Florida schools roundup: Avossa stepping down, education bill and more

Avossa resigning: Palm Beach County School Superintendent Robert Avossa is resigning after two and a half years to take a job with a publisher of educational materials. Avossa, 46, plans to leave June 12 to become senior vice president and publisher of education products for LRP Publications in Palm Beach Gardens. “This opportunity will allow me to spend the last part of my career impacting education at the national level while affording me more time to commit to my family,” he wrote in his resignation letter. He is recommending the board replace him with someone already working for the district. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.

Education bill attacked: The state’s largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association, launches a public relations broadside against the House’s new education bill, H.B. 7055, a nearly 200-page document that puts multiple education-related proposals into a single bill. Among them: a scholarship for bullied students, called the Hope Scholarship, a provision to make it harder for local school districts to eliminate charter schools, and a requirement that public unions maintain 50 percent membership of eligible workers or be forced to file for recertification. “This monstrosity is a clear attempt to destroy our public schools while telling professional educators they simply are not welcome in Florida,” says FEA president Joanne McCall. GradebookSunshine State News. Florida Politics. Politico Florida.

Florida ESSA plan: The state’s plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act doesn’t meet several federal requirements, and the state has until Feb. 16 to respond to the U.S. Department of Education’s call for revisions. Specifically, the plan omits achievement levels of some student groups, such as minority, poor, disabled and English-language learners, in calculating school grades. It also has contains no provisions to hold schools accountable for how well students perform on English-language-proficiency exams or to provide some students exams in languages other than English. An analysis of Florida students’ performance on National Assessment of Educational Progress exams shows little change in performance gaps between wealthier white students and others since 2005. Education WeekWUSF.

Confucius Institute: Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has sent a letter of warning to Cypress Bay High School in Broward County and four Florida colleges about their affiliation with the Confucius Institute, which is controlled by the Chinese government. Rubio says the Chinese government is aggressively trying to “use ‘Confucius Institutes’ and other means to influence foreign academic institutions and critical analysis of China’s past history and present policies.” Miami Herald. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. Inside Higher Ed.

Commission proposals: The Florida Constitution Revision Commission meets today in Fort Lauderdale, the first of five such hearings around the state as the group considers 37 proposed constitutional amendments, several of them dealing with educational issues. Proposals must receive the support of at least 22 of the 37 members in order to be placed on the November ballot. The proposals approved must then receive 60 percent approval from voters to be enacted. News Service of Florida. Miami Herald.

Tax vote moved: The Lee County School Board decides to put a vote on a half-cent sales tax hike for schools on the November ballot instead of holding a special election in May. The special election would have cost the district about $880,000. WBBH. Fort Myers News-Press.

Dual enrollment: Bills moving through the Senate and House would allow students in private schools or those being schooled at home to have the same free access to dual-enrollment in colleges as public school students. redefinED.

Personnel moves: A year after Michael Olenick’s term on the Florida Board of Education expires, he’s been reappointed by Gov. Rick Scott. Olenick was named to replace Ada Armas in 2015 and complete her term, which ended in December 2016. Olenick’s new term runs through Dec. 31, 2021. Gradebook.

Legal fees: The Pasco County School Board could be on the hook for more than $500,000 in legal fees over a school boundary dispute. Parents challenged the advisory board that made the rezoning recommendation on grounds that it discussed the issue in private, and a court backed their position. Now those parents want the school board to pay $511,000 for legal fees. The board also has to pay its own fees of about $125,000. The rezoning effort ultimately moved fewer than 60 students. Gradebook.

Health study extension: The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County is extending the deadline to collect information for a study into cancer cases of current and former Bayshore High School students and staff. Bradenton Herald.

Preparing for tests: Hillsborough County School Superintendent Jeff Eakins say the district will make its office workers available to schools, especially struggling ones, as they prepare for testing season. “We want to make sure we have a laser focus on all of our schools, especially those in the greatest need,” says Eakins. Gradebook.

Flu in schools: Flu activity continues to increase, and Florida Department of Health officials say it’s now at higher levels than it was at the highest level in previous seasons. Schools are also seeing a rise in outbreaks. Florida Department of Health. WUSF.

Homework policies: The Monroe County School District is reviewing its homework policies after three principals present preliminary results of their research on the topic. The national standard seems to be about 10 minutes of homework a day per grade level. The principals will continue studying the issue and will report to the school board at the end of the school year. Key West Citizen.

School board elections: Stacy Hahn, a longtime Hillsborough County educator, announces her candidacy for the District 2 school board seat currently held by Sally Harris. Florida Politics.

Student slain: Grief counselors are at Lake Nona High School to help students cope with the shooting death of Hurricane Maria evacuee K’vonte Dowe over the weekend. It’s the second murder of an Orange County student in the past month. Orlando SentinelWFTV.

Guns and schools: Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputies find a loaded handgun on a school bus transporting AMIkids School students in Fort Walton beach. AMIkids is a school for at-risk students. Deputies were alerted by a message on a social media site. Northwest Florida Daily News. An Elliott Point Elementary School resource officer left her loaded handgun in a faculty restroom, where it was found by a parent of a student. Northwest Florida Daily News. WEAR.

Burglary at school: Five portable buildings and eight classrooms at Endeavor Elementary Magnet School were vandalized last weekend. Thieves stole at least six laptops and caused damage in the classrooms. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily.

Opinions on schools: To allow more children to benefit from quality providers like private and Catholic schools, we have to double down on publicly funded choice efforts and double down on philanthropy in the meantime. Darla Romfo, redefinED. Why don’t Florida legislators let schools share in the benefits of the great economy? Andrew Spar, Orlando Sentinel. Fifth-graders at Northport K-8 school in Port St. Lucie are learning how to distinguish fake news from real news, and how to verify each. Anthony Westbury, TCPalm. The Lee County School Board is wisely asking voters for an extra half-cent in the sales tax during a general election in November instead of a special one. Naples Daily News. Students will benefit if voters approve an extra 1 mill tax for schools on March 20. Manatee School Superintendent Diana Greene, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. To maintain a strong economy, Florida lawmakers must adequately fund universities and community colleges as well as K-12 schools. Ocala Star-Banner.

Student enrichment: Two Sarasota County students are among just five Florida students to earn “top in the world” scores on Cambridge International examinations. Margaux Bernadette Albiez of Sarasota High School was honored for her work in Global Perspectives and Research, and Booker High School’s Alexis McKinnon for her general paper. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Eustis Heights Elementary School staff hand out free books to students during a bus tour. Daily Commercial. Second-graders in Citrus County are getting free dental sealant applied to their molars through the Smiles Across America program. Citrus County Chronicle. Hip hop star Drake uses Miami Senior High School students as extras while filming a video for his new single God’s Plan. WPLG. Miami Herald.


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BY NextSteps staff