Education capital: Traditional public schools and charter schools would each get $75 million for construction and maintenance under a compromise worked out by the chairs of the Senate and House appropriations committees. There are about 650 charter schools in the state and about 3,600 public schools. Miami Herald. redefinED.
Teacher bonuses: Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, suggests the teacher bonuses program could be inserted into the Senate omnibus education bill as a one-year compromise. Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, are still negotiating the 2016-17 budget in conference committee. Miami Herald. The Senate combined two large education bills into a single omnibus bill. Politico Florida. Only 11 of the 240 Pasco County teachers who were named “high-impact” teachers by the Department of Education received the teacher bonus under the state’s Best and Brightest program. Teachers have criticized the program as unfair. Gradebook.
Recess rejected: A last-ditch effort to revive daily elementary school recess fails when the Senate again declined to consider it. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida.
Education bills update: Here’s an update of where prominent education bills stand as the Legislature begins its last week of the regular session. Sun-Sentinel.
The new SAT: The new SAT debuted last week. The changes, announced two years ago, are designed to better reflect what students should learn in high school, according to the College Board. Students who have taken both the old and new say the English portion aligns with what they’re taking in school, but the no-calculator math section was harder. Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Florida Times-Union. U.S. News & World Report.
Duval’s struggles: Four years after Superintendent Nikolai Vitti was hired, the Duval County School District continues to trail the other six big Florida school districts in a variety of academic measures. Duval has improved by comparison to the those districts only in graduation rates. Florida Times-Union.
Testing and opting out: Parents whose children opt out of the Florida Standards Assessments tests say they’re concerned about the loss of local control over education, the accuracy of the assessments and an overemphasis on testing, among other things. Sun-Sentinel. Bradenton Herald. Naples Daily News. WTSP.
School uniforms: The Duval County School Board won’t require school uniforms for elementary and middle-school students next year. Some schools may choose to implement school uniform policies. Surveys indicated school uniforms were favored by parents but ovewhelmingly disliked by students. Florida Times-Union.
Charters problems: The Florida Department of Education is withholding state capital outlay payments for Newpoint Pinellas Academy and Newpoint Pinellas High, a middle school and high school in Clearwater, because of their precarious financial position. The schools are operated by Newpoint Education Partners. Gradebook. WUSF. A principal and assistant principal filed complaints that Bay Haven Charter Academy CEO Tim Kitts made inappropriate comments, created a hostile work environment and practiced religious and gender discrimination. Kitts has denied the charges. He resigned last week, complaining that organizational changes stripping him of his authority left him unable to lead. Panama City News Herald.
Shadow day: Principals around the Tampa Bay area step into the shoes of a student for a day during the nonprofit School Retool’s Shadow a Student Challenge. “Anybody can benefit from taking that empathy deep-dive and understanding what that experience is like,” said Susie Wise, the K-12 lab network director at the professional development nonprofit created by the Institute of Design at Stanford University. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach County goals: School Superintendent Robert Avossa releases his five-year plan for the district. The most aggressive of his goals is to increase the percentage of third-grade students reaching at grade level from about 50 percent now to 75 percent. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Failing schools: Parents talk about the six failing public schools in Orange County, and school officials talk about what help they’ll offer those schools. Orlando Sentinel.
Warning signs: Therapists, counselors and social workers talk about the warning signs that a sexual relationship is developing between a student and a teacher or mentor, and how to help the victims. TCPalm.
Citrus Bowl repairs: The Indian River County School Board will decide this week whether to borrow $5.5 million to repair the Citrus Bowl now rather than spread the renovations over four years. TCPalm.
New high school: Residents of Destin have been pushing for a high school for almost 20 years. But there’s a competing claim being made by Crestview. Northwest Florida Daily News.
School rezoning: The Clay County School Board approves rezoning to alleviate overcrowding of schools in the Oakleaf Plantation area. Thirteen schools are affected. WJAX.
Teachers on leave: A high school teacher who was suspended for making inappropriate comments in class has chosen to take a leave of absence for the rest of the school year. Michael Maynard is an Advanced Placement language arts teacher at River Ridge High School. Tampa Tribune. A teacher at Cahoon Elementary Magnet School in Tampa is on paid administrative leave after a 7-year-old was hurt when a door slammed on his fingers. The family of the first-grader has hired a personal injury attorney who says the teacher slammed the door. WFTS.
Punished for photos: A North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts student is being punished for taking photos of her “disgusting” school lunches and posting them on social media. The school says it’s against policy for students to use their phones during school. WPTV.
Opinions on schools: The resignations of the school superintendent and an associate superintendent in the past few weeks could cloud the perception of the Polk County School District. Lakeland Ledger. School funding reaches a high point, but gets there in a different way. Lloyd Dunkelberger, Lakeland Ledger. High school students should be allowed to decide if they want to take a foreign language or computer coding to satisfy a graduation requirement. Hal Speed, Tallahassee Democrat. Computer coding is no substitute for a foreign language. Walt Gardner, Education Week. The horrific state of Franklin County’s graduation rate reveals a need for a massive shift in perspective. Brendan Freeman, Tallahassee Democrat.
Student enrichment: For a 13th year, the Cinderella Project of Pasco County offers financially struggling teen girls free prom dresses and accessories. Tampa Tribune. An app created by the Florida Bar provides information about state laws to students who are turning 18. Tampa Tribune. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Crestview News Bulletin. Flagler, Volusia and Clay county students compete in the Teen Court Mock Trial Competition. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
