Florida roundup: Catholic schools, district oversight, proposed tax hikes and more

Oldest African-American school in Florida. St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa is profiled by Fox 13 in Tampa. Many students attend with tax-credit scholarships.

A different take on charter school payout controversy. Red flags should have prompted more oversight from the Orange County school district, writes Adam Emerson at the Choice Words blog after doing some independent reporting.

Informing or advocating? Some question whether Volusia Superintendent Margaret Smith crossed the line in “informing” voters with automated phone calls about an upcoming tax referendum, reports the Daytona Beach New Journal.

Task force looking at tax hike. From The Florida Current: “A task force looking at construction needs of public schools is finalizing a proposal for a half mill property tax increase with the money split between traditional schools and charter schools.”

Virtual settlement. From the News Service of Florida (subscription required): “Days before an appeals court was set to hear arguments, the Duval County School Board and backers of a proposed virtual charter school have agreed to settle a legal dispute about approval of the school, an attorney said Thursday.”


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BY Ron Matus

Ron Matus is director for policy and public affairs at Step Up for Students and a former editor of redefinED. He joined Step Up in February 2012 after 20 years in journalism, including eight years as an education reporter with the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times). Ron can be reached at rmatus@stepupforstudents.org or (727) 451-9830. Follow him on Twitter @RonMatus1 and on facebook at facebook.com/redefinedonline.