Scott signs budget: Gov. Rick Scott signs the $82.3 billion state budget. He vetoes projects totaling $256.1 million, including a few education items. Here’s the full list of items Scott vetoed. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics.
After-school programs: The Florida Senate’s early proposal to open up after-school funding to competitive bidding did not survive the legislative process. That leaves the current system in place, and groups such as Big Brother Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls Clubs are relieved. Miami Herald.
Act goes awry: A fire-breather’s face caught fire during a pep rally at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach Thursday. The fire-breather, Ricky Charles, and seven students were taken to a hospital for treatment. Charles was hired to perform at the rally for Florida Standards Assessments testing. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Free school store: The Hernando County Education Foundation has started a free store for teachers at Springstead High School. The Tools 4 Schools store provides school material for teachers who otherwise would have spent their own money. Tampa Bay Times.
Open enrollment concerns: St. Johns County school officials voice concerns over the details of open enrollment, and how it might affect their highly rated school district. St. Augustine Record.
Suit against board dismissed: The U.S. Middle District Court of Florida rules that the Seminole County School Board is not a person that can be sued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The suit was brought by a man who received 537 calls from the school district shortly after he received a reassigned cell phone number. National Law Review.
Substitute fatigue: Five Palm Beach Lake High School students complain to the Palm Beach County School Board that they’re not getting the geometry education they need because they’ve had uncertified substitute teachers all year. School officials say they’ll investigate. Palm Beach Post.
No incentive pay: The Pasco County School District will no longer offer incentive pay for teachers to work at Lacoochee Elementary, a struggling rural school. Extra pay started three years ago, but Superintendent Kurt Browning says it hasn’t improved the school. Gradebook.
Palm pay raises: Here is a more detailed look at the raises for school personnel that the Palm Beach County School Board approved Wednesday. Palm Beach Post.
Duval charter schools: Duval County’s charter schools lag in performance by comparison with charter schools statewide. Statewide, 58 percent of charter schools received a grade of A or B from the state. Just 26 percent of Duval’s charter schools got an A or B. That’s also below the Duval public school rate of 40 percent. Florida Times-Union.
Charter schools: Florida-based Charter Schools USA is warning Indiana that reduced financial support from the state could soon have an impact on student academic progress at three struggling schools it runs. WBAA. A national study by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California Los Angeles shows that charter schools suspend minority students and students with disabilities at a higher rate than traditional public schools do. Education Week.
District audit: An audit of the Manatee County School District reveals just a single area of concern: Access to some of the district’s information technology is wider than necessary. Two years ago an audit listed 42 areas of concern. Bradenton Herald.
School rezonings: Three committees recommend new school zones to redistribute students from the Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School, which is closing. Bradenton Herald.
Superintendent cited: Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has been cited for an improperly maintained swimming pool in a Fort Lauderdale home he owns but rents out. According to a complaint, the pool is “not maintained, green, and [had] mosquitos” as well as “pump/circulation issues.” With the mosquito-borne Zika virus threat growing, health inspectors are cracking down on dirty pools. Miami New Times.
Lessons for interns: Teacher interns in Volusia County get valuable lessons, such as adapting when things don’t go as planned and staying positive. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Arrest in theft: Police arrest Jose Luis Galdamez, 35, and accuse him of stealing a safe from the La Progresiva Presbyterian School on Monday. In the safe was $5,000 for school trips. Miami Herald.
Weapons at school: A 15-year-old student is arrested for bringing a knife to Vero Beach High School. TCPalm.
Student arrested: An 18-year-old Southeast High School student is charged with possession of 4 grams of marijuana at the school. Bradenton Herald.
Opinions on schools: The approval of the state’s teacher bonuses program, without debate, gets a thumbs down. TCPalm.
Student enrichment: In the past month, about 4,000 Palm Beach County students have learned how to administer CPR. Sun-Sentinel. Oviedo’s Hagerty High School band marches in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin. Orlando Sentinel. The Palmetto Ridge High School band marches in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City. Naples Daily News. The First Baptist Church of Pensacola buys shoes for each of the nearly 600 students at the C.A. Weis Community School. Pensacola News Journal. Students from Oakland Terrace Elementary School learn about hard work and nature when they team with members of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church to plant and maintain the Saint Andrew Oaks Garden of Hope. Panama City News Herald. St. Joseph Academy students pitch in to help clean up the Spanish Trail Mobile Home Manor as part of Mission Week. St. Augustine Record. Eleven Lake County school robotics teams are headed to the VEX Robotics World Championships April 20-23 in Louisville, Ky. Daily Commercial. Seven Rivers Christian School seniors help build homes with Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Citrus County Chronicle.
