LGBT policies: The Brevard County School Board approves a non-discrimination policy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff and students. The debate took six hours and the vote was 3-2 on the controversial measure, which would also ban discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. Florida Today. The Hillsborough County School District is planning a universal bathroom in every school in order to accommodate transgender students and others who don’t wish to use communal bathrooms. Administrators also undergo training for sensitivity. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. WTSP.
Charter schools: University Preparatory Academy becomes the fifth charter school to close in Pinellas County this year. The school’s governing board was expected to present the district with a new operating plan, but instead announced it would close. Pinellas officials will try to keep the school open as a district school. Tampa Bay Times. The Pasco County School District is recommending to the school board that the Athenian Academy of Pasco be given a five-year contract extension. The charter school has clashed with the district in the past, but the school has no financial issues and received a passing grade from the state (a D). Gradebook.
School uniforms: The Pasco County School Board tentatively approves dress codes for Ridgewood High School and Hudson Elementary School. At Ridgewood, students would wear collared polo shirts and khaki, blue or black pants. Hudson’s students would wear red or blue polo shirts and khaki or blue pants, shorts or skirts. Gradebook.
Educational politics: While Florida’s education policies have been designed largely by the Republicans who dominate the state Legislature, there are several differences between them and the policies in the Republican Party’s national platform. Politico Florida.
School spending: Palm Beach County spent the most money per-pupil of any of the 10 largest districts in the state in the 2013-2014 school yearat $9,500, which is still well below the $11,009 national average. The state average was $8,755. The other nine: Miami-Dade ($9,106), Pinellas ($9,080), Duval ($8,831), Lee ($8,830), Orange ($8,726), Hillsborough ($8,685), Polk ($8,610), Broward ($8,553) and Brevard ($8,080). American School & University. The Polk County School Board approves a $1 billion-plus budget, but the district will continue to look for ways to bump the unrestricted fund balance from the budgeted 3.21 percent to at least 5 percent. Lakeland Ledger. The budget for the Sarasota County School District declines a little over 1 percent, to about $730 million. It’s the first time it’s dropped since the recession. The completion of renovation projects at several schools is the reason for the decline, school officials say. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The St. Johns County School Board tentatively approves a tight budget. “We’re growing 4 percent every year,” Superintendent Joe Joyner says. “A 1 percent [funding] increase [from state] gives us less discretionary dollars to do what we need.” St. Augustine Record.
School grades: More than 4,000 Volusia County students in grades 4-10 did not complete the writing portion of the Florida Standards Assessments. That’s three times more than the number who didn’t complete the reading or math portions, and was a factor in four Volusia high schools receiving grades of incomplete. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Duval County’s Ribault, Gilbert and Northwestern middle schools will have to be revamped to bring up their failing grades, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says. He says he plans a hybrid turnaround model, but did not discuss the details. The schools have consistently received grades of D and F from the state. Florida Times-Union. The Suwannee County School District received a C grade from the state, down a letter from last year. Branford News.
Longer days: Thirteen Escambia County School District elementary schools rank among the 312 lowest-performing schools in the state, and will be in session an extra hour this year for intensive reading instruction. The school board has budgeted an extra $3.84 million to pay teachers to work the extra hour. The state covers a portion of that cost. Pensacola News Journal. Five Volusia County elementary schools also are among the state’s lowest-performing and will be in session an extra hour. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Lawsuit request: The Collier County School District is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses the district of denying enrollment to some immigrant students. The suit was filed in May by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which alleged that 300 immigrant students age 16 and 17 have been denied access to education in the past three years. The district contends that Florida law doesn’t require free public education to children over 16, and has allowed school boards to set cutoff ages for attendance. Naples Daily News.
School reopening: Longwood Elementary School will reopen next year, five years after it was closed to save money. Seminole County School District officials say they will spend $8 million to renovate the school, which is expected to have about 600 students. Orlando Sentinel.
Detert honored: State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, is named legislator of the year by the Florida School Boards Associations. It was the sixth time she’s won the award since 1999. Detert is retiring from the Senate and is running for a seat on the Sarasota City Commission. Politico Florida.
New charge against coach: Javier Cuenca, a former Miami-Dade schools basketball coach awaiting trial on a 2014 lewd and lascivious charges, is arrested again on a new fondling charge. The first charges are from his time at Hialeah Gardens High, and the latest is from an earlier stint at Miami Gardens Middle School. Miami Herald.
Opinions on schools: In a perfect world, public education is a great leveler that transcends tax brackets. But if Florida’s standardized testing measures anything, it’s how hard that ideal is to achieve. Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post. When it comes to school choice, the NAACP is part of the status quo, fighting to protect special interests, while the black church and its pastors now provide the courageous leadership. Star Parker, WND.
Student enrichment: Violinist Samantha Crawford, a 17-year-old senior at Lincoln High School and a member of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestra, wins a competitive artist grant from the Sphinx Organization. She’s studying and performing in Philadelphia and Chicago this summer. Tallahassee Democrat.
