Florida roundup: Charter school conversion, black males, budget fixes & more

Going charter: An overwhelming number of parents and teachers voted in favor of converting Rowlett Magnet Elementary in Bradenton into a charter school. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. More from the Bradenton Herald.

florida roundup logoJob cuts: Plans to cut and downgrade Polk County school district positions are put on hold. Ledger.

Budget fix: Residents tell a local newspaper how Polk County schools can offset its $12.7 million shortfall. One common solution: eliminate school board salaries. Ledger.

Black males: Broward County looks to figure out how to boost academic success of young black boys. Miami Herald.

Disney ED: Broward County schools hopes the Disney Institute can help the South Florida district make its schools a more pleasant place for students, parents, and district employees. Miami Herald.

In debt: Palm Bay Academy charter school in Brevard County is $12.2 million in debt and way behind on bond payments. Florida Today.

High demand: Sarasota County Technical Institute gets a new precision-machining lab that will help the school train students for high-skilled manufacturing jobs. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Music man: Flagler Beach music teacher Rodney Harshbarger is up for a national award. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Outsourcing: Volusia County school district looks at using a private company for groundskeeper services to help plug a $19 million shortfall. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Common Core: A quick primer on the new national education standards that have divided conservatives and created a backlash of criticism. Miami Herald.


Avatar photo

BY Sherri Ackerman

Sherri Ackerman is the former associate editor of redefinED. She is a former correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times and reporter for The Tampa Tribune, writing about everything from cops and courts to social services and education. She grew up in Indiana and moved to Tampa as a teenager, graduating from Brandon High School and, later, from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/news editing. Sherri passed away in March 2016.