Florida roundup: charter schools, virtual schools, Common Core & more

Charter schools. Parents at Rowlett Elementary, a magnet in Manatee, say their calculations show a charter school conversion will bring in more money for fine arts programs. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

florida roundup logoVirtual schools. Florida Virtual School holds its first ever graduation for full-time students, reports the Seminole Chronicle. Lee County’s virtual school, the Lee Virtual Instruction Program, gets a  Bronze ranking from U.S. News & World Report’s high school rating system, reports Fort Myers Beach Talk.

School technology. Foundations may need to help school districts shift into higher gear. StateImpact Florida.

Common Core. Crazy claim of the week: involves Glenn Beck, Common Core and eyeball scanners in Polk County. Oh, mercy. EdFly Blog.

Retiring teachers. A final farewell. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Graduating seniors. A Pinellas teen with cancer finds the strength to walk with her class. Tampa Bay Times.

School districts. A look back at the year in Polk. Lakeland Ledger.

School closings. Richmond Heights Elementary closes for good after 49 years. Orlando Sentinel.

School protest. 500 rally in Ocala against proposed layoffs in the Marion school district. Ocala Star Banner.

School spending. The Flagler supervisor of elections said she recommended against the school board’s decision for a Friday vote on a tax referendum. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Superintendents. Palm Beach County’s Wayne Gent gets an “effective” rating from his board, reports the Palm Beach Post. A wee bit from the  South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Spelling bee. A Brandon private school student competed in the national competition for a second year in a row. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher conduct. A teacher at a Coconut Creek pre-school is charging with molesting two students. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Teachers unions. Lake County teachers vote down a proposed contract with no raises. Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher layoffs. Manatee Superintendent Rick Mills says he plans to re-hire many of the first-year and one-year contract teachers who were non renewed. Bradenton Herald.


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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.