Latest news with #HouseBill5101
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida education bill sparks debate over funds for advanced placement programs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida lawmakers battled it out on the House floor this week over a bill that could lead to significant funding cuts to education. The bill has parents, students, and advocates on edge about advanced placement programs possibly taking a hit. Lawmakers focused on the state's budget this week, and in the budget bill, they are proposing a 50% cut in extra funding, also known as add on weights, for advance courses like AP and IB programs. Advocates, however, oppose this move, saying Florida students could lose in the end. Tariffs could impact Tampa Bay shoppers, businesses by summer, economist says House Bill 5101 has faced push back from students, teachers, and Democrats at the statehouse. Their concerns center around education funding for advance placement programs. 'In Polk County, where I grew up, the school paid for our AP classes, and coming from a family of six that was on a salary of a teacher and my dad who worked at Publix, I don't know that we could have afforded those,' said House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa). Driskell spoke in opposition of the 50% cut, saying lawmakers should pause and rethink future funding. 'Those courses allowed me to achieve my personal dream of attending Harvard University and placing out of some of those classes in my first year after coming from a public school in little humble Polk County,' Driskell said. However, Republicans behind the efforts say the bill does not cut or defund these important programs. State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Meyers) encourages students who care about this issue to continue to advocate for themselves in front of their local school boards. 'It's the school board that is deciding where those funds go and whether those funds are following you, the student, in funding these programs,' Persons-Mulicka said. The bill sponsor added that data for the past few years isn't matching up with the actual cost of these classes and this bill would allow the money to follow the students. Even with the pushback, and after over five hours of budget debate on Wednesday, the bill got the green light. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Decimate our high schools': Parents concerned over Florida House Bill 5101
Florida House Bill 5101 and Senate Bill 2510 have educators and parents on edge. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Proposed revisions to the bill could mean that programs like AP, IB, dual enrollment, and career-readiness courses could be cut by 50 percent. Senate In a letter sent out to parents, Duval County School's leaders say cuts to the funding would result in an 8 million dollar loss to the school system. Changes to the state's budget could also mean increased costs to families, limited course options for students, and fewer qualified teachers. Yasmina White, a DCPS parent and organizer, is using her social media presence to get the word out. 'HB 5101 is going to decimate our high schools. The 50 percent funding that cuts into our advanced studies courses is detrimental,' she tells us. White runs a Facebook group with more than 1,000 members called Duval School News. Her posts about the proposed pieces of legislation are garnering widespread reach, with more than 80 shares on one post. 'I highly encourage you to email legislators personally instead of a forum email,' one of the posts reads. Cindy Pearson, DCPS School Board member, is urging parents to do the same. With hours until the Florida Senate and House members will meet again to discuss the bill, Pearson says the time is now for constituents to reach out to their representatives. 'You have until this evening to send an email to the Duval delegation, to the chair of the different house and senate budget committees for ed budget committee, and then these bills will be heard tomorrow,' Pearson shares. St. Johns County school leaders say they're monitoring the legislation closely, too. 'Superintendent Forson will be addressing this in his opening comments at today's School Board meeting,' the district commented. Action News Jax will continue to monitor these bills and provide updates as they move through the legislature. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
