Education budget debate: Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, says he wants additional property tax money to provide two-thirds of the extra $215 million Gov. Rick Scott has proposed for K-12 schools. The proposal is opposed by the House, which has been adamantly against higher local property taxes for education. Negron has several other items on his agenda for the session that appear to be outside of the agreement reportedly reached Friday among him, Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach Post. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Senators have been assured that there will be a “full and open” discussion about the proposed education bill during the Legislature’s special session today through Friday, says Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, who is chairman of the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. Simmons, who voted against H.B. 7069, says improving the bill would be better than killing it, though he also says “it’s got to be gotten rid of unless we can improve it.” Gradebook. Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, says he’s “not comfortable supporting any compromise” on boosting K-12 funding for 2017-18 that fails “to address the erosion of Florida’s commitment to public education that is contained in H.B. 7069.” Garcia joined Simmons and Sen. Denise Grimsley of Sebring as the only Republicans voting against the bill. Miami Herald.
Charter schools: Sarasota County School Board members heatedly debate the charter school provisions in the state education budget. It began when one member asked others to sign a letter to Gov. Scott asking him to veto H.B. 7069, which drew objections from other board members and finally provoked this comment from board chair Caroline Zucker: “If you can’t sit here and vote for public school children, then you don’t belong on this board. Because this is what we are — public school advocates.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Duval County School Board approves two charter schools, renews contracts for three others and approves the merger of two charter schools into one. One of the new schools was approved despite concerns from some board members. “It is very frustrating having to sit here and approve a charter school … when the (district) schools around them are not failing; they are performing well,” said board member Warren Jones. Florida Times-Union. The Atlanta School Board rejects an application from the SLAM Academy of Miami to open a charter school. The board cited the school’s over-reliance on an outside management company. SLAM (short for Sports Leadership and Management) is known for its connection to Miami rapper Pitbull. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Money for Jewish schools: Among the bills Gov. Scott has signed is one that provides $654,000 to boost security at Jewish schools. The schools and community centers were the target of threats earlier this year. Orlando Sentinel.
Religious banners ban: Palm Beach County school officials want to prohibit banners sponsored by religious organizations from all schools. The proposed policy calls religious organizations, as well as political candidates and organizations that support political causes or other controversial subjects, “inappropriate business partners.” The move was prompted after a group asked permission to post a Satanology banner at Boca Raton High. Palm Beach Post.
Teaching health: Health should be taught in Lee County schools like any other subject, a school health advisory committee tells the Lee County School Board. Topics covered in K-12 courses would include public health, fitness, nutrition, Internet safety, dating violence, disease control, substance abuse, mental and emotional wellness, as well as sex education. The board will consider the proposal at a later date. Fort Myers News-Press.
Paying veteran teachers: More than a third of all teachers hired by the Hillsborough County District this past school year earned between $42,200 and $66,200, according to a district report. The practice of paying veteran teachers more while the district struggles to make ends meet could become an issue for the school board. Tampa Bay Times.
New high schools: The Lee County School District staff is recommending that the school board approve a site for a new high school. The so-called Gateway site, off State Road 82 and Griffin Drive, has also been recommended by three of four district advisory panels. A school board vote is not expected until later in the month. Fort Myers News-Press. Meanwhile, plans for the new Bonita Springs High School hit a snag. The design for the road leading to the school is designed to go through land that’s owned by the adjacent Hawthorne Community Association, which opposed the building of the school. Fort Myers News-Press.
Donating a school: Alachua County School Board members support a proposal to donate the old Waldo Community School to the city, and will vote on the measure at a later meeting. The school has been empty since 2015. City officials do not have a specific plan for using the building, though city manager Kim Worley said she hopes to put another school there. Gainesville Sun.
District finals dispute: Some Pasco County School Board members are unhappy that Superintendent Kurt Browning is not consulting them about fixing the problem with final exams covering material not studied during the school year. Browning already has declared the district won’t count the exams toward students’ grades, and he’s already assigned the Student Progression Plan committee to consider ways to fix the issue. Gradebook.
Internal auditors: The Manatee County School Board delays a decision on hiring internal school district auditors. Two members oppose the idea, citing the 2012 financial crisis the district faced when financial reports presented to the board were false. District officials say hiring the auditors would save money. Bradenton Herald.
Teacher survey results: The Hillsborough County School District releases school-by-school results of the recent survey of teachers. Gradebook.
Personnel moves: Tzeporaw Sahadeo, 40, principal at Sandy Lane Elementary School in Clearwater, is named the director of school transformation for the Pinellas County School District. She replaces Antonio Burt. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher gets DUI: Ocala police arrest the Dunnellon High School football coach and charge him with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. William Harris, 42, was supposed to start teaching driver’s education this week. He’s been put on administrative leave. Ocala Star Banner.
Opinions on schools: The legislative special session to deal with education and other issues is an insult to voters, and to good government. Palm Beach Post. All state lawmakers and the public should be able to debate and provide input on the spending of huge amounts of taxpayer dollars, rather than having a deal rammed down their throats that still causes long-term harm to education and the environment. Gainesville Sun. Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee today for a makeup test, a three-day special session to erase some of the shortcomings in the 2017 budget that failed to earn passing grades across the state. Naples Daily News. The good news is under the state budget compromise, public schools will get more money. The bad news is that things still look kind of grim locally, and Volusia is not alone in that regard. Mark Lane, Daytona Beach News-Journal. It’s too bad the religious zealots in the Florida Legislature haven’t been paying attention to the religious banner flap at Boca Raton High School. Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post.
Student enrichment: Brianna Thomas, a seventh-grader at North Miami Middle School, is invited to Duke University’s Talent Identification Program after posting one of the highest ACT scores in Florida. Miami Herald. Dayme Delgado didn’t begin to learn English until she was in kindergarten. Now the Mater Academy Charter High School graduate is headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a full scholarship. Miami Herald. Thousands of Hillsborough County students have taken part in the Microsoft Office 365 TiViTz Challenge. TiViTz is a digital game that uses strategy skills to teach math. Tampa Bay Times. The Road to Success program, which helps young Flagler County adults earn a GED degree, graduates 36 of its 40 enrollees. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
