Florida roundup: Charter schools, dual enrollment, budgets and more

florida-roundup-logoCharter schools. Problems at a Pensacola charter snare its operators’ applications in North Carolina. WECT. Charter Schools USA is expected to have a Collier County application approved. Naples Daily News.

Facilities. A charter school could lease a defunct YMCA’s property, giving the community a new aquatics facility. Northwest Florida Daily News. A charter school for at-risk students abandons a proposed location near a troubled flea market. WPTV. A Belle Glade charter breaks ground on a new play facility. The Sun. Lake County schools try to balance access to facilities with safety. Leesburg Daily Commercial.

Budgets. The House and Senate agree to boost funding for education, but differences remain. News Service of Florida. Orlando SentinelTimes/Herald. Palm Beach Post.

Dual enrollment. A growing collegiate high school program helps students earn college credit while still in high school. Tampa Tribune.

Discipline. Hillsborough schools face a federal civil-rights probe of their discipline practices. Tampa Bay Times.

Superintendents. The Brevard school district narrows its list of applications. Florida Today.

Administration. The Tampa Bay Times takes a closer look at the new Hillsborough school district leadership team, which includes a Catholic school superintendent. The Hernando school district shuffles principals with an eye toward improving A-F grades. Tampa Bay Times.

Plagiarism. More questions emerge about a Palm Beach principal’s graduation speeches. Sun-Sentinel.

College. The Tampa Tribune looks at local graduates who overcame poverty. High school seniors-to-be eye higher education admissions. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Retention. Fewer Leon and Wakulla County third graders are at risk of being retained due to low reading scores. Tallahassee Democrat. Same for Jackson. Jackson County Floridian. Percentages of struggling readers are higher in Northeast Florida. Florida Times-Union.

Professional development. Teachers learn about environmental education. Pensacola News-Journal.

Start times. An earlier start to the school year complicates some Marion teachers’ vacation plans. Ocala Star-Banner.

Lawsuits. A legal battle between a high school principal and his ex-wife ensnares the Palm Beach school district. Palm Beach Post.

Spanish. Miami-Dade schools debate the future of Spanish instruction. Associated Press.

Nutrition. Sarasota students who qualify for free- and reduced-price lunches can continue to get meals over the summer. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A Palm Beach program makes a similar effort. Palm Beach Post.

Standards. A Hillsborough school pushes students to improve. 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.