Florida roundup: Charter schools, private schools, campaigns and more

Charter schools. Citing a lack of space with a building unfinished, a Pinellas charter turns away students and holds a new lottery days before school starts. Tampa Bay Times. A charter school opens in a former airport facility. Panama City News Herald. The Tampa Bay Times editorial board weighs in the Hillsborough charter school conflict.

florida-roundup-logoPrivate schools. A new private school will cater to children with autism and other special needs. Tampa Bay Times. Elite private schools in Miami-Dade get new leadership. Miami Herald.

School choice. Do private school choice programs obliterate public school enrollment? No, Matthew Ladner writes on Jay P. Greene’s Blog.

Career education. A Hernando aviation program hopes to attract more students. Tampa Bay Times.

Campaigns. Charlie Crist talks education on a statewide bus tour. Tampa TribuneNaked Politics. WFTV. The Tampa Bay Times compares his positions with Democratic primary challenger Nan Rich. The Palm Beach PTA surveys school board candidates. Palm Beach Post. A crowded field vies for a Volusia school board seat. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Retirement. Experienced Sarasota teachers are headed for the exits. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Facilities. Hillsborough opens a new LEED-certified elementary school. Tampa Bay Times. Brevard schools upgrade their security systems. Florida Today.

Back to school. Hundreds of first-year teachers gear up in Volusia. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Miami-Dade bus drivers prepare for the new year. Miami Herald. School staring means less crowded beaches in the Panhandle. Northwest Florida Daily News. Bay County teachers collaborate. Panama City News Herald.

Teacher conduct. A teacher who came to school drunk resigns. Tampa Tribune.


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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.