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K-12 education in Florida | |
Education facts | |
State superintendent: Richard Corcoran | |
Number of students: 2,756,944 | |
Number of teachers: 176,537 | |
Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:15 | |
Number of school districts: 74 | |
Number of schools: 4,319 | |
Graduation rate: 75.6% | |
Per-pupil spending: $8,433 | |
See also | |
Florida Department of Education • List of school districts in Florida • Florida • School boards portal | |
Public education in the United States Public education in Florida Glossary of education terms | |
Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes. |
The Florida public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Florida had 2,692,162 students enrolled in a total of 4,269 schools in 76 school districts. There were 176,537 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 327 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Florida spent $8,433 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 42nd highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 75.6 percent in 2013.[1][2][3]
Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The Florida State Board of Education adopted these standards on July 27, 2010, and implemented them during the 2013-2014 school year. In February 2014, the Florida State Board of Education made changes to the original Common Core State Standards, adding Mathematics Florida Standards (MAFS) and Language Arts Florida Standards (LAFS), which were to be implemented during the 2014-2015 school year.[4][5]
Florida's attempts to implement Common Core standards have met with some difficulty. In 2013, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) announced that the state would not be using the Common Core-aligned exams developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PAARC), as the state would be withdrawing from the organization. In March 2014 the Florida Department of Education awarded a $220 million contract to allow the state to develop a replacement standardized test. However, the Lee County School District School Board voted to opt out from statewide standardized testing. This drew considerable backlash from state officials, including a threat by the governor to remove the school board from power. Shortly after the original vote, the board reconvened and rescinded its vote, meaning Lee County was once again subject to Common Core standards.[6][7][8]
The following chart shows how Florida compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. When compared to neighboring states, Florida had the highest administrator-to-student ratio at approximately 1:327.
Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.
Regional comparison, 2012-2013 | |||||||
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State | Schools | Districts | Students | Teachers | Teacher to pupil ratio | Admin. to pupil ratio | Per pupil spending* |
Florida | 4,269 | 76 | 2,692,162 | 176,537 | 1:15.2 | 1:326.8 | $8,433 |
Alabama | 1,637 | 173 | 744,637 | 51,877 | 1:14.4 | 1:289.9 | $8,755 |
Georgia | 2,387 | 218 | 1,703,332 | 109,365 | 1:15.6 | 1:280 | $9,099 |
Mississippi | 1,063 | 162 | 493,650 | 32,613 | 1:15.1 | 1:252.8 | $8,130 |
United States | 98,454 | 18,093 | 49,771,118 | 3,109,101 | 1:16 | 1:294.1 | $10,700 |
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2013. Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2 - Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher, and pupil teacher ratio, by state: School year 2012–13" United States Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013 (Table 20)" |
Education policy on Ballotpedia |
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Education policy in the U.S. |
Public education in the U.S. |
Higher education by state |
School choice in the U.S. |
Education statistics |
State information |
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Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.
The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Florida and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.[9]
In Florida, there were 3,609 regular schools as of 2013. Charter schools were the second most prevalent type of school, with 581 schools classified as such.
Number of schools by type, 2012-2013 | |||||||||||||||
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State | Total schools | Regular | Special education | Vocational | Alternative | Charter | Magnet | Title I | |||||||
Florida | 4,269 | 3,609 | 185 | 51 | 424 | 581 | 494 | 2,697 | |||||||
Alabama | 1,637 | 1,402 | 44 | 72 | 119 | † | 32 | 906 | |||||||
Georgia | 2,387 | 2,253 | 59 | 1 | 74 | 93 | 86 | 1,575 | |||||||
Mississippi | 1,063 | 908 | 4 | 90 | 61 | 0 | 17 | 721 | |||||||
United States | 98,454 | 89,031 | 2,034 | 1,403 | 5,986 | 6,079 | 3,151 | 68,140 | |||||||
† Not applicable. Some states/jurisdictions do not have charter school authorization and some states/jurisdictions do not designate magnet schools. ‡ Reporting standards were not met due to data that were missing for more than 20 percent of schools in the state or jurisdiction. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a |
The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Florida as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.[10]
During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.
In Florida, a plurality of students were white. White students totaled 1,121,254, which was about 41.6 percent of the student population in the state. There were 788,088 Hispanic students in Florida, which accounted for about 29.3 percent of the student population.
