Flagler County, FL – Education is a hot topic as legislators work to address budgetary challenges during the 2021 session in Tallahassee.
On Wednesday Florida Representative Chris Latvala (R-Clearwater), Chairman of the House Education and Employment Committee, took time to address members of the
Flagler Tiger Bay Club
and the Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County via Zoom, about what Florida constituents can expect during the upcoming session.
Touching on hot button issues like school choice and civics, Latvala was clear about both, stressing the importance of providing Florida’s students every opportunity to be successful, and showed a clear concern for students who may be falling behind as a result of COVID’s impact on Florida schools.
With support for HB3, a bill that will supply Florida’s children from kindergarten through 5th grade with supplemental at-home reading materials to strengthen their skills, and access to Learning IQ, a digital library featuring over 5,500 titles, to Florida families at no cost through the end of the year, Latvala is focusing on the early learning fundamentals.
“Basically it’s where we will be partnering with school districts to identify those kids,” said Latvala. “This will be the first time the State of Florida will do something of this magnitude. House Bill 3 is something that is very important to us in the Florida House.”
Offering a poignant look at life in America, Florida Representative Ardian Zika’s (R-Land O’ Lakes) HB5 will focus on civics with the “Portraits in Patriotism Act”, allowing students to capture the stories of people who have survived oppression to make a better life in the United States.
“What we’re doing with this patriotism bill is we want to have actual people who have survived communist regimes, socialism talk about their experience from their home countries,” said Latvala. “But they can kind of retell their stories from whether it’s Cuba or other areas of the world, so students can learn firsthand through oral histories about these other government systems and learn why our system, frankly, is the best.”
A companion bill will be filed by Florida Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Doral).
Also expected to make news this session is what happens to students after graduation and Latvala discussed support for higher education, including a look at potential changes to the cost between in-person and digital/remote learning, and preparing Florida students to fill labor gaps with a focus on the benefits and affordability of trade schools.
“That’s really our job as the legislature to get those students prepared and that workforce prepared because those jobs are there and you know it’s our job to help fill them,” said Latvala.
Longtime colleague Dr. Joe Saviak, chairs the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s Speaker’s Committee, and was impressed with Latvala’s depth of knowledge when answering a dozen questions presented by club members.
“Education and the economy are two of the most important issues facing Florida,” said Saviak.
“Chairman Latvala is a key statewide leader as Chairman of the House Education and Employment Committee. He has an exceptional command of public policy and he answered a wide range of questions today. We very much appreciated hearing his insights on the future of Florida.”
Moderating the meeting Flagler Tiger Bay Club president Greg Davis said the issues addressed by Latvala are important to communities across Florida.
“Our membership and affiliates were really engaged with Chris Latvala,” said Davis.
“We received a wide range of substantive questions that Latvala addressed. We are going to make the entire program publicly accessible on our website. We think that it is very important for the community to hear especially with the state facing a $2 billion shortfall.”
For more information on the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s upcoming speakers, visit www.flaglertigerbayclub.com.
Photo: Flagler Tiger Bay Club President Greg Davis moderates the February 17, 2021 meeting featuring FL Rep. Chris Latvala.
