closures related to Helene, and will be further impacted by closures related to Milton. Survey 2 is a demographic survey that collects student and staff attendance data for use in various planning metrics. [Source: Florida Politics]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Moms for Liberty gets court win over Brevard limits on speakers at school board meetings
A federal appeals court Tuesday backed a chapter of the group Moms for Liberty in a constitutional challenge to Brevard County School Board policies that placed restrictions on speakers at board meetings. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said policies targeted at “abusive,” “obscene” and “personally directed” speech violated the First Amendment.
› Sarasota School Board approves new AI guidelines, advances curriculum directives
With the impacts of a new public comment policy beginning to take shape, the Sarasota School Board swiftly handled its business at a meeting last week — taking steps to approve new policies regarding artificial intelligence and curriculum guidelines. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half with less than 10 public commenters: a stark departure from previous meetings that saw public comment alone span hours.
› Jacksonville University College of Law expands faculty
Now in its third year of instruction and provisionally accredited by the American Bar Association, the Jacksonville University College of Law expanded its faculty with five professors, a counselor and a law librarian. Fifth District Court of Appeal Judge Scott Makar joins the faculty as an adjunct professor, bringing years of appellate practice experience to the curriculum.
› Broward may shrink rather than close low-enrolled schools
With little appetite to close schools, the Broward School Board is now considering a new approach to deal with low-enrolled campuses: shrinking their size. School Board members discussed Tuesday the possibility of “partial closures” for schools with many empty seats. This would mean keeping the schools open for students but using extra space for district offices or turning it over to a local government or community agency for other uses.
Florida Board of Education asks Legislature for $27 billion The board met on Sept. 25 to discuss funding requests for the 2025-26 operating and fixed capital outlay budget.