Public education enrollment by race/ethnicity, 2012-2013 | ||||||||
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State | Pop. category | Am. Indian /Alaska Nat. |
Asian | Black | Hawaiian /Pac. Islander |
Hispanic | White | Two or more races |
Florida | Number | 9,457 | 69,073 | 617,966 | 3,211 | 788,088 | 1,121,254 | 83,113 |
Percentage | 0.35% | 2.57% | 22.95% | 0.12% | 29.27% | 41.65% | 3.09% | |
Alabama | Number | 6,136 | 9,920 | 252,397 | 471 | 37,685 | 429,179 | 8,849 |
Percentage | 0.82% | 1.33% | 33.9% | 0.06% | 5.06% | 57.64% | 1.19% | |
Georgia | Number | 3,576 | 59,067 | 628,849 | 1,869 | 217,122 | 740,789 | 52,060 |
Percentage | 0.21% | 3.47% | 36.92% | 0.11% | 12.75% | 43.49% | 3.06% | |
Mississippi | Number | 994 | 4,818 | 244,189 | 161 | 13,389 | 225,715 | 4,384 |
Percentage | 0.2% | 0.98% | 49.47% | 0.03% | 2.71% | 45.72% | 0.89% | |
United States | Number | 533,098 | 2,363,484 | 7,798,560 | 179,935 | 12,064,310 | 25,366,857 | 1,390,514 |
Percentage** | 1.07% | 4.76% | 15.69% | 0.36% | 24.28% | 51.04% | 2.80% | |
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity. Source: United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2012-2013 |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.[11]
A majority of students in Florida attended suburban schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 84.6 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 15.4 percent who attended rural or town schools.
Student distribution by region type, 2012-2013 (as percents) | |||||||
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State | City schools | Suburban schools | Town schools | Rural schools | |||
Florida | 25.7% | 58.9% | 4.5% | 10.9% | |||
Alabama | 23.7% | 23% | 14.5% | 38.8% | |||
Georgia | 15.7% | 45.9% | 11.5% | 26.9% | |||
Mississippi | 10.8% | 14.1% | 28.9% | 46.1% | |||
U.S. averages | 30% | 39.8% | 11.5% | 18.7% | |||
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey, SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a" |
Education terms |
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For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Florida's scores were higher than its neighboring states (Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi). The state's grade four reading scores were also higher than the national average.[12]
Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
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Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
Florida | 41% | 31% | 39% | 33% |
Alabama | 30% | 20% | 31% | 25% |
Georgia | 39% | 29% | 34% | 32% |
Mississippi | 26% | 21% | 21% | 20% |
United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" |
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Florida and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[13][14][15]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[16]
Florida schools reported a graduation rate of 75.6 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, second highest among its neighboring states.
In Florida, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.6.
Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
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State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
Florida | 75.6% | Fifth | 19.6 | 74% | 1,457 | 67% | |
Alabama | 80% | Fourth | 20.4 | 78% | 1,608 | 7% | |
Georgia | 71.7% | Fifth | 20.7 | 51% | 1,452 | 75% | |
Mississippi | 75.5% | Fifth | 18.9 | 95% | 1,673 | 3% | |
United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" |
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Florida was lower than the national average at 2.1 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[17]
More students in Florida take online courses than in any other state. Other school choice options open to students in Florida include charter schools, homeschooling, scholarship programs, private schools and two public school open enrollment policies.
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.[18]
In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.[19]
The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.
Florida is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.[20][21]
Florida spent approximately 19.3 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. Florida's percentage of its budget spent on education was the second lowest when compared to its neighboring states.
Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013 | |||||||
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State | Percentage of budget | Per pupil spending | Revenue sources | ||||
Percent federal funds | Percent state funds | Percent local funds | |||||
Florida | 19.3% | $8,433 | 12.3% | 38.3% | 49.4% | ||
Alabama | 20.4% | $8,755 | 11.3% | 54.5% | 34.2% | ||
Georgia | 24.1% | $9,099 | 10.3% | 43.4% | 46.2% | ||
Mississippi | 16.4% | $8,130 | 16% | 49.9% | 34.1% | ||
United States | 19.8% | $10,700 | 9.1% | 45.6% | 45.3% | ||
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8). |
According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[21]
In Florida, the primary source of school system revenue was local funds, at $12.2 billion. This was nearly half of Florida's total school system revenue. Florida was the only state, when compared to its neighbors, that received most of its revenue from local sources.
Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
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State | Federal revenue | State revenue | Local revenue | Total revenue |
Florida | $3,027,018 | $9,455,562 | $12,191,525 | $24,674,105 |
Alabama | $811,739 | $3,898,347 | $2,443,158 | $7,153,244 |
Georgia | $1,805,878 | $7,577,585 | $8,065,837 | $17,449,300 |
Mississippi | $707,522 | $2,213,501 | $1,511,995 | $4,433,018 |
United States | $54,367,305 | $272,916,892 | $270,645,402 | $597,929,599 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1) |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[22]
Public education expenditures in Florida totaled approximately $25.8 billion in fiscal year 2012. This was the highest amount of total expenditures when compared to Florida's neighboring states.
Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
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State | General expenditures | Capital outlay | Other | Total expenditures |
Florida | $22,732,752 | $1,837,262 | $1,257,396 | $25,827,411 |
Alabama | $6,386,517 | $582,174 | $260,609 | $7,229,299 |
Georgia | $15,623,633 | $1,566,186 | $275,277 | $17,465,095 |
Mississippi | $3,972,787 | $402,465 | $97,791 | $4,341,018 |
United States | $527,096,473 | $48,773,386 | $25,897,123 | $601,766,981 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5) |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Florida, the average salary decreased by 6.5 percent.[24]
Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**) | |||||
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1999-2000 | 2009-2010 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Percent difference | |
Florida | $50,184 | $49,858 | $47,253 | $46,944 | -6.5% |
Alabama | $50,139 | $50,779 | $48,802 | $47,949 | -4.4% |
Georgia | $56,062 | $56,694 | $53,819 | $52,880 | -5.7% |
Mississippi | $43,535 | $48,722 | $42,339 | $41,994 | -3.5% |
United States | $57,133 | $58,925 | $56,340 | $56,383 | -1.3% |
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state." |
The Florida Department of Education serves as the state's repository of education data, which allows the department to track student performance over time. The Department of Education also administers a statewide reading initiative with the goal of every child in the state reading at or above grade level.[25] Pam Stewart was appointed as the Florida Commissioner of Education in 2013.[26]
The Florida State Board of Education has eight members, including a chair, a vice chair and the Commissioner of Education.[27]
The mission statement of the Florida State Board of Education reads:[28]
“ | Increase the proficiency of all students within one seamless, efficient system, by providing them with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through learning opportunities and research valued by students, parents, and communities, and to maintain an accountability system that measures student progress toward the following goals:
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In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Florida ranked 50th overall for union power and influence, or "weakest", which was in the fifth tier of five.[30]
List of local Florida school unions:
As of 2009, 27 Florida school districts had registered lobbyists, and at least 52 school districts were members of the Florida School Boards Association, the main education government sector lobbying organization.[32]
On June 10, 2009, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law a bill that prevents taxpayer funded organizations from using taxpayer money on political advertisements. The law took effect July 1, 2009 but still allowed school boards, cities and counties to distribute ballot information as long as it was "factual."[33]
Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:
Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.
Florida received a score of 75.3, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was above/below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 95, or an A average. The lowest score was in "school finance" at 70.0, or a C- average. The state received another A in the "transitions and alignment" category. The chart below displays the scores of Florida and its surrounding states.[36]
Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.
Public education report cards, 2014 | ||||||
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State | Chance for success | K-12 achievement | Standards, assessments and accountability | The teaching profession | School finance | Transitions and alignment |
Florida | 75.3 (C) | 75.8 (C) | 95.0 (A) | 82.7 (B) | 70.0 (C-) | 92.9 (A) |
Alabama | 72.0 (C-) | 62.2 (D-) | 92.2 (A-) | 74.8 (C) | 71.1 (C-) | 85.7 (B) |
Georgia | 73.9 (C) | 70.7 (C-) | 91.1 (A-) | 79.8 (B-) | 71.6 (C-) | 100.0 (A) |
Mississippi | 68.9 (D+) | 57.1 (F) | 92.8 (A) | 66.5 (D) | 64.9 (D) | 75.0 (C) |
United States | 77.3 (C+) | 70.2 (C-) | 85.3 (B) | 72.5 (C) | 75.5 (C) | 81.1 (B-) |
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here. |
The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice publishes a comprehensive guide to private school choice programs across the U.S. In its 2014 edition, the Foundation reviewed Florida's John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program and Florida's tax credit scholarship program. The John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program gives vouchers to students with disabilities or 504 plans so that they can attend private school or other public schools. The Foundation found that the John M. McKay Scholarships program has solid funding power and is limited only in that it is offered exclusively to students with disabilities. Florida's tax credit scholarship program gives tax credits to corporations who donate to Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFOs). The Foundation found that the program is limited because it is only offered to students who qualify for free or reduced lunches or to students who are in foster care. The Foundation recommends the program increases student eligibility.[37] The full Friedman Foundation report can be found here.
State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.
All K-12 districts in Florida are county-wide school systems. Each county area in the state constitutes a school district for the administration and the operation of public schools.[38]
School board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, however all vacancies are filled by appointment of the governor. School boards must include at least five members by state law; across the state, boards typically have seven to nine members. They serve four-year terms that are staggered. Districts with five-member school boards must be divided into five member residence areas and districts with seven must either be divided into seven member residence areas or five member residence areas, with one member elected from each area and two members elected at-large.[39]
As of a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, charter counties can impose term limits on locally-elected officials.[40]
No Florida school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.
Florida state law requires that all candidates at the time of qualifying take an oath that they are qualified electors of their county. In order to qualify as such, a candidate must be a resident of Florida and the county wherein he or she registers to vote. Although the completed oath is an affirmation at the time of execution that the candidate meets the requirements for qualifying such as residency, in practice, the candidate is expected to meet the requirements at the time of assuming office unless otherwise provided for constitutionally, legislatively or judicially.[41]
Candidates and committees must report all contributions, loans, expenditures, distributions and transfers, regardless of the amount. They must report the full name and address of each person making the contribution or receiving the expenditure and, for contributions over $100, the occupation.[42]
The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Florida state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Florida education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.