Desegregation order: Indian River County School Board members renew their discussion about getting free from a court desegregation order, which it has been under since 1967. Board members feel the district has made progress toward fulfilling the court’s requirement of “having racially balanced schools taught by diverse staffs to establish an equitable education system for minority students.” The local NAACP chapter disagrees, saying the district still doesn’t have enough minority teachers or a success plan for minority students. TCPalm.
Home education: The number of Florida students being home-schooled increased by more than 4,000 from 2016 to 2017, according to the state Department of Education’s annual report. Since 2008, the number has increased by more than 30,000. redefinED.
Raising the bar: Florida and other states must continuously raise the standards for academic achievement, argues the CEO of the Foundation for Florida’s Future and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. “It is inevitable that when rigor is increased, student test scores and school summative grades initially will decline,” writes Patricia Levesque. “But once teachers and students adapt to the higher expectations, the scores will begin trending back up. This is how we drive better learning gains — through a continuous but realistic raising of the academic bar.” Politico Florida.
H.B. 7069 lawsuit: Indian River County School Board members meet about joining a lawsuit against the newly signed state education bill, H.B. 7069, but make no decision. Several districts are committed to suing the state over the bill, which requires districts to share tax money with charter schools. TCPalm. Bay County School Board members will vote Tuesday on whether to join the lawsuit against the education bill. Superintendent Bill Husfelt and board members have complained about the bill and the secret manner in which it was put together. Ginger Littleton, board chair, calls the bill “slimy, underhanded, treacherous and very expensive for taxpayers.” Panama City News Herald.
Daily recess: Flagler County School Superintendent James Tager says the district will have to make only minor adjustments to comply with the new state law requiring elementary schools to provide 20 minutes of daily recess to students. Students had been getting 15 minutes a day. Flagler Live.
Teaching worries: Florida teacher of the year Tammy Jerkins says during her year as an ambassador for education, she will emphasize teacher retention and advocate for programs to help support beginning teachers. The Leesburg High School math teacher says teaching is a “wonderful profession,” but she worries that fewer people want to enter it. Orlando Sentinel.
School tax rate falling: The property tax rate for Sarasota County schools is dropping slightly, but higher property values will more than offset the decline, with the school district’s spending expected to increase by 4.1 percent in the next school year. The state education budget required many districts to roll back tax rates. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Charter relocation: A public hearing will be held next Thursday to discuss the relocation of the Coral Springs Charter School, which is owned by the city and operated by Charter Schools USA. The proposal is to move the school from its current location, where it’s been since 1999, to property beside a public park on Wiles Road. Coral Springs Talk.
School names: Several community groups want to change the name of the Lake Alfred-Addair Middle School to Lake Alfred Polytech Academy. Lake Alfred is under a state-required turnaround program and could be closed if it doesn’t show improvement. The district has turned it into a magnet school for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and computer science. The Polk County School Board will vote on the proposed name change next month. Lakeland Ledger. More than 60 names have been suggested for a new high school in Parrish. The Manatee County School Board will cull the list to three favorites before making a decision Aug. 8. The other six county high schools are geographically named. Bradenton Herald.
Personnel moves: The job of Kali Davis, who was coaching and mentoring 26 teachers in Pinellas County’s lowest-performing schools, is eliminated after school officials decide it’s too hard to quantify the effectiveness of her work. Next month she’ll start a new job as instructional coach at Ridgecrest Elementary in Largo. Gradebook.
Teacher sues district: A former Lee County teacher is suing the school district, alleging she was discriminated against and then fired when she took time off to have hip replacement surgery. Amie Johnson was a math teacher at Lexington Middle School in Fort Myers. Fort Myers News-Press.
Opinions on schools: Taxpayers, parents and students alike in 55 Florida school districts are getting robbed by the state’s education funding formula, called the District Cost Differential. The Legislature should place the formula on the ballot for Florida voters to decide. Volusia County School Board chair Melody Johnson, Ormond Beach Observer. A lawsuit challenging H.B. 7069’s giveaway to charter schools is justified. Every school district in Florida ought to lend moral support, at least, to the cause. TCPalm. Threatening to deport 800,000 DREAMers is mean-spirited, and serves no purpose other than scoring political points. They should receive protections so their dreams can remain alive. Sun Sentinel. Consideration and eventual placement of a Manatee County school tax proposal on the ballot are warranted. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Advocacy is part of the PTA mission. Khahn-Lien Bank and Rik McNeill, Gainesville Sun.
Student enrichment: More than 360 third-graders who didn’t pass the Florida Standards Assessments reading test are getting personalized instruction at five Manatee County elementary schools. Bradenton Herald. Students in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program march in Palm Coast to raise awareness of hunger in the community. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
