Message from
FADSS CEO Bill Montford
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It is hard to believe that we are already two months into 2021.
I am sure these past two months have been just as busy – or likely busier – for you as it has been here at FADSS. Between new superintendent certification training, monitoring interim Legislative committee meetings, planning for FADSS upcoming Virtual 2021 Spring Conference and providing support to districts as needed, we have been on a roll.
New Superintendent Training
FADSS just finished facilitating the second of 5 Sessions in the Florida Superintendents Special Certification Program training. We have a current class of 25 superintendents, and I am already impressed by their knowledge and quick grasp of the wide-ranging issues that a superintendent must comprehend. Very few people understand the broad scope of knowledge needed to effectively run a school district. And while superintendents lean on their leadership team and staff to be the content experts in their field, a superintendent must still have a strong working knowledge of all the inner-workings of school district operations.
I also want to acknowledge the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Commissioner Corcoran, K12 Chancellor Jacob Oliva and FDOE leadership team and staff, whom FADSS works collaboratively with throughout these trainings. We truly value our working partnership with FDOE. As I have stated before, the working relationship that Florida superintendents and school districts have with FDOE and the Commissioner is the best it has ever been in my more than 50 years in public education!
Interim Committee Meetings
As you know, the 2021 Legislative Session is set to begin this Tuesday, March 2, and FADSS staff have kept diligent watch over the filed bills and committee presentations. Currently there are roughly 200 education-related bills with direct or indirect implications that FADSS is monitoring, while keeping a sharp watch on potential “unintended consequences.” FADSS General Counsel Brian Moore shares some insight on this in his article below.
Additionally, all superintendents should be receiving a weekly FADSS Legislative Update email every Friday from Brian with a detailed overview of legislative activities and outcomes for that week. The legislative updates are also posted here on FADSS website for quick reference. Please be sure to take the time to review the legislative updates, share them with your leadership teams and reach out to FADSS if you have any questions.
Outreach to Your Local Delegation Is Crucial
I also want to reiterate the importance of each of you reaching out to your local delegations on a regular basis to ensure they fully understand the challenges facing public education and the true impact it will have on their local constituents. That consistent dialogue with your local delegation and constant outreach is crucial to ensuring that legislation supports public education and that any unintended consequences are clearly known.
FADSS 2021 Spring Conference
FADSS staff – along with a Superintendent Design Team – is diligently planning a robust virtual conference that will provide you with high-quality professional development, sharing of best practices, and substantive networking opportunities. In addition, the virtual format affords every superintendent the opportunity to participate regardless of location or other obligations without having to leave their district. Another positive benefit is the inclusion of your district leadership teams in the FADSS trainings. FADSS will again extend an invitation to your leadership teams to participate so that we are all learning together in this unprecedented time.
Thank you again for everything you, your administrators and staff are doing for Florida’s students, their families, and your communities during this challenging time!
As always, if I or any member of the FADSS staff can be of assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
~ Bill Montford, FADSS CEO
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FADSS Diligently Monitoring Proposed Legislation for Unintended Consequences
By Brian Moore, FADSS General Counsel
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The Legislature has completed its interim committee meetings and is now preparing to start the 2021 Session on March 2, 2021. Like the rest of the world, the Legislature has been operating under COVID-19 restrictions, which makes this year unlike any previous year.
With so much focus on managing COVID-19 and potential budget issues, there has not been a lot of traction yet for too many substantive education bills. FADSS is tracking around 200 bills that have been filed this year, but most have not received a single committee hearing so far. Still, there are a few that have been moving forward which could have a big impact on districts, if enacted.
Rather than discuss a particular bill in detail, attempt to assess its philosophical merit, or rehash what has already been discussed in the weekly FADSS Legislative Updates, this is a good time to focus on provisions within some bills that could affect a district’s financial condition – both good and bad - or require the allocation of significant staff time and resources.
First, there are the COVID-19 liability bills which would protect employers, including school districts, from tort claims as long as they have made a good faith effort to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines. HB 7 has made its way through all three of its committees and is ready to be considered by the full House. Its companion in the Senate, SB 72, has encountered a couple of delays, but it also seems poised to move forward quickly. While these bills do not change worker’s compensation law, which already has restrictions in place for claims of exposure to an illness in the workplace, they should prevent secondary lawsuits like you might see from employee or student family members claiming that the virus entered their home through the school. There are attorneys who make their living figuring out ways to sue local governments, and these bills may help districts avoid the slow drain of unwarranted litigation.
Next, there are a couple of bills that could have the unintended consequence of creating extra work for district staff if enacted. SB 78 and its companion in the House, HB 947, would require an employee to confirm a request for union dues deductions after every collective bargaining agreement modification is ratified, and it would also require the employer to verify that request. This will mean district staff having to verify hundreds or thousands of requests for dues deductions every year -- all at the same time. This might require some additional help in the payroll department after ratification, particularly if they have to process a salary schedule change in addition to verifying every member’s dues deduction request. So far, the Senate version of the bill has cleared two of its three committees, while the House version was only filed in mid-February.
Finally, SB 48 has received a lot of attention because it addresses the controversial topics of vouchers and private school scholarships. While most discussions on these topics focus on philosophical or financial issues, one aspect of the bill might create a workload issue for districts. The bill would combine the McKay and Gardiner scholarship programs into one and eliminate any requirements of prior public school enrollment. Then, any parent who wants an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or an IEP modification can request it, and the district has 30 days to comply. The bill says, “The school district shall notify a parent who has made a request for an IEP that the district is required to complete the IEP and matrix of services within 30 days after receiving notice of the parent’s request.” One question we are trying to answer is whether this bill might lead several parents to request an IEP from the district. For example, will current 504 students who would only qualify for about $4600 under McKay now try to dismiss their 504 or request an IEP so that they can get more scholarship funding? Similarly, will parents be able to get Matrix 3-level funding with just a doctor’s diagnosis, as is currently the case under Gardiner, or will there be increased demand for IEP’s from the district for the sole purpose of obtaining a scholarship?
