Teacher bonuses: The president of the Florida Education Association files a complaint against the state’s teacher bonuses program with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The complaint from the state’s largest teachers union says the use of SAT or ACT test scores in awarding the bonuses is discriminatory against older and minority teachers. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Times-Union. TCPalm. Naples Daily News.
Old-school grade scale: Middle schools in Seminole County will switch from the 4-point grading scale to the traditional scale that bases grades on percentages. Parents complained that the 4-point system is confusing and penalizes high achievers. The new scale starts after the winter break. Orlando Sentinel.
School calendar: A proposal to start school in Sarasota County a week earlier is drawing complaints from hundreds of parents. The main objections: It’s too hot in mid-August to ride buses or do physical education classes outdoors, it cuts the summer a week short and it will interrupt planned vacations. This year, school started Aug. 24. Under the proposed calendars, school would start Aug. 15 in 2016 and Aug. 14 in 2017. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School safety: After a series of threats to school systems nationally, Leon County school officials are reviewing plans and procedures for safety in schools. WFSU.
Religious studies: Some Duval County parents are complaining about first-graders being taught the roots of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in language arts classes, saying their children are too young to comprehend the material. Florida Times-Union.
Still the principal: Principal Mary Pinson, who was arrested last week and accused of stealing more than $45,000 in school grants meant to go to the Francis Marion Charter School, will remain in the job until she’s indicted or official charges are filed, according to the school board chairwoman. Ocala Star Banner.
Opinions on schools: The answer to poverty is simple: education. But it needs to be a life-long endeavor. Kathy Silverberg, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida’s charter schools are operating under the same rules as other public schools, but are performing at a higher level. Lynn Norman-Teck, Gainesville Sun. Parents and community leaders will be consulted as the Volusia County School District contemplates the design for five schools that will be built with proceeds from the half-cent sales tax voters approved in 2014. That’s as it should be. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The state of Florida is wasting millions of dollars on a really stupid idea, the teacher bonuses program known as Florida’s Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarships. Valerie Strauss, Washington Post. The No Child Left Behind Act clearly fell short of its goals, but it changed the way the American educational system collects and uses data. fivethirtyeight.com.
Student enrichment: Students at Choctawhatchee High School organize a blanket drive for the homeless in Crestview. Northwest Florida Daily News.
