Florida's local school boards are suing the Sunshine State's Board of Education over a rule banning the placement of two teachers in one classroom as a way to meet the state's law for class size reduction. Districts have been using the practice known as team or co-teaching in order to reduce student-teacher ratios without having to find empty classrooms or build new ones. Supporters claim that team teaching not only gives districts more flexibility in meeting the law's mandate but also provides an effective way to improve instruction for both gifted and disabled students and offers an excellent way to train new teachers.

Speaking for the school board association, Wayne Blanton stated "We don't believe the State Board of Education has the authority to tell us exactly how we should be using our teachers at the local level."

Governor Jeb Bush who fought against the class size amendment supports the co-teaching ban. Department of Education spokeswoman Jennifer Fennell said that "An overcrowded classroom is still overcrowded whether it has one teacher or two and that violates the spirit of the amendment."

Last year Florida had more than 500 classrooms with two teachers. According to the local school boards group, it will cost at least $50 million to build enough space to divide those classes.