The Flagler County School Board Tuesday evening will approve going to a tax referendum in June, asking voters to increase their property taxes modestly to preserve programs and add security in schools, but the proposal doesn’t have the unanimity two similar proposals had in the last three years.
Schools
“Parent Trigger” Bill Advances In Backdoor Victory for Charter School Lobby
Supporters say the proposal will improve chances for children trapped in failing schools.Opponents worry that politically savvy for-profit corporations could encourage parents to back the charter school option.
Flagler School District Will Propose New Tax, Citing Costly Security Needs and Programs
The school board voted 4-1 to ask voters to approve doubling an existing critical-needs levy, to 50 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value–a decision Board Chairman Andy Dance opposed for being too large, citing “school-funding fatigue” among voters.
Sequestering Florida’s Children And Their Schools
The across-the-board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, will slow our economic recovery and cost upwards of a million jobs nationally. But here in Florida, the sequestration knife cuts especially deep, particularly in the already underfunded field of public education, writes Katie Hansen.
Lawmakers Considering Arming Teachers and Adding Warning Shots to Stand Your Ground
Florida’s self defense law would say people can fire warning shots to fend off attackers without fear of prosecution and teachers would be able to pack heat on campus under bills now before legislators.
For Flagler County Students, a New Tech Academy Without Borders, or Traditional Walls
Instead, the academy will be on the Flagler Palm Coast High School campus and students will also be enrolled at the high school. Dual enrollment will also be offered, which offers students a chance to earn college credits at Daytona State College while in high school.
Jamesine Fischer Pleads Guilty in Hit-and-Run, Will Serve 21 to 36 Months in State Prison
Jamesine Fischer Thursday morning pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident with a death, in the hit-and-run killing of 76-year-old Francoise Pecqueur in Palm Coast in November 2011.
Youth Leadership Flagler Application Deadline Is March 15 for High School Sophomores
Modeled after Leadership Flagler, a program that develops aspiring leaders of Flagler County, the youth program will provide participating students with a better understanding of Flagler County for community-improvement purposes.
Picking on Poorer Parents, Florida Targets Early-Learning “Fraud” That Doesn’t Exist
Allegations of “potential” fraud in Florida’s early learning programs have served as the basis for repeated attempts at a legislative cure – including this year – but are melting away under scrutiny by investigators.
Bill Would Let Counties Tax for School Security
County voters could decide to levy a special property tax to pay for public school security under a measure filed Tuesday in the House. The measure, HB 873, would allow a county commission to establish a special taxing district to pay for school security and mental health services.