Board discusses legislative priorities including attendance, kindergarten requirements and gifted education

Board members used the Sept. 4 work session to finalize and discuss a set of proposed legislative priorities they plan to submit to the Florida School Boards Association and to use in meetings with legislators.

Board member Doctor Campbell introduced the list and asked for consensus on each item. The priorities discussed included: (1) amending statute language on chronic absenteeism to allow districts to initiate interventions after five unexcused student absences; (2) changing kindergarten rules so kindergarten meets 720 net instructional hours and revising school-age statute language to require a child to be 5 years old by the first day of school in any district school year; (3) increasing the FEFP safe-schools allocation to match rising costs; (4) removing gifted education from the Exceptional Student Education statute and creating a standalone statute that defines gifted services, identification and a funding mechanism; (5) adjusting the FEFP transportation rurality index threshold to capture districts of approximately 1,300 square miles (to increase funding for large, rural districts); and (6) requesting a state appropriation for innovative career and technical education programming.

Board members generally expressed support for advancing attendance as a top priority. Doctor Campbell said the attendance statute has not been revisited since 1980 and argued the state needs urgency; “this statute … has not been reviewed since 1980,” Campbell said. Several members agreed to submit the proposal to FSBA as drafted, with the expectation that language could be refined by the association’s legislative committee.

Members also debated the kindergarten change. Some said a 720-hour requirement aligns kindergarten to current instructional expectations and is an easier sell to legislators, while others cautioned that lowering the statutory entry age to 5 by the first day of school could be politically sensitive and would need careful phrasing and advocacy materials. Attorney Powers noted legal implications and suggested staff prepare comparative analyses of state law so proposed changes would align with federal requirements.

On gifted education, members favored pulling it out of ESE statute to create a clearer, standalone definition and funding path; staff noted examples from other states and warned that the board would need to supply draft statutory language if they want the idea to advance.

The board asked Dr. Campbell and staff to submit the priorities to FSBA and to report back on the association’s platform and any proposed “pretty language” that would make the items legible to legislators. Several board members volunteered to lead advocacy for specific priorities when the board meets legislators in Tallahassee.