School Daze: What proposed policies and changes mean for our schools, teachers and communities.
Governor DeSantis has made education a key platform issue for his administration. The legislature has also taken up the issue with their own plans for expansion of state-backed scholarship programs and improved teacher pay and retention measures. Florida Senate Education Committee Chairman Manny Diaz, R-Miami, called the education bill currently under consideration a “hot topic” bill. The panel will provide latest developments and lend their experience to provide greater perspective. The Orlando Sentinel's recent story "Senate education panel looks at vouchers and teacher incentives" may help you prep your questions for our panel:
Leslie Postal is a writer for the Orlando Sentinel covering K-12 education issues and also writes for the Moms-at-Work blog. She was part of the investigative team that explored the lack of oversight in private schools receiving state-backed scholarship money.
Annie Martin is a writer for the Orlando Sentinel with experience covering K-12 in both in Orlando and as a writer for Daytona Beach News-Journal. She also reported for the Sentinel's investigation of private school oversight. Dr. Karen Castor Dentel is currently a member of the Orange County School Board for District 6. She has been a classroom teacher with service in both Orange and Alachua Counties. She was also elected to the Florida Legislature where she was a big proponent of fairness for public schools and fought for full funding for Florida students. In the Legislature, she served on the K-12 Education Subcommittee and the Education Appropriations Subcommittee.