Hope Scholarships. A bill creating new school choice options for students who are victims of violence or harassment advances, with a revamped funding mechanism. The measure is expected to raise up to $40 million and serve up to 5,878 students. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Tallahassee Democrat. Orlando Sentinel.
Release the funds. A second Leon County judge declines to halt school district payments to charter schools before the F eb. 1 deadline. The payments for capital expenditures come as a result of HB 7069, a new law districts are challenging in court. Gradebook. redefinED.
Magnet schools. A federal grant is bringing new resources, new names and new focus areas to St. Lucie County’s magnet programs. TC Palm. A photography teacher at a popular Palm Beach arts magnet also works as a professional photographer. Palm Beach Post.
Shuttered private school. Parents and teachers find more questions than answers in the wake of Arlington Country Day School, which shuttered suddenly after the state revoked school choice scholarships. WJCT. WJXT.
Turnaround. Community members rally around a persistently struggling Marion County elementary school that could have to close or convert to a charter if it doesn’t raise its grade to a C. Ocala Star-Banner.
Putnam visit. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam visits one of Florida’s largest charter schools, in the Villages. Daily Sun.
School boards. The state Senate proposes 12-year term limits. Gradebook.
Constitution revisions. The Constitution Revision Commission pares back its education agenda, as members withdraw proposals. Gradebook.
Teacher careers. Where do top teachers wind up after winning Teacher of the Year honors? Gradebook.
Campaigns. Charter schools and vouchers are among the issues dividing candidates in a Sarasota state House special election. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Administrator conduct. An assistant superintendent is suspended following an arrest for failing to report child abuse. Northwest Florida Daily News.
STEM. An elite Miami private school places fifth in a regional math competition. Miami Herald.
Graduation time. Pasco High School tweaks its graduation ceremony to avoid a scheduling conflict. Gradebook.
Opinions. Communities should invest more in teachers, Jennifer Vigne, the president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, writes. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The fact that American companies rely so heavily on H1-B visas to recruit qualified employees should lay down a gauntlet for STEM educators. Bridge to Tomorrow.
