State Board of Education and Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. Take Actions to Protect Students and Hold Districts Accountable
March 27, 2024
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State Board of Education and Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. Take Actions to Protect Students and Hold Districts Accountable
Tallahassee, Fla., March 27, 2024 – Today, the State Board of Education approved a motion to require the Broward County School Board and Broward County School District to comply with the law and pay back the more than $80 million they owe to the charter schools in their district. Additionally, the Board designated the Schools of Excellence for 2022-2023. During the meeting, Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. also made clear that districts should not use tutor.com due to its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“I am extremely proud of the many accomplishments that protect Florida students, teachers and schools,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “It is crucial that districts are held accountable for their actions, and I am pleased that we have taken measures to ensure transparency.”
Holding Broward County Schools Accountable
On March 7, 2024, Commissioner Diaz informed the Broward County School District that they were out of compliance with Florida law, specifically regarding sharing revenue collected via discretionary tax levied under section 1011.71(9), Florida Statutes (2018), with its charter schools. In 2018, Broward County voters passed a referendum to provide additional funding to public schools, and the Broward County School District has failed to share those dollars with the Broward charter schools. The State Board of Education has given the Broward County School District and the Broward County School Board until the next State Board of Education meeting on April 17, 2024, to reach a resolution and present their plan of compliance to the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education and the Florida Department of Education will ensure that districts provide charter schools their rightful share of funding from local referendums. See the letter sent to the Broward County School District here (PDF).
Schools of Excellence
The State Board of Education approved a measure that designated the Schools of Excellence for the 2022-23 academic year. This designation is awarded to schools whose school grade calculation is in the 80th percentile or higher for at least two of the last three school years. Out of the 783 schools recognized, 658 maintained their designation from the previous year, 37 renewed their designation and 88 were newly designated.
- The Florida Legislature established the Schools of Excellence program in 2017 under HB 7069 as an initiative to recognize and reward Florida’s highest-performing schools. The program encourages continuous improvement and provides administrative flexibility to the state’s top schools so they can continue to provide the highest quality education to students. The 2022-23 Schools of Excellence can be found at Schools of Excellence.
Combatting Chinese Influence in Schools
Commissioner Diaz informed the State Board of Education of the action taken yesterday by the Florida Department of Education to protect student data. In a letter sent to school district superintendents, college presidents and charter schools, he advised them to be aware of using the program, tutor.com. This website is owned by Primavera Capital, which is headquartered in a foreign country of concern, China, and poses data security concerns. The Florida Department of Education is committed to protecting Florida students while ensuring they have access to the highest quality education materials. See the letter sent to district superintendents, Florida college presidents and charter schools here (PDF).
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