Special session: A proposal to change the way K-12 schools are funded fails in the Senate, and the chamber appears to be closer to agreeing to the House’s spending plan for K-12 education. But the special session could collapse over a dispute about spending for higher education. Speaker Richard Corcoran says the House will not join the Senate in overriding Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of about $75 million in projects for colleges and universities, as Senate President Joe Negron has demanded. His escalating feud with Negron over education priorities and the agreement Scott and Corcoran reached last week is threatening to sink the special session. Today is the final scheduled day. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida. Palm Beach Post. Florida Politics. Gradebook. redefinED. Sunshine State News. Politico Florida.
State testing results: Florida sophomores post a 62 percent pass rate on the Florida Standards Assessments algebra 1 exam, up 7 percentage points over last year’s performance, say Florida Department of Education officials. There was no change in the 50 percent pass rate on the language arts exams. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Department of Education. WJXT. Here are reports on testing results, and potential effects of those results, from districts and schools around the state. Sun Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Florida Times-Union. Gradebook. Gradebook. Bradenton Herald. Fort Myers News-Press. Gainesville Sun. Ocala Star Banner. Florida Today. Lakeland Ledger. TCPalm. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Flagler Live. Panama City News Herald. WFLA. Only 11 percent of Florida’s high school seniors who had to retake the algebra 1 end-of-course test passed it, according to the Florida Department of Education. Gradebook. Politico Florida.
Prayer court decision: A federal judge rules against a Tampa Christian school that claimed its free speech rights were violated when the Florida High School Athletic Association did not allow it to broadcast a prayer before a football game. The FHSAA denied Cambridge Christian School’s request to use a stadium loudspeaker for a prayer before a state championship football game in 2015, saying allowing it would have implied an endorsement of the message. The federal judge’s decision concluding the school had no right to broadcast the prayer concurred with the recommendation from a magistrate judge in February. News Service of Florida.
More school time: Lake County School Superintendent Diane Kornegay backs off a call for all students to have a longer school day and year. Kornegay now is asking for input from the community and is proposing a pilot program for more school time. She’s expected to provide more details about her plans by the end of July. Orlando Sentinel.
District hiring freeze: The Hillsborough County School District is under a hiring freeze as school officials try to decide how to cut more than $75 million out of next year’s budget. Superintendent Jeff Eakins says cuts will be made to the size of the staff, not to salaries. Comparisons with similar-sized Florida districts indicate Hillsborough is overstaffed. Broward, for example, has 7,000 more students but 1,500 fewer employees than Hillsborough’s 26,000. Tampa Bay Times.
Pre-K extension: The Levy County School Board approves an extension of free prekindergarten classes from three hours to a full day. Cedar Key Beacon.
Personnel moves: Principals are named at two Sarasota County schools. Charlotte Sun.
School burglarized: Money and computers are stolen in a burglary at Jay Elementary School. Deputies have video of the two suspects, and are asking the public’s help in identifying them. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Student enrichment: Demand for a spot in a Lego robotics summer camp for elementary students at Jacksonville’s Stanton College Prep is about five times what was expected. Florida Times-Union. Three Manatee High School students are winners of National Merit Scholarships. Bradenton Herald. Tallahassee Community College is offering scholarships to Gadsden County graduates with a 3.0 or higher GPA. WFSU.
