Whistleblowers intimidated? Two students who complained about having unqualified substitutes for geometry class all year are being harassed and intimidated by the school’s principal and the area superintendent, two teachers tell Palm Beach School Superintendent Robert Avossa. They say the principal, Cheryl McKeever, told the geometry students they don’t have a teacher because they ran off the job candidate. In a statement, McKeever says she was addressing the students as young adults. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher bonuses: Incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, says he wants to expand the teacher bonuses program in the next legislative session. He says more money will be added, especially for teachers in low-income schools, and the program will be made permanent instead of proceeding on a year-to-year basis. Tampa Bay Times. Rep. Corcoran issues a survey to the 5,200 state teachers who qualified for the teacher bonuses, asking them how to improve the program. Gradebook. The Best and Brightest teacher bonuses are distributed in Miami-Dade. Each teacher who qualified receives $8,256.27 minus payroll and income tax. Miami Herald.
Pyrotechnics probe: Palm Beach County school officials will investigate who approved hiring a fire-breather for a pep rally Thursday at Atlantic High School. The act misfired and the performer’s face caught fire. “When you put fire in a building, this is a problem,” says Superintendent Robert Avossa. Palm Beach Post. This was at least the third time fire-breather Ricky Charles has performed in Palm Beach schools in the past three years. Palm Beach Post. A new type of fuel and a lack of practice led to the accident, says Ricky Charles. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post.
Education bill: What was in the massive education bill that passed on the final day of the Legislature? Miami Herald. One thing not in the bill is money for City Year, a branch of AmeriCorps that places young adults in schools to help students one-on-one. Orlando Sentinel.
Money = results? Big donations to legislators didn’t necessarily translate into big returns for the industries making the donations. But charter school supporters were among the winners. Miami Herald.
Failing schools: Parents from five failing St. Petersburg elementary schools say they feel intimidated when they try to get involved in their children’s schools. At a community forum, they also say their children’s academic performance and behavior improved when they moved to other schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter school confusion: Ownership of Windsor Preparatory Academy in St. Petersburg is unclear, confusing parents who had been told the company managing the company had been sold. Newpoint Education Partners said it was bought by Alliance Ed of Florida, but Alliance says no sale has been finalized. Windsor has run up debts of nearly $1 million and has had curriculum problems and high teacher turnover during Newpoint’s tenure. Tampa Bay Times.
Schools and growth: The highly rated school district is a primary reason for the explosive growth in St. Johns County. But can that system keep up with the growth it’s helping to drive? St. Augustine Record.
Teacher honored: Chris Pombonyo, a first-grade teacher at Crystal Lake Elementary, is named Seminole County’s teacher of the year. Orlando Sentinel.
Legg lauded: Legislators pay tribute to Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity, who is leaving the Senate after redistricting eliminated his district. Legg, 40, was chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Tampa Tribune.
Teacher tests district: Pasco County school officials ponder what to do about Michael Maynard, a demanding teacher who gets results but sometimes leaves bruised feelings along the way. Maynard, an advanced language arts teacher at River Ridge High School, is on leave after a series of inappropriate comments. Tampa Bay Times.
Pay-school link: An analysis shows that the higher a Marion County school’s average base teacher salary, the better grade the school received from the state. Ocala Star Banner.
Preschool problems: A lack of funds is preventing the Head Start program in Escambia County from serving more students. Pensacola News Journal. Voluntary pre-kindergarten programs are also feeling the financial strain. Pensacola News Journal.
Animals disruptions: Thursday’s dismissal at Geneva Classical Academy was delayed when a 10-foot alligator wandered onto the campus. A trapper had to be called to remove it. Lakeland Ledger. Patch.com. Three Oaks Elementary went into lockdown mode twice on Friday when a black bear was seen near the Fort Myers school. Fort Myers News-Press.
Preschool ordered to pay: The Discovery Preschool Center of Coconut Creek is ordered to pay $3 million to the family of a 4-year-old girl who was molested by a teacher in 2013. Another case has been settled, and two more are pending. The teacher, Olakunle Omomowo, is scheduled to go on trial next month on five counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Sun-Sentinel.
School changes: Manatee School Superintendent Diana Greene meets with the staff of G.D. Rogers Garden Elementary School to discuss the influx of students expected when Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary is closed. Bradenton Herald.
Tobacco policies: A Brevard County School Board member is asking for a legal opinion on whether the district’s tobacco-free policy can include vaporizers. Florida Today.
Public comments: The Manatee County School Board is working on a policy for public comments at board meetings. Bradenton Herald.
Faith-sharing at school: The Christian Educators Association International is looking for ways that teachers can share their faith in the classroom. “We’re not talking about proselytizing. That would be illegal,” says Finn Laursen, CEAI’s executive director. Washington Post. Deseret News.
Opinions on schools: Legislators are long on ideas to change education, but short on providing money to actually improve schools. John Romano, Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach County commissioners should reject a request from the county’s economic council for a cut of the money a penny sales tax hike would raise for schools and county infrastructure needs. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach County should go ahead and join the schools to present the penny sales tax hike to voters in November. Palm Beach Post. Florida Standards Assessments testing parties thrown by schools are crazy. Sun-Sentinel. An investment in Head Start changes children’s lives. Lisa Nellessen-Lara, Pensacola News Journal. STEM programs represent the future of Brevard County’s economy. Cari Kupec, Florida Today. Recess is the forgotten classroom of schools. Michael Bennett, Northwest Florida Daily News. Open dialogue between parents and schools is needed on the issue of school recess. Northwest Florida Daily News. The new law allowing open enrollment poses more questions than answers. St. Augustine Record.
Student enrichment: Wiregrass Ranch High School students show off their culinary skills during a competition. Tampa Tribune. Washington High School DECA students learn principles of business, marketing and money management while running a lunchtime restaurant, the Cat Shack, in the school. Pensacola News Journal. Fourth-graders at Samsula Academy get to have a food fight for winning the school’s healthiest class challenge. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Leesburg High School’s Science National Honor Society students are making recycling bins from reused plastic water bottles. Daily Commercial. Students at Sabal Palm Elementary and Golden Terrace Elementary make vehicles for two that contain their own source of power to earn a spot in the Florida Odyssey of the Mind competition taking place next month. Naples Daily News.
