Latest news with #SusanValdes
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local students help pass more legislation in Tallahassee
The Brief Students from Hillsborough County are helping pass more legislation in Tallahassee. The "Ought to be a Law" program is sponsored by Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Florida legislature. The students say the program gives them a voice and an opportunity to advocate for their own educational experiences. TALLAHASSEE - Students from Hillsborough County are helping pass more legislation in Tallahassee. The "Ought to be a Law" program has been in Hillsborough County Schools since 2004. On Monday, Rep. Susan Valdes announced the passage of two Florida House bills that were crafted with the help of students from Hillsborough County high schools. What they're saying "You can simulate civics all day, but putting kids in a position where they can live civics, they can learn how to address their local representatives, they can find out that these representatives are people who are interested in the things that they see as important and are willing to listen," Tony Pirotta, the project coordinator of Ought to be a Law and a teacher at Sumner High School said. Valdes says HB 1105 and HB 1255 were signed into law last week. She says HB 1255 includes proposed legislation from other bills. "Students from Jefferson High School created the language in House Bill 1261, which requires the mandatory financial literacy course to cover post-secondary expenses, like how to apply for the FAFSA," Valdes said. The students said they shared input about issues they noticed with their peers firsthand. "There are so many kids that we know that don't even know what a tax is," Genesis Salcedo Lima, a student at Jefferson High School said. "They don't even know what a tariff is. They don't know these simple economic things." PREVIOUS: Hillsborough students help propose legislation to help kids abused in foster care Big picture view The students say the program gives them a voice and an opportunity to advocate for their own educational experiences. "We think it's very important for these students to gain this education before they graduate high school, because it's the only way we can ensure that they will make it and be successful and are able to sit in these important seats as they grow older," Laraina Fernandez, a student at Jefferson High School said. Valdes says the new law addresses a plethora of education matters, including opportunities for children of military members. "We said, 'What issues in our community are we facing? How are these military students struggling?' And as we hear stories from kids who don't share the same backgrounds as us, I'm not a military student, none of our team members are military students, but we see that these children have these problems," Kaitlyn Chin, a student at Sumner High School said. The students said this program opened their eyes to different issues happening within their communities. "It inspires me to continue doing that and helping my peers know that they're not going unheard and that their worries and concerns are actually being listened to," Yeny Espino Vasquez, a student at Sumner High School, said. Valdes says the high school students were heavily involved in coming up with the legislation and moving it forward. "Students from Sumner High School created language for Senate Bill 1528 and their amended language saves the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children from repeal," Valdes said. The students visited Tallahassee with lawmakers to gain hands-on experience and learn how the legislative process works. "It's different than just filling out a worksheet on how a bill gets turned into a law," Grace Siderio, a student at Sumner High School said. "I actually sat there, and we watched the press conferences, and we watched the meetings, and we got to go up there and testify on the floor." Valdes says HB 1105 also addresses a number of matters, including requiring the Department of Education to implement a workforce credential for students with autism or on a modified curriculum. She says it also removes the certificate of completion that is given to students in place of a diploma. She says the certificate is a "phony diploma" that acknowledges a student's completion of school in the public school district, but it's not equivalent to a diploma. "This particular certificate does not allow the students to even go to the military, go to trade school, go into college, even apply for the FAFSA," Valdes said. Valdes says the encompassing pieces of legislation steer away from a one-size-fits-all education model. "We're learning how to be able to cater to children," Valdes said. "How to be able to educate children and meet them where they are." The "Ought to be a Law" program is sponsored by Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Florida legislature. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. Jason Pizzo enters Florida governor race
Related coverage: Florida democratic chair responds to claim the party is 'dead' TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo confirmed on Friday that he will be running for governor next year. Pizzo, who was the Senate minority leader, made headlines last month after his dramatic exit from the state's Democratic party, which he declared is dead. Florida Senate's Democratic leader says the state party is dead and he's leaving it The senator confirmed to WFLA that he is running for governor with no party affiliation, emphasizing that he is not joining the Independent party. 'Our constituents are craving practical leaders, not political hacks,' he said while announcing his departure on the House floor last month. Pizzo is not the only Democrat to jump ship in recent months. Rep. Susan Valdés, who was elected as a Democrat to represent Tampa, joined the Republican Party shortly after her reelection. 'I'm tired of being the party of protesting,' Valdés wrote on X in December. Florida State Rep. Susan Valdes, representing parts of Hillsborough County, switches political parties The 2026 gubernatorial race is sparse so far, with only U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) officially declaring his candidacy in addition to Pizzo. Donalds has been endorsed by President Trump, giving him a leg up over Casey DeSantis, who is rumored to be considering running to replace her term-limited husband. No Democrats have said they are running yet, and the state hasn't elected a Democratic governor in over 25 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Last-second bartering yielded two education omnibus bills
