Florida schools roundup: Education budget, a legislative to-do list and more

Education budget: Leaders in the Florida Senate and House agree over the weekend to an increase of about 1.2 percent in K-12 per-student funding, from $7,196 to $7,220. They also agreed to provide $200 million to recruit charter school networks – the “schools of hope” plan – and $214 million for the teacher bonuses program. Legislators are expected to decide today what schools will get for construction projects. A tentative agreement would give about $69 million each to traditional public schools and charters for construction and maintenance. Universities would get $116.6 million for construction projects. Naples Daily NewsPolitico FloridaNews Service of Florida. Associated PressMiami HeraldFlorida Politics. Legislators are considering adding money for social services at struggling traditional public schools to the “schools of hope” bill. Politico Florida. The Legislature begins its final week with such high-profile education issues as mandatory daily recess and standardized testing still on the list of things to do. Orlando Sentinel. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Miami arts high school that produced the creators of the Oscar-winning movie Moonlight and the Broadway hit Hamilton gets a reprieve when the Legislature reverses a decision to withhold state grant money. Originally, funding for the New World School of the Arts was slashed from the budget. After news of the cut was made public, $500,000 for the school was put back into the budget. That’s still $150,000 less than the school received this year. Miami Herald. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, tweets that the problem getting mandatory daily recess in the state’s elementary schools rests with Gov. Rick Scott, not the Legislature. He did not elaborate, and a spokeswoman for Scott said she has “no idea what that tweet means. We have continued to say that we will review it if it passes.” Miami Herald.

Drug-testing students: The Monroe County School Board agrees to drug-test athletes and other students involved in extracurricular activities for a year. After the test, results will be reported to the board, which will decide if it wants to continue. Drug-testing of athletes was halted in 2014 after a parent complained that her daughter was pulled from class, taken to a drug-court facility and tested without her knowledge. Keynoter.

K-12 sexual assaults: There were about 17,000 reports of sexual assault in K-12 schools in the United States between 2011 and 2015, according to state education records and federal crime data. And that number is considered low because many students don’t report sexual assaults and some states don’t track them. Associated Press.

Teaching acceptance: Chris Ulmer, a special education teacher at Mainspring Academy in Jacksonville, is traveling the country filming interviews with children who have conditions such as autism and Down syndrome. He says each interview teaches an appreciation and acceptance for the differences in people. “No matter their level of communication, some are verbal, some are nonverbal, that doesn’t matter,” Ulmer says. “That’s not indicative of intelligence. Everybody is understanding the world in their own way and through these videos … You can see that in each one.” ABC News.

Tragedy on walk home: A former Mississippi law enforcement officer runs into five Dundee Ridge Middle Academy students walking home after getting off their school bus, killing one. Jahiem Robertson, 13, died, another student was seriously hurt and three others were treated and released from a hospital. Polk County deputies say John Camfield, 48, of Davenport, was drunk when he veered off the road and hit the students. He’s been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death, driving under the influence of alcohol with serious bodily injury, DUI manslaughter, reckless driving with serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, and driving under the influence with injury and property damage, as well as five misdemeanors. Lakeland LedgerOrlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. Associated Press.

TV series warning: Robert Avossa, superintendent of the Palm Beach School District, sends a letter home to parents noting an “an increase in youth at-risk behavior” that he blames on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. The series, which was released March 31, tells the fictional story of a 17-year-old girl who kills herself and leaves audio recordings for those she blames. Critics say it romanticizes suicide. Last week, a Gainesville principal sent an email warning parents about the series after a student killed himself. Palm Beach PostSun-Sentinel. Washington Post. Associated Press.

Contract renewals: Two Senate Republicans break with their colleagues to help block a bill that would have prevented school districts from offering guaranteed one-year contract renewals for teachers rated “highly effective” or “effective.” GOP senators Jack Latvala of Clearwater and Anitere Flores of Miami sided with four Democrats to keep the bill from advancing out of the Senate Rules Committee for a full vote. Politico Florida. Gradebook.

Post-high school: Fewer Marion County public high school graduates continued their education in 2015 than in 2009, according to state statistics. In 2009, 52.5 percent of all county graduates went on to community colleges, colleges or technical schools. In 2015 that number was 42.7 percent, with nearly all the decline coming from community colleges. Ocala Star Banner.

