Guns, other bills: State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, files a bill that would permit licensed concealed-carry holders to bring their firearms to elementary and secondary schools. It’s the third bill he’s filed that would expand rights to concealed carry permit holders. Bradenton Herald. WUSF. Dozens of education bills are filed as the Legislature opens. Politico Florida. Florida’s legislative leaders promise record spending for K-12 education and an expansion of education options for people with disabilities. Politico Florida.
Proficiency questions: Bob Schaeffer, the Sanibel Island-based public education director of FairTest, doubts that the Florida Department of Education has any evidence to support its contention that scoring at Level 5 in the state assessment tests means a student is “highly likely to excel in the next grade level.” Gradebook.
Teacher retention: The Lee County School Board is considering a variety of incentives, such as tuition reimbursement and helping teachers pay for their credentials, to stem teacher turnover, especially among minorities. Superintendent Greg Adkins says the district loses about 10 percent of its teachers every year. Fort Myers News-Press.
School nurse shortage: Duval County has fewer than one-third of the school nurses a federal agency says it needs, and the school board has approved a plan for fixing the problem. But any solution will cost millions and will have to wait until the district begins budget talks. Florida Times-Union.
Online curriculum: Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti wants to switch middle schools to online materials, as the district has done with elementary schools. But several school board members are skeptical of the move, citing problems with the elementary curriculum. Florida Times-Union.
School bonds: The St. Johns County School Board approves issuing up to $60 million in bonds to begin building several schools. The bonds will allow the school construction to begin now, and the proceeds from a voter-approved half-cent hike in the sales tax will pay off the bonds over the next 10 years. St. Augustine Record.
Extra credit program: Leon County’s Adult and Community Education center is offering free classes for students to replace failing grades in classes required for graduation and to boost their grade point averages. Tallahassee Democrat.
Religion and schools: While some critics are questioning the relationship between churches and the Hillsborough County School District, Superintendent Jeff Eakins says the Christian group First Priority Tampa Bay’s school-based clubs are crucial to the culture he’s trying to build in the district. Tampa Bay Times.
School start times: The Manatee County School Board is dropping the idea of starting high school later in the day after a survey shows 56 percent of the community didn’t like the change. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School calendar: The Collier County School Board votes to start school Aug. 10 and end May 31. Naples Daily News.
Credit ratings: The Manatee County School District’s financial rating is upgraded from positive to stable by Fitch Ratings. Bradenton Herald. The Clay County School District’s financial rating in three categories has been downgraded by Fitch Ratings because its reserve fund is below the level required by the state. Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. says the information Fitch used is outdated. Florida Times-Union.
Charter schools: The Hillsborough County School Board is being asked to approve a charter high school, Kid’s Community College Charter High School, in Riverview. It could take up to 600 students. Tampa Tribune.
School boundaries: The Broward County School Board is considering boundary changes, including having innovative magnet school Nova Middle accept more children from the surrounding neighborhood, but is not expected to vote on the proposals until later in the school year. Sun-Sentinel.
Superintendent race: Clay County School Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr. files the papers to run for re-election. So far he has three challengers. Florida Times-Union.
Messages released: Hundreds of text messages and email between Polk County School Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy and Associate Superintendent of Operations Greg Rivers show a friendly relationship. Rivers has filed an internal complaint against LeRoy, though the details of the complaint are still unknown. Lakeland Ledger.
Quarterly assessments: Some teachers in the Pasco County School District continue to quiz students in quarterly assessments on material not covered in class. Gradebook.
Club helps school: The Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida will provide before and after school programs for children attending a new K-8 school that is opening in 2017 in the Parramore neighborhood. Orlando Sentinel.
Decisions reconsidered: Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning is asking the school board to reverse two decisions. One is to end the contract with AMI Kids, which runs an alternative school for about 120 at-risk children; the other is to approve a previously rejected application for a charter school by Charter Schools of America. Gradebook.
Email abuse: Pasco County school employees are reminded that the district’s email system is for public business only, after a teacher is discovered running a fantasy football league using the district’s email. Gradebook.
New pay scale: The Marion County School Board sets a new pay scale that could result in a 20.6 percent hike in pay for the board’s attorney, Steven Lake. Ocala Star Banner.
No street closing: The Panama City Commission votes against closing a portion of 13th Street, which Bay County school districts had requested as a safety measure. Panama City News Herald.
Notable deaths: Longtime Pinellas County educator Dennis Griffin has died at age 72. He began his career as a guidance counselor, was an assistant principal and principal in St. Petersburg when he retired in 2005, and also served as served as chairman of the state’s Education Practices Commission. Tampa Bay Times.
Kickbacks trial: A contractor testifies that he paid more than $165,000 in kickbacks to former Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo. Santeramo, 68, is on trial on charges of grand theft, racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy. Sun-Sentinel.
Employees in trouble: A physical education teacher at Garrison Jones Elementary School in Dunedin is arrested and accused of driving under the influence. Tampa Tribune. Two Orange County teachers are disciplined by the state’s Education Practices Commission for their treatment of autistic students in separate incidents. Orlando Sentinel. A coach and teacher at Vero Beach High School, has been suspended pending a termination hearing. He has a history of DUIs and driving without a license. TCPalm. A criminal-investigations teacher and former coach at Sebastian River High School, is suspended pending a termination hearing. He is accused of pushing, taunting and fighting with a student. TCPalm. A dining aide at South Daytona Elementary School is fired after pushing two students and making inappropriate remarks. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Students arrested: Two students at Apollo Middle School in Hollywood are arrested after being seen with a gun on school grounds. The gun is later found hidden under a portable classroom. Sun-Sentinel. A Leon High School student is arrested after she threatened another student with a knife at school. Tallahassee Democrat.
Opinions on schools: Highlighting just a few of the very good and very bad bills the Legislature will consider. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel. The community needs to work to demand more funding for education. Rik McNeill, Gainesville Sun. Only about 2,000 of Florida’s 190,000 high school seniors have signed up for AP Computer Science, and that’s a huge problem. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
Student enrichment: In his State of the State message, Gov. Rick Scott praised Rachel Zeitz, a 15-year-old student at Fort Lauderdale’s Pine Crest School who started a business, Gladiator Lacrosse, when she was unhappy with the quality of lacrosse equipment available for sale. Palm Beach Post. JPMorgan Chase donates $230,000 to establish two academies in the Miami-Dade School District to help students learn skills for jobs in cybersecurity, trade and logistics. Miami Herald. Westwood Middle School’s “Kids in the Woods” program is awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service director’s award for its work with other agencies in getting students studying the natural world. Gainesville Sun. Port Orange Elementary students take a virtual world tour by using Google Expeditions, a new virtual reality teaching tool. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
