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Bill Montford



"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

— Mark Twain

Legislative Update

By Brian Moore, FADSS General Counsel


As the 2026 Legislative Session completes its seventh week, there is not a lot on which we can report thus far. As of midday, February 26, 2026, the House and the Senate have passed a little over 100 general bills each, but only 13 general bills have passed both chambers – with only two weeks remaining in the session.  Furthermore, the budget process has been slow to develop, and we have not seen the conference process start yet despite some significant differences between the House and Senate budget proposals for K-12 education.

However, there are some bills that are close to completion. The House approved its school safety bill this week (CS/CS/HB 757), and the Senate companion (CS/CS/SB 896) completed its final committee hearing and is now ready for consideration by the full Senate. These bills are very similar, with a focus on post-secondary school safety, and it is expected that a version of one of these bills will pass.

There are also some bills affecting athletics and extracurricular activities that seem poised to pass both chambers. CS/CS/HB 1253 and CS/CS/SB 178 would allow a coach to give up to $15,000 annually to players on his or her team for things like food, transportation, or physical therapy. Since most high school coaches are not former NFL players, the questions, of course, are where would a coach get $15,000 to distribute to players and how do you prevent this from becoming a recruiting tool? The Senate version of the bill passed last week, and the House version completed the committee process this week and is now ready for a vote on the House floor. Similarly, CS/HB 731 and CS/CS/CS/SB 538 are in the exact same position. These bills create some uniformity in terms of eligibility to play at schools other than the one which a student attends, modify provisions related to coach’s pay, and authorize public schools to charge an activities fee to homeschool students who wish to participate in extracurricular activities at the public school.

Finally, CS/HB 1147 and CS/SB 824 are also nearing the finish line. These bills would require school districts to submit an annual inventory of vacant property they own. The Senate passed its version of the bill last week, and the House version is awaiting placement on the special order calendar for final approval.

There are a few other bills where both the House and Senate versions are similar and nearing completion, as well as several others that have progressed at least most of the way through both chambers but still have significant differences, such as the multi-subject train bills, CS/CS/CS/HB 1071 and CS/CS/SB 7036, and the school board member bill of rights bills, CS/HB 1073 and CS/SB 1620. With all of the budget work still to be done, it remains to be seen if the House and Senate will be able to work through these differences in the next two weeks.

Supporting Those who Support the Superintendent

FADSS is looking forward to once again hosting superintendent and school board secretaries at the annual Professional Assistants to Educational Leaders (PAEL) Institute. Held in Tampa, PAEL affords participants the opportunity to network with their peers, receive up to date legal information that often directly affects their way of work, and learn about relevant topics.



We know how indispensable these individuals are to the smooth running of the district and appreciate our superintendents, and school boards, for supporting this investment in their professional learning.  

Deadline to Register for FADSS Spring Leadership Conference Quickly Approaching

Somehow, it’s already the end of February and so we are now less than 6 weeks out from FADSS Spring Conference! Thank you to everyone who has already registered. For those of you who plan to attend the conference and have not yet registered, please do so by the March 13, 2026 deadline. And just a reminder that FADSS room block also closes on March 13.

We are putting the finishing touches on an exciting program and look forward to seeing you there! If you need the registration link resent, please reach out to Kim Chapman.

New Worlds Reading Resources

Have your schools heard about New Worlds Reading? This state-created literacy program mails free books and reading activities to eligible VPK - 5th graders. More than 1 million Florida students are eligible, and the program needs every district’s help to reach them!

Copy and paste the blurb below to share with your district communications teams:



Free Resource Alert: UF’s New Worlds Reading sends kids 9 free Scholastic books each school year from VPK - 5th grade, along with reading activities to build literacy skills. Families can apply at newworldsreading.com.

Kornegay Represents Florida at AASA

Shout out once again to Florida's 2026 Superintendent of the Year – Lake County Schools Superintendent Diane Kornegay.

Kornegay and other state Superintendents of the Year were recognized at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA in Nashville, TN. Several Florida superintendents along with FADSS AEO David Sikes attended the conference and celebrated Kornegay’s achievement.

FADSS is fortunate to have Supt. Kornegay as a superintendent, as well as an essential member of FADSS Board of Directors, currently serving as vice president.

The National Superintendent of the Year® Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead our nation’s public schools, and recognizes exceptional superintendents for their outstanding leadership and dedication to advancing public education in their communities. ­

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ICYMI

Superintendents are less concerned than students about the effect of AI on critical thinking skills latest RAND survey finds

The American School District Panel, in partnership with the American Youth Panel, just published findings about student and superintendent perspectives of the effects of using AI for schoolwork.

In October 2024 and October 2025, the following survey question was administered to nationally representative samples of school district leaders:

“How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The more students use generative artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT for their schoolwork, the more it will impede the development of their critical thinking skills.”

Similarly in February 2025 and December 2025 the following survey question was administered to nationally representative samples of students: “How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The more students use AI (such as ChatGPT) for their schoolwork, the more it will harm their critical thinking skills.” 

The results shown in the graphs below reveal increasing concerns about the use of AI, with 67% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that using AI for schoolwork harms students’ critical thinking skills.  In contrast, only 26% of superintendents agreed or strongly agreed with that statement.