Hope operators: Two charter school companies have been named the state’s first “Hope operators” in a unanimous vote by the Florida Board of Education. Somerset Academy, managed by Miami-based Academica, and IDEA Public Schools of Texas will now have access to low-cost loans for facilities, state grants, a streamlined application process and exemptions from some state laws if they apply to open “Schools of Hope” within five miles of persistently low-performing public schools. Somerset based its application on the work it’s done since taking over the Jefferson County School District, and IDEA puts on emphasis on college preparation. IDEA has already identified Tampa and Jacksonville as possible locations for schools. redefinED. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida.
School security: An increase of nearly $100 million in the state budget for school security probably isn’t enough to put an armed resource officer in every school, according to a report from the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. The superintendents are asking the Florida Board of Education to support their request that they be allowed to use the $67 million that’s in the so-called guardian program to train and arm school personnel, much of which will likely go unspent because many districts oppose the idea. News Service of Florida. The Palm Beach County School District expects to receive $6.1 million from the state as part of the new law requiring resource officers in every school. District officials say that will be enough to hire 75 officers and cover every school. Palm Beach Post. Brevard County school officials expect to get $2.4 million from the state, but say the cost of putting an officer in every school will be $7.8 million. Florida Today. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, asks Attorney General Jeff Sessions to direct $75 million in the federal spending bill toward putting police officers into schools. Gradebook. School board in Martin and Leon counties vote to allow only trained law enforcement officers to carry guns in schools. TCPalm. Tallahassee Democrat. WFSU. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department is looking for 14 candidates to become school resource officers at 12 elementary schools in the unincorporated areas of the county, at a cost of $1.1 million. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Bradenton Herald. School security will receive extra funding if Marion County voters renew a 1-mill property tax that was approved in 2014 to provide $15 million a year for more teachers and for art, music, physical education and vocational programs. Ocala Star-Banner.
Extension denied: Oscar Patterson Elementary School won’t get an extra year to turn around its string of failing grades, the Florida Board of Education decides. Bay County School Superintendent Bill Husfelt appealed to the board for an extra year to get the school’s grade up to a C, so a decision on whether to close the school or turn it over to an outside operator could be delayed. Principal Darnita Rivers called the state’s decision “disappointing but not discouraging.” Panama City News Herald. WMBB.
Armored car service: The Brevard County School District is going ahead with a plan to use an armored car service to pick up cash and checks from schools and deliver to banks. The service will cost $555,180 over three years, and some school board members and the teachers union argue the money could be better used for other things, such as having a resource officer in every school or teacher raises. Florida Today.
Charter school support: Support for charter schools rose 10 percentage points in 2017, to 62 percent, according to a survey by the University of Southern California. Support was at 65 percent in 2016, but fell to 52 percent in early 2017 after the U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos confirmation hearing and a call by the national NAACP to end the formation of charters. The 74.
Rezoning revised: Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning revises a rezoning plan for middle and high schools on the west side of the county. The new map removes several subdivisions from the rezoning. The change was prompted by “parent comments,” says district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe. Tampa Bay Times.
Superintendent’s views: Hillsborough County School Superintendent Jeff Eakins talks about student activists, school security, the district’s financial problems and more in an interview. Gradebook.
Personnel moves: Richard Parfitt is hired as director of safety and security for the Lee County School District, and starts Monday. Parfitt was the police chief and director of public safety at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. Fort Myers News-Press.
New buses for district: The Santa Rosa County School District reaches an agreement with Student Transportation of America for 221 new school buses. The five-year deal begins July 1. The first year will cost the district $10.4 million, and the base cost cannot increase by more than 3 percent in subsequent years. The agreement now goes to the school board for a vote. Northwest Florida Daily News.
One-on-one school: A private school opened in Kendall last month that offers one-on-one instruction. The first Fusion Academy opened more than 25 years ago in San Diego, and there are now 43 in the United States, including one in Boca Raton. The tuition cost is between $40,000 and $50,000 a year. Miami Herald.
School health survey: Friday is the deadline to take part in a health survey for anyone who thinks her or his health was affected by attending Bayshore High School in Manatee County. More than 200 people already have submitted health information. Past students and faculty think the school is the source of their cancer diagnoses or other health complications. Bradenton Herald.
District sued: The mother of a disabled 11-year-old girl is suing the Pinellas County School Board for negligent supervision, hiring and retention in its treatment of a janitor who kissed the girl in the boiler room of Campbell Park Elementary School in St. Petersburg. The janitor, 76-year-old Ira Lee Boyd, served a year in prison for lewd and lascivious conduct in connection to the case, and is now a registered sex offender. Tampa Bay Times.
Principal investigated: A Hillsborough County middle school principal is being investigated for being “physically aggressive” toward a student. Coleman Middle School’s Michael Hoskinson was arrested last November and accused of child abuse of a relative. He resigned, but was rehired after the charge was dropped. WFLA.
Teacher suspended: A music teacher at Jupiter Elementary School is suspended for three days for taking a photo of a student on his cell phone and projecting it in class, and for permitting another student to leave a school activity with an unauthorized person. John Chybion is also the teachers union representative for the school. Brevard Times.
School threats: A 13-year-old Davenport boy was involuntarily committed after Polk County deputies say he threatened to kill a former classmate and to shoot up Westside K-8 in Osceola County. The boy had been expelled from the school in February for making similar threats. Lakeland Ledger. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: The idea of building affordable residential units on school property and letting faculty live there, if they want, is worth pursuing. Miami Herald. The Constitution Revision Commission wasn’t up to the challenge of making the state better, advancing several education proposals that should be reconsidered. Sun-Sentinel. A bill passed by the Legislature will, hopefully, help ensure that early learning centers that receive state funds are meeting the necessary criteria for child development. Tom Hayden, Fort Myers News-Press.
Student enrichment: Students at Sims Middle School in Pace get lessons in Internet safety from Google’s Online Safety Roadshow. Pensacola News Journal. WEAR.
