The state Constitution requires a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools.”
The Florida Education Association teachers' union says state leaders are currently undermining the rule.
“Florida has to address the funding issue,” said FEA President Andrew Spar at a Thursday press conference in Tallahassee. “We have to address the equity issue, and we have to make sure that we address the massive teacher and staff shortage so that every child gets that education that this Constitution calls for.”
At the Thursday press conference, FEA and other public education advocates outlined the bills they say would help or hurt the public K-12 system:
Supported by FEA
- SB 320/HB 963 – FEA says this removes burdensome regulations, brings back multi-year teacher contracts and gives school districts more flexibility on how to use money. This bill has passed the Senate.
- SB 318 – It creates more funding transparency and accountability for voucher programs, which divert billions of dollars a year from public schools to private school and homeschooled students. Most of those private school students have never attended public school. FEA says this bill is necessary but emphasizes it’s “not sufficient to address the myriad issues with the voucher program.” This bill has passed the Senate, but the House hasn’t expressed any interest yet, with no bill on that side.
- SB 424/HB 6023 – Rolls back the parts of the “Schools of Hope” law that allows charter schools to share public school building space. This legislation has not been taken up by a committee.
- HB 345/SB 512 – The bill would require Florida’s voluntary pre-K funding to rise each year with inflation, with increases capped at 5%. This legislation has not been taken up by a committee.
- HB 471/SB 574 – This requires the state to create a plan to recruit and retain speech-language pathologists. This legislation has not been taken up by a committee.
- HB 1187/SB 1216 – This aims to address the issue of experienced teachers earning the same as new ones. This legislation is moving through Senate committees.
Opposed by FEA
- HB 14/SB 430 – This requires teachers to give an oath to support the United States and state of Florida. This bill was supposed to be heard in a Senate committee last month but was temporarily postponed.
- HB 995/SB 1296 – FEA says this would limit teachers unions’ advocacy activities and make it harder for them to stay certified. Supporters say it would increase unions’ accountability to their members. This is moving through House committees. It was supposed to be heard in a Senate committee last month but was temporarily postponed.
Florida's 2026 legislative session is scheduled to end in mid-March.
If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
