@ByKristenMClark
With two days left for lawmakers to enact policy this session, two Republican senators late Wednesday released what’s essentially a brand-new bill that salvages a myriad of stalled education proposals, while also preserving one of the Legislature’s top K-12 priorities: Reforms addressing excessive standardized testing in Florida public schools.
Sens. Anitere Flores, of Miami, and Kelli Stargel, of Lakeland, filed their 72-page amendment at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to rewrite a House-approved education bill that had been just 17 pages in length.
Their new version of HB 549 also, notably, keeps in play for negotiation a parent-demanded proposal that mandates daily recess in Florida’s public elementary schools. The Senate approved the idea in early April, but House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, ignored parents' pleas to bring the standalone measure to the floor, even though it has the votes to easily pass.
HB 549 was one of two bills House members envisioned could be a vehicle for testing reforms — and various unresolved education policies — before session ends. It passed the House last Friday, 117-1, but Flores’ and Stargel’s amendment creates a bill much broader than the House considered.
Photo credit: AP
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