Florida roundup: Lawsuits, magnet schools, school grades and more

Lawsuits. The statewide teachers union is fighting a new school choice law in court over the way the Legislature passed it. Associated Press. News Service of FloridaOrlando Sentinel. Saint Petersblog. Palm Beach PostMiami Herald. Daytona Beach News-JournalThe Tampa TribuneFlorida Times-Union,  NBC2 , WEARTV, and First Cost News talk to parents who hope the law will provide new options for their childrenThe Fort Myers News-Press and Naples Daily News focus on the local teacher who’s the lead plaintiff.

florida-roundup-logoMagnet schools.  Gradebook considers how a proposed Pinellas magnet could affect an existing program nearby. A Tallahassee arts magnet wins recognition. Tallahassee Democrat.

School grades. A Pinellas school improves its grade from and F to a C, but not before a turnaround effort brings a staff shakeup. Tampa Bay Times.

Superintendents. Appointed or elected? That’s the controversy before the Clay school board. Florida Times-Union.

STEM. Tougher math and science requirements can drive dropout rates higher. StateImpact. A Latino civil rights organization wants to eliminate ethnic disparities in science and engineering careers. Bridge to Tomorrow.

Budgets. The Okaloosa County school district saves millions with centralized budgeting, and plans to plow the proceeds into technology, transportation and other uses. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Summer. Students do custodial work and receive academic support during a Manatee summer program. Bradenton Herald.

Administration. The Manatee superintendent recommends back pay and benefits for a recently reinstated administrator. Bradenton Herald.


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BY Travis Pillow

Travis Pillow is Director of Thought Leadership at Step Up For Students and editor of NextSteps. He lives in Sanford, Fla. with his wife and two children. A former Tallahassee statehouse reporter, he most recently worked at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research organization at Arizona State University, where he studied community-led learning innovation and school systems' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. He can be reached at tpillow (at) sufs.org.