Sneads High School is in Jackson County in the Panhandle. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Two bills contained the bulk of education policy that passed through both legislative chambers, negotiated until the final hours of the scheduled regular session on Friday. Lawmakers couldn't agree to lift the secrecy of university presidential searches, lift labor restrictions for minors, or to implement a full ban on cellphones in high schools, although they did find common ground on requiring parental consent for corporal punishment. HB 1255 and HB 1105 served as the main vehicles for education policy, combining several shorter proposals from throughout the session. Florida made headlines as the first state to ban cellphone use during instructional time in 2023. The Legislature extended that policy this session, banning cellphone use for elementary and middle school students from the beginning of the school day to the end. Lawmakers approved a state pilot study in six counties to evaluate a bell-to-bell ban in high schools. Pending the governor's signature, students would no longer be allowed to earn certificates of completion. These state certificates are for students who earn the credits to graduate but too low a grade point average or fail required math and reading assessments. Lawmakers applauded junking these certificates through legislation filed by Rep. Susan Valdes for raising the bar for student achievement. The certificate of completion is less prestigious than a diploma and can carry little, if any, weight in landing a student a job, lawmakers said. Students with autism may have a better chance to secure work if the governor signs the bill, too. HB 1105 would create a workforce credential for students with autism to prove to employers they are proficient in certain skills, particularly workplace safety. 'Persons with autism are on time, they have a great work ethic, and they can perform work requirements proficiently, especially repetitive skills,' Sen. Don Gaetz said in February. 'There's a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling block is safety.' The program would task the Department of Education to create badges, which would be verified by special education staff, to document a student's abilities. HB 1105, which passed the Senate 26-5 and the House 85-14, would also allow students who participate in two years of marching band to count them toward the one-credit physical education requirement. Existing law allows two full seasons of varsity or junior varsity sports to count toward the physical education requirement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lawmakers agreed to require parental consent for corporal punishment, a practice that some lawmakers said they were not aware still existed in Florida but, during the 2023-2024 school year, 17 school districts reported 516 instances of corporal punishment, according to Department of Education data. Principals are responsible for developing corporal punishment policy. State law does require that more than one adult be present when corporal punishment is being inflicted. HB 1255 would allow law enforcement officers to arrest someone for trespassing on a school bus, a measure aiming to protect not just students but bus drivers, too. Democrats often pushed back against GOP bills addressing how charter schools function, leading to some of the most heated debates of the legislative session. In the final packages were provisions lowering the threshold needed to turn a low-performing traditional public school into a 'job-engine' charter school — one meant to attract jobs to a community— and another that includes charter schools as recipients of local government infrastructure surtaxes. Existing law requires more than 50% of teachers and parents both to vote to convert a traditional public school into a job-engine charter school. The Legislature voted, over Democrats' protests, to eliminate the need teacher approval and rely on parent approval instead. The legislation renames Hillsborough Community College as Hillsborough College; requires high schoolers to learn about the costs of postsecondary education and how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, plus how to apply for scholarships, grants, and student loans; and makes charter school teachers eligible for teacher of the year awards, a proposal Gov. Ron DeSantis made. HB 1225 would have lifted several state laws protecting minors in the workplace. That bill passed the House but died in the Senate after it received just one committee hearing. SB 1692 would have revised the state definition of material that can be considered harmful to minors. Its companion HB 1539 passed the House but, like lifting labor restrictions, made little progress in the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida lawmakers weigh school grading reform to reflect real student outcomes
