Capital improvements: The Florida Department of Education will lobby legislators for a change in the way school capital improvements projects are funded. Department officials want the law to allocate money based on the age of buildings and square footage. Right now money is distributed based on a percentage of the past five years’ average funding. Tampa Bay Times.
Superintendent pay raise: The Palm Beach County School Board delays a vote on a nearly $10,000 pay raise for Superintendent Robert Avossa until Dec. 7. Some board members were unhappy that they didn’t know they would be considering a raise until just before the meeting. Avossa’s salary, which is already the most of any state superintendent, would jump from $325,000 to $334,750 and he would get automatic raises in the future if the contract changes are approved. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Padget departs: John Padget, vice chairman of the Florida Board of Education, attended his final meeting Wednesday. The Key West investor served the maximum two four-year terms. Padget has been an advocate for integrating coding and computer science into classrooms, and also argued for higher standards for passing scores on state assessments tests. Politico Florida. keysnews.com.
Medical marijuana: Duval County school officials say they need to know how the Legislature will regulate medical marijuana before they can see how it might affect the way the district deals with students who are cleared by a doctor to use it. WJAX. WTSP.
Students protest: Nearly 100 high school and college students in Homestead walk out of classes to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration positions and to demand the city become a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. Miami Herald.
Teacher protest: Pasco County teachers take their protest over a contract impasse with the district to the streets. They were supported by teachers from Hernando and Pinellas counties. Pasco’s teachers are looking for a pay raise and increased job security. Gradebook.
Traffic safety concerns: Parents are pushing the Florida Department of Transportation to reverse a decision to delay a traffic light at an intersection near Nease High School in St. Johns County. The intersection was the site of a serious accident involving students earlier this month. Parents were originally told a light would be installed next summer, but the project has since been pushed back to 2018. St. Augustine Record.
City honors students: Coral Springs city commissioners honor three Coral Springs High School students who reported to a security guard that a former student had a gun on the school’s campus in October. Jose “Daniel” Salazar, Sinclaire Caprio and Alejandra Palma “weren’t afraid to open their mouth,” said Police Chief Tony Pustizzi. Sun-Sentinel.
Teachers honored: David Ide, a math teacher at Tampa’s Berkeley Prep, wins the Excellence in Science/Mathematics Teacher Award among private schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Ide receives $10,000 for winning the award, which is funded by the Barrett Family Foundation. Tampa Bay Times. Laura Alois, a first-grade teacher at Burns Science and Technology Charter School in Oak Hill, is named the Charter School Champion Teacher of the Year. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Merged school at capacity: Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School is fully enrolled for the first time, Manatee school officials say. The district merged Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School into the newer Rogers Garden Elementary School in August as part of a plan to more evenly spread enrollment throughout the county. Bradenton Herald.
Teachers and technology: Teachers and administrators at Surfside and Jinx middle schools receive new Chromebooks as part of the district’s new “Go Connect 1:1 Middle School Initiative.” The cost, about $476,000, is covered through the district’s half-cent sales tax and money from the state. Panama City News Herald.
Social media issues: The St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association had just one case of social media misuse and cyberbullying among athletes last year. This year, it has already had six, and officials say it will proliferate as more students get smartphones at a younger age. St. Augustine Record.
Drug arrest at school: A 15-year-old boy is arrested and accused of trying to sell trying to sell drugs on the campus of Horizons Academy in Manatee County. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Gun on bus scare: A student brought a pellet gun onto a school bus carrying eight students from Cypress Lake Middle School. No one was injured, and Fort Myers police are investigating. Fort Myers News-Press.
Opinions on schools: Across Florida, CEOs and business executives are partnering with school principals to improve the quality of education in public schools. Steven Wasserman, Miami Herald.
Student enrichment: J. Colin English Elementary School students are selling socks to benefit needy children and amputees. For every pair of socks sold, a pair is donated to a needy child. For every 75 pairs sold, an amputee in a developing country can receive a prosthetic leg. North Fort Myers Neighbor. A machining lab is launched at Armwood High School in Hillsborough County to train students for manufacturing jobs. Tampa Bay Times. The North Fort Myers Red Knight JROTC Raiders’ coed team wins the U.S. Army JRTC National Raider Challenge Competition. North Fort Myers Neighbor. Students at the Pine View School get a lesson in the challenges of farming in outer space. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
