Florida Chamber Capitol Update: Education

One of the most common concerns we hear from businesses of all sizes is the need for a qualified workforce and highly-trained talent pool. The Florida Chamber believes a talented workforce is Florida’s best long-term economic development strategy. From early learning to lifelong learning, Florida wins when we match business needs with talent.

Below is a summary of education presentations from the first Committee Week of 2017 that the Florida Chamber monitored this week. To learn more about any of these issues, please contact me at bhunt@flchamber.com.

• The House Education Committee heard several presentations and had important conversations regarding the purpose of education and closing the opportunity gap,
• The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Pre-K – 12 Education hosted a workshop on assessments and funding,
• The House Pre-K – 12 Innovation Subcommittee listened to presentations on the impact of school choice and learned more about Florida’s school choice programs. Florida Chamber Board of Governors’ member Step Up for Students was featured during this meeting,
• The House Pre-K – 12 Quality Subcommittee listened to presentations on effective teachers and how to retain effective teachers for turnaround schools,
• The House Post-Secondary Education Subcommittee heard a presentation on post-secondary attainment, during which the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Jobs 2030 report was mentioned,
• Senate President Joe Negron’s higher education package was filed (SB 2 and SB 4), and
• Senator Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) and House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Lutz) briefed Florida Chamber Board members in town for the Leadership Fly-In on a wide-range of education issues they anticipate seeing this session.

The Florida Chamber will continue to provide you with regular updates on these important education issues during what is sure to be a very busy – and productive – 2017 Florida Legislative Session.

LEARN MORE:
This week, the Florida Chamber released its 2017 Competitiveness Agenda, which outlines our specific policy positions on education and more.