A bill before the Legislature this year would adjust the way Florida's public schools are graded. That's because a school's grade of "A" doesn't necessarily mean what would traditionally be considered an A. The Schools Committed to Outstanding Results and Excellence, or SCORE, Act (HB 1483), sponsored by Rep. Susan Valdes, R-Tampa, would move the Florida Department of Education's A-F grading scale to match the usual percentages used for grading student performance in school. The shift would take place over a 10-year period. During a PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee meeting in the Florida House of Representatives on Monday afternoon, Valdes said there were about 260 schools that are graded an A where less than 50% of the students are meeting grade-level benchmarks. "So that means that there's some students that we're not capturing, that we're still not wrapping our arms around them with their needs in order for them to prosper," Valdes said. Currently, a school's rating is based on different criteria, including graduation rates and English language arts, math and science exams. But an elementary school but can still get an A even if the school receives a 62% achievement score from the state's Department of Education, for example. Such a percentage normally would be deemed a "D." The SCORE Act would, over a decade, shift those percentages to match the traditional grading scale, so that by the 2033-34 school year, schools graded an A would have to achieve at least a 90%. According to a staff analysis, 1,299 schools – or 38% – were given an A grade in 2024. Rep. Erika Booth, R-St. Cloud, acknowledged the change in school grade percentages would be "hard for a community to absorb." "But wouldn't you rather know? Wouldn't you rather know that you're driving your beautiful child to a school that is actually a C grade, instead of patting yourself on the back and thinking that you've school-choice'd into an A-rated school?" Booth asked during debate. "Don't put an A in the window of a school when it's actually at 60% and tell me to be happy about it, whether I'm a teacher, a parent or community leader," she added. Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, said this could pose a problem for turnaround schools, like Jefferson County K-12 in her district. The Jefferson County School District was taken over by the state after years of being rated as a failing district. Almost a quarter of the county's residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census data. "How are we making sure that in this grading system we're also bringing those kids that aren't similarly resourced to some of their peers, (that) don't have anybody reading to them at home, are hungry, maybe come to school with health issues. How are we addressing that?" she asked Valdes during the subcommittee meeting. Valdes said the bill also expands the interventions provided for children who do not perform on grade level from VPK to eighth grade. It also expands the eligibility for the summer bridge program for VPK and creates a grant program for classroom libraries in Title I schools. The bill passed 12-2, with Tant and Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach, opposed. The House bill heads to the Education & Employment Committee, its fourth committee of reference. There is no Senate version. The legislative session is scheduled to end May 2. Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@ This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: School grading overhaul aims to reveal true student achievement gaps
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida House passes bill tightening rules for ballot petition drives on amendments
Those gathering and submitting petitions to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot will face a series of new requirements under a bill passed by the House on Thursday. Under the legislation (HB 1205), groups sponsoring a ballot initiative would be required to put up a $1 million bond with the Division of Elections, and face fines of up to $50,000 if they hire someone who isn't a U.S. citizen to collect petitions for the proposal. The petition gatherers would have to undergo background checks and be Florida residents. Petitions must be sent to local Supervisors of Elections within 10 days, instead of the 30 days in current law, and fines for late submissions are increased from $50 to up to $2,500. The bill passed on a 76-31 vote along mostly partisan lines. Two Republicans – Reps. Susan Valdes of Tampa and Kim Kendall of St. Augustine – joined Democrats voting against it. Valdes was a Democrat until she changed parties shortly after the November election. Supporters of the bill argue it's needed to clamp down on the fraud cited in a report from the Office of Election Crimes and Security in January. It included reports of complaints of petition gatherers signing a voter's name to petitions, stealing personal information to fill out petition forms and submitting the names of dead people. The report includes instances of fraud going back to the 2022 cycle, but cited many allegations for those gathering petitions for Amendment 4 on the 2024 ballot that would have expanded abortion rights in the state. The measure received 57% support from voters, but failed because it didn't get the required 60% needed to pass into law. 'The initiative process is broken. We have a duty to fix it,' said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers. But Democrats and critics of the measure say it's simply a way to close off the amendment process available to everyday citizens to push for policies ignored by the Legislature. 'When our politicians fail us, we still have some power in the state through citizens' initiatives,' said Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville. 'Your politicians are afraid that you get to have some control over your lives and your futures.' Gov. Ron DeSantis has prodded lawmakers to pass the new restrictions on the citizen initiative process after he campaigned heavily against Amendment 4 and Amendment 3, which would have legalized recreational marijuana, last year. He used taxpayer money on public service announcements to combat the measures, drawing the ire of supporters of the amendments. The Senate version of the bill (SB 7016) includes a provision prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars to influence ballot measures in the future, but that provision isn't in the House version. The Senate bill is up for a vote in its final committee next week before heading to the floor in that chamber. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rules for ballot petition drives would be tightened under House bill