This IEP-request language is part of the current Gardiner Scholarship law already, so there may not be much of a change when combined with McKay. However, if there is a large influx of students with no prior public school attendance seeking an IEP or 504 students seeking some sort of change, this may generate extra work at the district level. It may also lead to conflicts with parents who just want an IEP for funding purposes. An IEP must still comply with all federal and state laws and regulations, so one can envision problems for IEP teams attempting to do proper evaluations, make eligibility determinations, and develop service plans, while parents will be expecting something within 30 days so they can get a private school scholarship where the IEP will not be implemented. Again, similar language already exists in the Gardiner program, but the effect of combining it with McKay is uncertain and worth watching.
These are but a few examples, but they happen every year – bills looking to address an issue that wind up having a direct impact on district time and resources. FADSS is always looking to identify un- and underfunded mandates.
As you think about implementing new laws or rules that have been proposed, please let FADSS know if you see problems, such as insufficient funding or insufficient staffing.
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Did you know that Brevard Public Schools is home to the ONLY certified aerospace aircraft assembly program at a high school level in the nation?
East Ridge High winds state championship in Real World Design
The Knights of Aeronautics from East Ridge High School are now state champions in the Real World Design Challenge. Read more here.
BCPS students can now access Yale’s most popular course for college credit, “Psychology & the Good Life” which explores the factors that lead to personal happiness.
Dr. Adkins was invited to present before the House Secondary Education and Career Development Subcommittee on his district's middle and high school career academies and adult ed opportunities. Watch here: https://tinyurl.com/dnefrjw8
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Be sure to follow FADSS on Twitter at @PublicSchoolSup and tag us in your posts so we can help share your district's news and accomplishments. |
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Resources from Chiefs for Change
Chiefs for Change offers a plethora of resources on COVID testing, contact tracing and vaccinations. They recently added a Project Planning Workbook that provides system leaders and their teams with a downloadable Excel tool that can support the step-by-step processes needed to design, implement, and project manage district-wide testing.
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FADSS Legislative Updates |
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FADSS Legislative Updates are a comprehensive overview of the week's committee meetings and outcomes both prior to and throughout the Florida Legislative Session. The update is emailed directly to every superintendent and their administrative assistant every Friday from FADSS General Counsel Brian Moore.
If you missed an issue or want to refer back, the Legislative Updates are archived on the FADSS website and can be accessed here.
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NASA's Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars
As millions of kids skip kindergarten, the learning gap widens – and schools may lose funding
Source: USA Today | By Alia Wong | Feb. 21, 2021
Although national statistics aren’t available, one NPR survey last fall of more than 60 districts in 20 states found that enrollment dips have been especially pronounced in kindergarten – on average, these districts have 16% fewer kindergartners than they did during the 2019-2020 school year. A separate analysis of 33 states by Chalkbeat and The Associated Press found that kindergarten opt-outs have been the biggest driver of the overall K-12 enrollment decline, accounting for 30% of the total reductions. Read the article here.
How Public Schools Became America’s Social Safety Net
Even without sufficient resources, schools serve as a critical source of support for disadvantaged kids.
Source: Thenation.com | By Karina Piser | Feb. 19, 2021
“Ask any superintendent, and they’ll tell you that as the school’s mandate has increased, funding has remained stagnant or even decreased,” said Katie Wilson, the executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance. “They can’t publicly say, ‘We can’t do this,’ and yet financially, they’re under a lot of pressure.”
A Pre-COVID Education Study With Big Implications for Remote Learning During the Pandemic:
When Parents Take Over, Children Give Up Easier
Source: The74 | By Asher Lehrer-Small | Feb. 22, 2021
Research Study: University of Pennsylvania
New Research Makes a Powerful Case for PBL
Two new gold-standard studies provide compelling evidence that project-based learning is an effective strategy for all students—including historically marginalized ones. Read the article here.
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FADSS Platinum Business Partner Webinar Spotlight |
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Join FADSS Platinum Partner ENA for a timely and informative webinar on:
Maintaining Student Data Compliance in Florida Districts
The rapid transformation to digital learning has introduced new opportunities, but these digital tools and applications have also rendered Florida districts more vulnerable to student data privacy threats. It is critical that Florida superintendents and district leaders have a keen understanding of student data privacy regulations in order to avoid costly violations and/or breaches.
During this briefing, Reg Leichty, Founder and Partner of Foresight Law and Policy, will provide an overview of Florida’s student privacy laws, including integrations with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Attendees will also learn how one school district’s leadership team is using CatchOn, a data analytics solution, to help achieve compliance and better protect their students’ data.
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Shout out to FADSS Platinum Partner Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, on being recognized again by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the world's most ethical companies.
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Mark Your Calendar for FADSS 2021 Virtual Spring Leadership Conference.
Wednesday, March 24 - Thursday, March 25, 2021
In addition to superintendents, conference registration will be extended to district leadership teams and staff.
More information coming soon!
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THANK YOU to all the
2020-2021 FADSS Annual Business Partners
for their support of FADSS & Florida district school superintendents
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Florida Association of District School Superintendents
208 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
850.577.5784
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