Council criticizes schools: Members of the Port St. Lucie City Council say the county’s C-graded school district is stunting economic growth. Council member Stephanie Morgan, who also sells real estate, says her clients usually asks her how the schools are. “I can’t answer that,” she said. “I don’t want to answer that. You don’t want to hear the words coming out of my mouth when they say that.” TCPalm.

School curriculum: Three Lake County high schools will offer AP Capstone courses this fall. The classes, which will be options at South Lake, East Ridge and Lake Minneola high schools, are intended to teach critical thinking skills through two advanced placement courses, AP Seminar and AP Research. Orlando Sentinel.

New facilities sought: Parents urge Martin County School Board members to upgrade the athletic facilities at South Fork High School, which they say are too small and lack privacy. Board members are sympathetic, but say they have $188 million to spend on district school upgrades over the next five years but about $286 million in needs. TCPalm.

Sexting concerns: A case of sexting is being investigated at Northwest Middle School in Jacksonville. Students were seen watching a video of two boys engaged in a sex act, and school officials responded by sending a message to all parents. Florida Times-Union.

Teacher cleared: An administrative law judge clears a Palm Beach County teacher of an accusation that he made sexual advances toward a student, and he will be rehired. Edward Zamora, 58, was a drama teacher at Forest Hill High in West Palm Beach until the accusation from a student in March 2016. He was fired. But the judge ruled that the student was contradicted by other witnesses and lacked credibility. Sun-Sentinel.

Teacher under investigation: A conservative advocacy group is accusing a gay Hillsborough County teacher of forbidding students from wearing crosses in her class and pushing her personal values in the classroom. Lora Jane Riedas, 45, a math teacher at Riverview High School, denies the charges. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher arrested: A charter school teacher is arrested and accused of battering a student and exposing himself to another student in his classroom in separate incidents two days apart in April 2016. Angel Manuel Arzuaga, 31, who was a teacher at the Four Corners Upper School in Osceola County, has been fired, say school officials. Orlando Sentinel.

Student targeted, 9 arrested: A 16-year-old Westridge Middle School student is attacked on his way home from school because he’s gay, say Orange County deputies. Nine students, all in the seventh or eighth grades, are arrested and accused of felony robbery. Orlando Sentinel.

Student beaten at school: A student at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando is beaten after school by another student. The victim’s father is critical of the school for having no adults in the area at the time. WKMG.

Opinions on schools: Finally, the Legislature seems prepared to pass a law requiring a financial literacy course as a requirement for graduation. Rick Christie, Palm Beach Post. The Florida Legislature does not need to further intrude into classroom instruction. There are already ample venues for parents to raise concerns about which particular literature piece is presented. Fred Bartleson III, Florida Today. The Hillsborough County School District has no easy options for accommodating thousands of new students it expects to flood classrooms over the next decade. School officials will have to find new ways to raise money at the state and local levels, and they will need to present a compelling case that they can be trusted to meet the challenge. Tampa Bay Times. To tap into the transformative power of coaching, leaders in districts and schools need to make instructional coaching for teachers an important part of their overall strategy for school improvement. Phil Poekert, Palm Beach Post. Removing an elementary school principal who made racially insensitive comments was the appropriate decision by Pinellas County School Superintendent Michael Grego. Tampa Bay Times. What parents and teachers can do to combat bullying in schools. Andrea Chaouloff, Florida Times-Union. The anger of Citrus County School Board members over complying with a state law that allows students to stay seated during the Pledge of Allegiance is understandable. But the constitutional rights of students is unalienable. Citrus County Chronicle. A union and the Miami-Dade School District have rolled out the red carpet for BMG Money, a Brazilian company that charges a crushing interest rate of 24 percent on loans and will absolutely, positively be repaid. That’s because the school district will act as BMG’s collection agency, deducting scheduled payments from employee paychecks. Florence Snyder, Florida Politics. Public schools are the foundation of our democracy; they give all children a chance, no matter their background, no matter their zip code. Please, legislators, make our children your first priority in your grand budget bargain. Rosanne Wood, Tallahassee Democrat.

Student enrichment: The St. Lucie County School District signs into the Florida High School Athletic Association’s unified track and field program, which gives athletes with intellectual disabilities a chance to compete in two relay events at meets. TCPalm. Braden River High School biology students analyze DNA and solve a fictional crime during a visit to the State College of Florida’s science labs. Bradenton Herald. Students at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach pledge to speak out against online negativity as part of the national Call It Out campaign. Panama City News Herald.


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BY NextSteps staff