Florida schools roundup: Charter schools, censorship, unions and more

florida-roundup-logoCharter schools. The Orlando Science School, a STEM-focused charter school, is expanding to Seminole County with a long waiting list. WKMG. An investigation finds a charter school repaying money it never borrowed. Palm Beach Post.

Teachers unions. Broward’s ex-union leader faces new federal fraud charges. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Homelessness. Teachers and coaches talk about helping homeless students. Northwest Florida Daily News. More here.

Testing. The Lee school board may launch an independent investigation of its superintendent over GED test administration. Fort Myers News-Press.

Censorship. Controversy erupts after a summer reading assignment is pulled. Tallahassee Democrat.

Budgets. The Gradebook breaks down Hillsborough’s history of tapping budget reserves. Former superintendent MaryEllen Elia answers critics of her fiscal management in the Tampa Tribune. More here.

Special needs. Flagler County schools grapple with the loss of funding for adults with disabilities. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Facilities. Criticisms mount over Broward funding delays. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. St. Johns elementary students head to a nearby middle school during construction. St. Augustine Record.

STEM. Even kindergarten students could soon be learning computer code. Orlando Sentinel. A Pensacola firm plans a “hackerspace” for students. Pensacola News-Journal.

Reading. Sarasota and Manatee Counties make progress in a bid to get students reading on grade level, a Sarasota Herald-Tribune columnist writes.

Uniforms. They may be up for discussion in Volusia. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

College readiness.  A new Collier program aims to push more middle school students toward college. Naples Daily News.

Back to school. School officials try to generate enthusiasm in the community for the year ahead. Gainesville Sun. St. Johns prepares for a return to school after a short summer. St. Augustine Record.

Start times. Which schools actually allow teens to get enough sleep? Palm Beach Post.

Dress codes. Hillsborough may tighten rules. Tampa Tribune.

Discipline. Two Manatee students face expulsion in a rare case. Bradenton Herald.

Teacher quality. A bonus program faces more criticism. TC Palm. Curmudgucation. Gradebook.

Fitness. Collier County tries to recruit schools to take part in a healthy choices initiative. Naples Daily News.

Security. The League of Women Voters will run point against guns-on-campus legislation. Florida Times-Union.


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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.