![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/LHine-2023-3.png\")
<\/p>\nA new statewide education advocacy organization is entering the conversation around public schools in Florida, aiming to push for stronger policy, increased transparency and improved student outcomes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Laura Hine<\/p>\n
Educating Florida\u2019s Future (EFF), founded by Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine, will host its first public town hall on April 30 in St. Petersburg. The event is designed to introduce the group\u2019s priorities and engage the community on key issues facing the state\u2019s PreK\u201312 system.<\/p>\n
Hine says the organization stems from more than a decade of personal and professional involvement in education.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little more than 10 years ago I came alive to public education,\u201d Hine said. \u201cOver the years I became involved in local school level, state level. You start to pull the thread. I\u2019m someone who believes excellence at scale is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
EFF is focused on strengthening public education through advocacy and policy leadership, with a particular emphasis on early learning and academic benchmarks. Among the concerns Hine highlights are stagnant third grade reading scores and gaps in access to early education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we believe in, invest in, and lead our K-12 schools, we will impact our future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the organization\u2019s key goals is expanding access to early childhood education, particularly for underserved communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I would love is full-day funded pre-K, (grades) 3 and 4 funding for economically disadvantaged students,\u201d Hine said.<\/p>\n
Beyond early learning, Hine points to teacher recruitment and retention as a central issue in improving outcomes statewide. She argues that investing in educators is one of the most effective ways to strengthen the system. \u201cEarly learning is first and foremost, so recruiting and retaining best and brightest teachers. They are the number one impact,\u201d she said, noting that more work is needed to make the profession more attractive to top talent.<\/p>\n
EFF is also advocating for greater transparency in how education dollars are spent, a topic that has drawn increasing attention in recent legislative sessions. Hine believes clearer accountability can help build public trust and ensure resources are used effectively.<\/p>\n
The organization will address complex (and often contentious) topics such as school consolidation, as districts respond to shifting enrollment trends, though she expressed that school consolidation could increase funding opportunities to better serve students.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to do better at scale,\u201d Hine noted. \u201cIf I now have more students we can get more funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s public school system serves approximately 2.8 million students and employs more than 350,000 teachers and staff, making it one of the largest in the nation. As debates over funding, vouchers, and accountability continue, Hine says EFF aims to give communities a clearer understanding of the system \u2014 and a stronger voice in shaping its future.<\/p>\n
The April 30 town hall will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the President Barack Obama Main Library in St. Petersburg and is open to the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new statewide education advocacy organization is entering the conversation around public schools in Florida, aiming to push…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-231814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}