Open enrollment: Central Florida school districts are beginning to talk about how open enrollment will work. But school officials are already warning that there aren’t a lot of schools with openings, and they expect plenty of confusion for parents when the new law goes into effect for the 2017-2018 school year. Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher shortage: About three months into the school year, more than 600 teaching vacancies remain unfilled in south Florida. Thousands of students are getting instruction from brand-new teachers and substitutes who may be unfamiliar with the subjects they are teaching. Sun-Sentinel.
Trump on education: With Donald Trump as president, Americans can expect more voucher programs and charter schools, and more uncertainty for struggling schools and immigrant students. Miami Herald.
Sales tax projects: The Palm Beach County School District will move quickly on several projects after voters approved an increase of a penny to the sales tax last week. Superintendent Robert Avossa says the district’s first priorities will be to buy new school buses, replace some schools’ roofs and upgrade classroom technology. The tax is expected to generate about $1.3 billion over the next 10 years for the district. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach County officials vow to closely monitor and track spending of the money from the sales tax increase. Sun-Sentinel.
Contract negotiations: Palm Beach County teachers ratify a contract agreement that boosts their pay by an average of 3 percent this year. Palm Beach Post. Pasco County School District employees not represented by a union will get a pay raise of 2.65 percent, Superintendent Kurt Browning announces. Browning was also critical of the United School Employees of Pasco’s declaration of a contract impasse last week, and called for further negotiations. Gradebook. About 900 Manatee County teachers who have a spouse or family on their health insurance would get a $900 raise under the latest contract proposal, but pay $228 to $265 more every month for insurance. “If this went through, I will be $2,500 poorer than I was last year. That is awfully hard to accept,” says veteran Manatee High School teacher Don Falls. The union has declared an impasse in negotiations. Bradenton Herald.
School board elections: Hillsborough County election workers will hold a recount of the District 7 school board race between Lynn Gray and Cathy James. Gray leads by 1,233 votes, or 0.26 percent of the votes cast. Any margin under 0.5 percent triggers an automatic recount, unless the losing candidate declines it. Tampa Bay Times. No recount is necessary to decide the winner of the Lee County District 2 school board race, elections officials say. Melisa Giovannelli defeated incumbent Jeanne Dozier by 329 votes, or 0.6 percent. Fort Myers News-Press.
New superintendent prepares: New Marion County School Superintendent Heidi Maier begins the job Nov. 22. But she’s already busy traveling the county, talking to many of the district’s 6,000 teachers, principals and other employees about the district and to build up trust. Ocala Star Banner.
Union grievance: The Polk County School Board will consider a grievance filed by the teachers union that seeks retroactive pay and benefits for provisional substitute teachers once they earn certification. The cost would be about $2.3 million. Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd is recommending the grievance be denied at Tuesday’s board meeting. Lakeland Ledger.
Teachers honored: Pinewood Elementary fifth-grade teacher Ellise Ryan is named Martin County School District’s teacher of the year. TCPalm. Sara Klug, a special education teacher at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Pinellas County, is named Florida’s Council for Exceptional Children 2016 Marjorie Crick Teacher of the Year. Tampa Bay Reporter.
Turnaround school forum: Turning around Lakeland Kathleen Middle School is the subject of a community meeting tonight. Lakeland Ledger.
Racist signs: First Coast High School officials are investigating the placement of “Colored” and “Whites only” signs above water fountains at the school last week. Florida Times-Union.
School impact fees: School officials and homebuilders are happy with the agreement to raise the impact fees on new homes by $500, to $3,000. For the school district, the fees will generate about $45 million extra dollars. For builders, the increase still keeps the fee the lowest in the area. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Information app: The Volusia County School District now has an app to distribute information to parents and students. The VPortal mobile app allows parents and students to check grades, school menus, the district’s calendar, sports scores and more. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Teachers disciplined: A Seminole County teacher loses her state certificate for a year for having sex with a custodian in a mechanical room at Teague Middle School. Sharon J. Hill, a math teacher, resigned in lieu of termination in March 2015. Three other central Florida teachers were also disciplined by the state’s Education Practices Commission. Orlando Sentinel.
Preschool penalized: The Kinderhouse Preschool is fined $250 and ordered to halt field trips after a 4-year-old was left unattended in a car for four hours during a school trip in October. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Opinions on schools: Community involvement and top programs are building quality schools in Lee County. Bob Wimbush, Fort Myers News-Press. Manatee County School Superintendent Diana Greene is a big winner in last week’s election. Tom Tryon, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Dear parent: I want to teach your child, but I can’t. Our school system (and state) has a way of avoiding laws in an effort to push as many kids through my door as possible, often rendering my teaching ineffective at best. Vickie Truelieb, Ocala Star Banner. The Legislature should terminate the Best and Brightest Program and use the money to instead reinstate the Florida Critical Teacher Shortage Program, which was effective in reducing attrition among teachers in critical needs fields. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
Student enrichment: Seabreeze High School senior Vail Linn starts a T-shirt company, with profits benefiting students with special needs. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Members of Sigma Phi at Martin County High School decorate Molly’s House for the holidays. Molly’s is a place for families to stay while relatives are treated in the critical care unit at Martin Memorial Medical Center. TCPalm. Sarasota Booker High School places 19th of 453 state schools in improvement on the Florida Standards Assessments test in language arts category. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Marion Technical Institute in Ocala provides vocational career paths for students struggling in traditional high schools. Ocala Star Banner.
