Florida schools roundup: Budget talks, spelling bee, extra testing and more

Budget negotiations: The backstage maneuvering on the state budget is intensifying, and some Tallahassee insiders think a deal can be struck that keeps House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s education budget largely intact if more money can be found for Gov. Rick Scott’s economic development agency Enterprise Florida. Steve Bousquet, Tampa Bay Times. Sunshine State News.

National Spelling Bee: Ananya Vinay, a 12-year-old girl from Fresno, Calif., wins the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the 36th round. Sreeniketh Vogoti, an eighth-grader from St. Johns County, had the best performance for a Floridian. He was one of 15 finalists, but was eliminated in the eighth round. Associated PressWashington Post. National Spelling Bee. Florida Times-UnionOrlando Sentinel. Associated Press. Palm Beach Post. Naples Daily News.

Extra testing: Many Florida high schools try to convince students to take two end-of-course exams for the same subject as a way to bolster the schools’ grades from the state. Palm Beach Post.

School honor code: Sunlake High School is planning to institute an honor code this fall for students in its Advanced Placement courses. A recent instance of test-sharing prompted the move, which will have students signing a pledge to neither give nor receive unauthorized help on tests, or to tolerate others’ use of such unapproved help. Gradebook.

Teaching chess: The number of school chess clubs is growing rapidly in the Orange County School District, from 29 in elementary schools three years ago to 101 in elementary and middle schools this year. By the 2018-2019 school year, the district hopes to have a chess club at every school at every level, says Beth Gillam, who works on the chess initiative in the district’s Minority Achievement Office. Orlando Sentinel.

Textbooks considered: The Collier County School Board accepts five school textbooks and rejects one. Getting the okay were textbooks for high school-level U.S. history, government and economics, and a social studies book for elementary schools. Rejected was a high school book title Street Law: A Course in Practical Law. Board members thought it diminished the importance of the Constitution in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a resolution adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1948. Naples Daily News.

STEM-certified academy: Sebastian Middle School in St. Augustine is beginning the two-year process of becoming the first STEM-certified academy in St. Johns County. Teachers will be trained to integrate STEM into their content in all subjects, and to help students focus on project-based learning. St. Augustine Record.

Food, attendance link: Tuttle Elementary School in Sarasota partnered with the All Faiths Food Bank four years ago to help feed hungry students. This past year Tuttle had one of the highest attendance rates in the district. “When a student’s fundamental needs are met, they will be more ready to learn,” says principal Tomas Dinverno. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Graduation concerns: Graduation is a time of hope and new beginnings for most students. But for many parents of special-needs students, the end of structured schooling brings new concerns. Tampa Bay Times.

New school: Ground is broken for a new Melrose Elementary School to be built adjacent to its current location in St. Petersburg. The project will cost $18 million and be built over two years. Tampa Bay Times.

Teachers honored: Four teachers are winners of the governor’s Shine Awards, which are presented to teachers who make significant contributions to the field of education. Those honored are: Evangeline Aguirre, ESOL intensive reading and English teacher at Palm Beach Central High School; Diana Huff, who teaches fifth grade reading, writing and social studies at Fort Caroline Elementary School in Jacksonville; Justine Jackson, who teaches middle school intensive language arts at Sarasota Middle School; and Leigh Ann Norris, a reading, math, science and history teacher at Central Hamilton Elementary School. Florida Department of EducationFlorida Times-Union.

Yearbooks recalled: Senior quotes about sex and drugs in the Boca Raton High School yearbook lead to its recall by school officials. Palm Beach Post.

Teacher arrested: A business technical education teacher at Carver Middle School is Leesburg is arrested by the FBI and accused of trying to lure a minor into having sex. Andres Fernando Cabezas, 33, was texting with an FBI agent posing as a 12-year-old girl named Kate. Lake County school officials say Cabezas will be fired. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial.

Weapon at school: A loaded handgun is found by a custodian outside Shadowlawn Elementary School in Green Cove Springs. Florida Times-Union. WJAX.

Opinions on schools: House Bill 7069 is the next step in Florida’s nearly two decades-long tradition of putting the needs of students above institutions and good public policy over partisan politics. Indian River County School Board member Shawn R. Frost, TCPalm. Why it matters that poor students don’t get time to play at school. Livia Gershon, Common Dreams. Small school designs can translate to big advantages for schools and the surrounding neighborhoods. C.T. Hsu, Orlando Sentinel.

Student enrichment: Three students and their teacher at Lee High School in Jacksonville win the Kindness Challenge, a national contest from Harvard University, for promoting kindness on their campus. Florida Times-Union. WJAX.


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BY NextSteps staff