Federal inquiries: The federal government is launching yet another investigation into the way black students are treated by the Pinellas County School District. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will look into a complaint filed by the Southern Law Poverty Center that contends the district disproportionately disciplines black and disabled students. In April, the Office for Civil Rights began an investigation of the district’s assignment of students by race into gifted programs, and whether black students were given equal access to district resources. Tampa Bay Times. The Office for Civil Rights has also opened an investigation into a claim that the Bay County School District failed to evaluate several students’ eligibility for special education services, The inquiry will be added to an existing one filed in 2012 that accuses the district of disproportionately disciplining minority students. Panama City News Herald.
Funding squeeze: Key state senators say they remain committed to public education, but funding will be tight as resources are stretched. They told the Florida School Boards Association on Thursday that their priorities for this legislative session are higher teacher pay, less testing and added accountability measures for choice programs. Tampa Bay Times. The Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition issues a 10-point legislative agenda. The coalition, which includes school officials from 13 central Florida districts, is asking for more local authority over funding from the state, and to restore state funding to 2007 levels. Bradenton Herald.
Report card fail: Florida grades poorly on how it provides online data to parents, according to the Data Quality Campaign’s Show Me the Data study of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Florida makes its information available in English only, requires parents to make three or more clicks on district websites to view report cards, and doesn’t include all the information required by the federal government. Florida did have the most up-to-date data online. Gradebook.
Bush on reform: At the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s annual conference, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush calls for massive changes in federal education funding and policy. He urged cutting federal requirements on state and local education decisions and allowing increased school choice. redefinED. The 74. Sun-Sentinel.
Four charters closing: Four single-gender charter schools in Jacksonville are closing this month because of financial issues. Enrollment at Valor Academy of Leadership, a middle and high school for boys, and Virtue Arts and Science Academy, a middle and high school for girls, did not meet expectations and the schools’ expenses outstripped revenues. Florida Times-Union.
Re-engagement center: The Duval County School District launches a “re-engagement center” to help students who received certificates of completion get their high school diplomas. Last year 336 students received a certificate instead of a diploma because they didn’t complete two required state exams. Florida Times-Union.
Boundary dispute: Parents whose children would be moved out of Calusa Elementary School plead with a rezoning committee to change the boundaries of the Boca Raton school to allow their children to stay. Rezoning is meant to alleviate overcrowding at the school, which was designed for 836 students but could have 1,237 next year. The committee will make its recommendation to Superintendent Robert Avossa. He can accept it or revise it, then take it to the Palm Beach County School Board for a vote. Sun-Sentinel.
New district leaders: Traci Moses is sworn in as the new superintendent of the Franklin County School District. Stacy Kirvin is also elected chair of the school board. Moses was a fourth-grade teacher at the Apalachicola Bay Charter School. Apalachicola Times.
School bus cuts: The Hillsborough County School Board is expected to vote Tuesday to end so-called “courtesy” busing for middle and high school students who live within 2 miles of their schools. The cost-cutting change, which would start in August, will affect almost 7,500 students. Tampa Bay Times. WTSP.
Wrong bus stop: All Brevard County school bus drivers are being retrained after a 3-year-old was let off the wrong bus stop in Titusville. School officials say the driver did not follow protocol by seeing that the child was met by an adult. He is on paid leave while the district investigates. This is the latest in a string of problems with school bus dropoffs. WFTV. Florida Today.
Student arrested: An 18-year-old Mainland High School junior is arrested after school officials found a handgun in his backpack. Teryron Hills told police he brought the gun to school “to protect himself from some other students” after school. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opinions on schools: If education were as important as Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran suggests, then Florida should fund the heck out of public schools, set high expectations, give districts added flexibility for personnel and material resources decisions, and then send in the SWAT teams to failing schools to make necessary changes and move the school grade up a notch. Craig Diamond, Tallahassee Democrat. Apparently, teenagers who are immigrants who might better themselves through education, get decent jobs and become productive members of society must be stopped! Sue Carlton, Tampa Bay Times.
Student enrichment: About 4,000 Miami-Dade fourth-graders are treated to a concert by the Cleveland Orchestra. Miami Herald. The Santa Rosa Education Foundation awards a total of $68,000 in grants to 68 county teachers to be used to boost student achievement. Pensacola News Journal.
