Education priorities either dropped or were added to the last-second mega-bill

In Summary:

The Florida Legislature passed HB 1279, a sweeping education bill that merges multiple proposals covering policies from early childhood education to universities. The most debated provision expands the conditions under which school districts can declare an educational emergency in persistently low-performing schools, allowing actions such as salary incentives and teacher reassignment outside collective bargaining. Supporters say the measure will help improve student performance, while critics argue it could weaken protections for educators and public schools.

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On the last day of the 2026 legislative session, top education senators and representatives bartered their priorities, landing with a 32-section, 66-page omnibus bill ranging from pre-kindergarten to higher education.

Related: The rising impact of character-focused education on academic performance.

HB 1279 contains provisions from itself and three other bills (SB 7036, SB 7038, and HB 1071) that each chamber agreed on, while dropping provisions they couldn’t agree on, such as requiring 95% of incoming freshmen at state universities to be from within the state.

The provision that caused the most stir – among House Democrats – was expanding the criteria for a district to declare an education emergency.

An educational emergency allows for “salary incentives” not subject to collective bargaining requirements. Emergencies also allow for school boards “to assign high-quality teachers more equitably across schools in the district to low-performing schools as a management right.”

Existing law reserves emergencies for schools with a D or F grade, but if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill into law, being a persistently low-performing school would also be grounds for an emergency.

Last year, lawmakers expanded the definition of persistently low-performing schools beyond just receiving a grade lower than a C for three consecutive years. Now, worse than a C for three of the last five years (without also scoring a B) or dropping in the bottom 10% of schools in math and reading for two of the last three years, will land a school on that list.

Rep. Ashley Gantt, a Democrat from Miami, asked the rationale for letting low-performing schools remove teachers without collective bargaining.

“The rationale is that student performance needs to be enhanced and this may be one of the ways to do it,” Rep. Alex Rizo, a Republican from Hialeah, replied. 

“The reasons could be myriad,” Rizo said. “It could be that perhaps they’re just not performing to the level that they should. Doesn’t necessarily mean that the teachers would be removed, necessarily.”

The bill passed the House Friday afternoon, shortly before each chamber gaveled out, 81-16. Of the representatives who did not vote, most were Democrats. It had passed the Senate two hours earlier with one “no” vote, Sen. Tracie Davis, a Democrat from Jacksonville. 

“There’s a big misunderstanding as to what that section of law means,” said Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Republican from Fort Myers. She pointed to Lee County, which experienced a teacher shortage and declared an educational emergency last year for the district, and gave teacher bonuses. The union there was not happy with the processes the district used. 

“This is all about student performance, and it’s all about paying teachers more,” Persons-Mulicka added.

Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democrat from Jacksonville, criticized the bill.

“I for the life of me don’t understand why educators have to ask and beg every year to get their Amazon wishlist. That means we’re not funding traditional public schools the way in which we should. At the end of the day, y’all should stop with this. Y’all just want to end public schools, just end them. Stop with the smoke and mirrors,” Nixon said.

“Education is profitable. It’s a profitable business, and you basically want to look out for campaign donors. Or you want to make more money on our children going to prison,” Nixon added. 

Bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Kincart-Jonsson, a Republican from Lakeland, took offense at Nixon’s characterization.

“This is not the bill I set out to pass. At the end of the day, we were all elected by our constituents to do what we believe is best for the state of Florida. For a member to suggest in debate that I would be a part of a bill that is for profits or campaign dollars is disgusting,” Kincart Jonsson said.

“At the end of the day, this will put forth great policy for the state of Florida, the students across the state of Florida, and our families,” Kincart Jonsson said.

“The entire profession of teaching is a critical shortage area. What do you think is going to happen if we pass this bill?” Rizo said. “…. Do you think that all of the sudden, tomorrow, every district in Florida, all 67, is going to say ‘I’m throwing out the contract and we’re not going to have teachers unions at the tables talking about it?”

The bill also…

Among other tweaks to state law, the bill qualifies dance to satisfy the physical education graduation requirement or as a performing arts credit.

The bill directs the state Board of Education to create “a statewide uniform weighted grading system for honors courses and articulated acceleration mechanisms.”

Lawmakers approved removing mention of the American Bar Association in the statute governing law schools at Florida International University and Florida A&M University, instead allowing for “a nationally recognized association.”

That follows a January ruling by the Florida Supreme Court, which determined that the state need not rely solely on the ABA for accreditation.

Removed

In addition to failing to cap non-Florida students at state universities, the House and Senate failed to agree on capping enrollment of students from any one country at 5% and on showing middle and high school students a video of an embryo developing.

Key Points:

• Florida lawmakers passed HB 1279, a 66-page omnibus education bill, on the final day of the 2026 legislative session.
• The bill expands the definition of schools that can trigger an educational emergency beyond those receiving D or F grades.
• Under an emergency declaration, districts may offer salary incentives and reassign teachers outside the scope of collective bargaining agreements.
• The House approved the bill 81–16, while the Senate passed it earlier with only one dissenting vote.
• The legislation also includes provisions affecting graduation requirements, course grading systems, and law school accreditation rules.