Charter schools: Pinellas County could get its first Montessori charter school next school year. Tampa Bay Times. Collier County School Board members vote to close an Immokalee County charter school, iGeneration Empowerment Academy. Naples Daily News. Ten teachers quit their jobs at a Broward County charter, saying they weren’t paid for the first few weeks and students didn’t have books. Sun Sentinel. St. Johns County school leaders worry standard charter school contracts will take away local control. St. Augustine Record.
Private schools: Saint Paul’s School, a private Episcopal school in Clearwater, names Samantha Kemmish as the new head of the school. Tampa Bay Times. A private school specializing in helping kids with special needs, has closed its doors, after the state suspends the school’s McKay scholarships. WPEC-TV.
Magnet schools: The Polk school district is changing the way it gets magnet and choice school students to school, and parents are being forced to adjust. The Ledger.
Dual enrollment: The new law that requires school districts to cover the costs of high school students taking college courses could cost the Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River districts a combined $1.5 million annually. TC Palm.
Teacher evals: A series of teacher evaluation glitches in Santa Rosa County leaves confidence in the system’s validity shaky. Pensacola News-Journal.
Social media: Parents get lessons on talking to their children about social media from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Tampa Bay Times.
Athletic policy: One year into a new athletic transfer policy, the Hillsborough County school district is defending itself in a lawsuit that argues the whole process is illegal. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher pay: Behind the public battle over teachers’ salaries in Palm Beach County is a battle concerning job security. Palm Beach Post.
Armed guards: Hillsborough Superintendent MaryEllen Elia’s argument for extra guards is strongly reinforced after a 9-year-old boy recently was found with a loaded gun in his backpack. The Tampa Tribune.
Grad rates: Looking at graduation rates, Florida doesn’t offer as much opportunity to its young people as other states do. StateImpact Florida.
Car pickup: Parents across Central Florida are growing frustrated with long school pick-up lines that are clogging neighborhood traffic. Orlando Sentinel.
JROTC: The presence of well-groomed young men and women at this Brevard County high school creates a positive impact. Florida Today. Cutbacks will hurt the Lee County JROTC program. Fort Myers News-Press.
Name change: The Duval County School Board votes unanimously to change the name of a high school named after the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Associated Press.
Turnaround: Pinellas Park Middle is one of five Pinellas County schools going through a state-mandated turnaround process after years of “D” and “F” school grades. The Tampa Tribune.
Abuse hotline: The Escambia County School District provides residents with a new hotline to report fraud, waste and abuse within the district. Pensacola News-Journal.
Fishy business: A Pasco County middle school lets students tend to the business of raising freshwater fish. Tampa Bay Times.
School attorneys: Attorney Jim Porter readies for his new gig representing the Hillsborough County School Board. The Tampa Tribune. The Polk School Board attorney’s future could be in jeopardy after board members expressed concern with his job performance. The Ledger.
School spending: A year after the passage of a $1.2 billion construction bond, the Miami-Dade school district is completing the work on time and under budget. Miami Herald.
Drug sweep: A K-9 narcotics sweep conducted at four Wakulla County schools nets only a few discoveries and no charges. Tallahassee Democrat.
Conduct: Although a judge decides a former Duval County elementary teacher should get her job back, the school board determines she is not fit to return. Florida Times-Union.
