LGBT policy: The Brevard County School Board is expected to decide Tuesday whether to expand the district’s anti-harassment policy by banning discrimination against students and staff on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. In April, on a 3-2 vote, the board agreed to schedule a vote on the policy to add lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as a protected class. Florida Today.
Soft landing: A year after new school busing routes caused confusion and delays in Palm Beach County, the administrator most directly responsible for the problem is now making $111,000 a year in a district job in which he supervises three people and makes more than the department director. Steve Bonino was demoted in January from director of operations after the busing crisis, and now supervises the district’s program to remodel school cafeterias. Palm Beach Post.
Records lawsuit: The Orange County teachers union is suing the school district, accusing it of “completely ignoring” state law on open records. The union charges that the district put up roadblocks or ignored requests from the union for documents on employee discipline. saying it did not respond or that it put up hurdles when the union requested documents related to employee discipline. The district has not commented. Orlando Sentinel.
Art referendum: Pinellas County voters will be asked in November to renew a tax referendum that supports arts instruction in the district’s schools. The tax, first passed in 2004, provides about $33 million a year to the district. Tampa Bay Times.
Driver’s ed: Driver’s education classes return to the Bay County School District for the first time since the program was cut to save money about a decade ago. Panama City News Herald.
Absenteeism problems: Chronic absenteeism is less of a problem for Escambia and Santa Rosa schools than for many other Florida districts. Still, the local districts are challenged with chronic absenteeism, tardy students and those who routinely leave school early. Pensacola News Journal.
Superintendent’s contract: Tuesday, the Alachua County School Board is expected to approve a one-year contract for interim Superintendent Sandy Hollinger. She’ll be paid $136,274. Board members say they will hire a permanent superintendent before Hollinger’s contract ends. Gainesville Sun.
School grades: Florida school districts are assessing the impact of school grades recently issued by the state. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial. Suwannee News. Boca Raton Tribune. Okeechobee News. Branford News. WJHG. Keys News. Ormond Beach Observer. Apopka Voice. Caloosa Belle. Osceola News-Gazette.
District issues: Okaloosa County School Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson tells a Chamber of Commerce committee that the teacher shortage, aging buildings, a demand for later school starting times and the state’s new open enrollment law are the four biggest challenges the district faces. Crestview News Bulletin.
Early welcome: Sea Breeze Elementary School officials start a pilot program to ease students into the transition from preschool to kindergarten. The program, which is part of the nationwide Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, sends information and resources, such as books, to the homes of students. It also holds several events prior to the first day of school to let children get familiar with the school. Bradenton Herald.
Speech criticized: A graduation speech with biblical references draws a complaint from a parent and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The speech was given by school board chairman Steve Moss to fifth-graders at West Bay Elementary School. Panama City News Herald.
Lawsuit threat: A girl who didn’t make the Leon County High School cheerleading team is threatening to sue the district. The district is investigating the complaint. The coaches and a few of the cheerleaders have threatened to quit if the district bypasses the selection process. Tallahassee Democrat.
Coaching supplements: Pay for high school coaches in Florida varies from district to district. Alachua County is toward the bottom of the state’s 67 counties, ranking 50th in football pay, 46th in basketball and 62nd in baseball/softball. Gainesville Sun.
Opinions on schools: Maybe it is time to ditch school and district letter grades for a fuller picture of a school’s performance. Beth Kassab, Orlando Sentinel. The Collier County School District’s grade change shows the grading system the state uses for schools and districts isn’t an “A”-ccountabilty system. It’s still incomplete, an “I”-ccountability system. Naples Daily News. Educators now spend an average of four to six weeks reteaching materials that students forgot over summer break at an estimated cost of more than $1,500 per student annually. Mary Polizzotto, Naples Daily News. The Marion County School District has been on a steady downward slide when compared to the rest of the state, even before Superintendent George Tomyn took the reins in 2012. But the decline has continued, and that requires Tomyn, the School Board and the entire community to rethink what our schools are doing. Ocala Star Banner. For parents and voters who refuse to accept the fact that our kids must work harder and have stronger skills than we did to be successful in a global economy, the natural reaction is to build protectionist walls against the competition from other nations. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
Student enrichment: For the 10th straight year, the Manatee County Technology Student Association compiles more wins and Top 10 finishes than any other school district in the nation at the National TSA Conference in Nashville. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Buchholz High School’s math team wins its 10th consecutive national championship at the Mu Alpha Theta national competition in St. Louis. Gainesville Sun. The Poynter Institute appoints Ernest Hooper, a Tampa Bay Times columnist, and DeMorris Lee, a communications coordinator for the Pinellas County School District, to lead Write Field, a writing and academic enrichment program for minority boys in St. Petersburg. Poynter.org.
