Another year for Stewart: The Florida Board of Education extends the contract of Education Commissioner Pam Stewart by a year to “help ensure Florida remains on this positive trajectory” of rising high school graduation rates, improved school grades and gains on national math and reading tests. She had been scheduled to leave the office she’s held since 2013 on Jan. 7, Rick Scott’s final day as governor. “Serving as education commissioner has been a highlight of my career, and I am honored to accept the state Board of Education’s invitation,” Stewart said. News Service of Florida. Gradebook. Politico Florida. Capital Soup. The board selects 14 struggling schools as “Schools of Hope.” Each receives an extra $2,000 per student to help improve student performance. Gradebook. Gary Chartrand concludes an eight-term term on the Florida Board of Education by praising the state’s emphasis on parental choice of schools. “Choice is important,” he said. “The more choice we have, the more freedom we have.” redefinED.
Evaluating evaluations: School principals say changes in teacher evaluations have overburdened them with work and hurt their relationships with teachers, according to a new study that focused on Hillsborough County and five other large U.S. school districts that underwent significant changes in the evaluation process. The biggest concern of principals is the time required for the evaluations. “I mean, honest to God. I just can’t do it by myself,” said one principal. “If I’m running my school, something’s going to lose out, either academics or your school because you’re just one person.” Another principal said just walking in a teacher’s room creates tension. “I feel like every time I walk in, a teacher’s like automatically on pins and needles thinking I’m there in an evaluative capacity,” said the principal. Chalkbeat.
School security app: The state’s new anonymous school security reporting app, FortifyFL, will no longer track the people who use it to report suspicious information, according to Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Whitney Ray. She says users have the option of enabling or disabling location services. “As an added precaution, this feature has been turned off and responding agencies will no longer receive this information,” Ray says. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Educators honored: Nongongoma Majova-Seane, principal at Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, is one of 11 principals chosen by the U.S. Department of Education for the Terrel H. Bell Award for outstanding school leadership. Majova-Seane has been principal at Stanton since 2010. Florida Times-Union. Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is named the winner of the Green-Garner award, the highest honor for an urban educator, by the Council of Great City Schools. He was one of nine finalists. The council also presented the Courage Under Crisis award to Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie for his actions after 17 people were shot to death Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Miami Herald.
District hiring day-care workers: The Bay County School District is hiring temporary day-care workers to care for the children of employees as it works to reopen schools. Panama City News Herald. Panhandle schools continue to report progress on getting power and reopening. Here’s the latest from the Florida Department of Education on the districts most affected by Hurricane Michael. Chipley Bugle. Jackson County Superintendent Larry Moore and Gulf County Superintendent Jim Norton talk about disaster recovery. WFSU. Education Week.
Sales tax for schools: Polk County school officials say explosive growth and aging schools are reasons why the district is asking voters to renew the extra half-cent on the sales tax. Polk has 125,000 school-aged children now, and that’s expected to grow to 140,000 by 2025. Renewing the tax for 15 years would generate about $642 million, which the district plans to use to build three new schools, modernize or replace 11 others, remodel or build additions to eight schools and pay for security, technology, equipment and more. Lakeland Ledger.
Transgender students: A religious right advocacy group, Liberty Counsel of Orlando, launches a public relations blitz criticizing the way the Pasco County School District has chosen to treat transgender students and urging it to “rein in” employees who follow the guidelines. District officials say the guidelines follow laws, rules and legal precedents regarding sex discrimination. Tampa Bay Times. Reporters discuss the new Sarasota County School District guidelines for dealing with transgender students. Gradebook.
Recognizing abuse: Fifty Miami-Dade school counselors will receive training from State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, on how to recognize and prevent child sexual abuse. Book, a former kindergarten teacher and a victim of childhood sexual abuse, developed the training through her foundation, Lauren’s Kids. WLRN.
School employee housing: A public hearing on the plan to build housing for school employees on Sugarloaf School property draws some concern but little opposition. Monroe County School Board member Mindy Conn says worries about density could be addressed by limiting construction to 20 units. Key West Citizen.
Dirty cafeterias: Dozens of Tampa Bay area school cafeterias and concession stands have failed health inspections in the past year, according to inspection reports by state health inspectors. Among the problems cited: rats, roaches, rodent droppings and no hot water. But the records reflect the offenders are never closed for the violations. WFTS.
School board elections: Previewing the race for the District 4 seat on the Manatee County School Board. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Previewing the races for District 1 and District 3 seats on the Leon County School Board. Tallahassee Democrat.
Personnel moves: Nathan Washer, assistant head of the Pine School in Hobe Sound, is named head of the Wichita Collegiate School in Kansas. Wichita Eagle.
Notable deaths: John Shouse, a teacher, coach and administrator in the Jackson County School District for 26 years, has died at the age of 61. Chipley Bugle.
Cop takes plea deal: A Miami-Dade police officer seen in video striking his teenage daughter in the office at Pinecrest Cove Preparatory Academy in March has reached a plea bargain that will keep him out of jail. Raymond Rosario punched his 14-year-old daughter in the face, grabbed her hair and hit her in the legs with a belt after a teacher reported she had been disrespectful. He has agreed to serve a year of probation and complete anger management and parenting classes. Miami Herald.
Students arrested: A 12-year-old Okaloosa County student is arrested after she wrote threatening messages on the mirror and walls of a bathroom at Davidson Middle School in Crestview, according to deputies. The message she’d written: “I’m shooting up the school Friday!!” Northwest Florida Daily News. A former Palm Beach Lakes High School student is arrested after threatening the school’s football team with a gun. Xavier Martin, 19, is charged with four counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon on school property. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Theft from school band: The treasurer of a Deltona middle school band association is arrested and accused of stealing almost $10,000 from the group. Shawn Sablotne, 41, was the treasurer of the Heritage Middle School Band Parent Association. Deputies says she told them she was “low on some funds” and wanted to pay the money back. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Exposure at school: An 18-year-old man is arrested and accused of exposing himself at Somerset College Preparatory Academy in Port St. Lucie. Carson Holbrook was arrested on charges of battery, indecent exposure and trespassing on school grounds after police were called “for a reported disturbance in which an adult male was exposing himself, chasing students and jumping on cars,” police said. TCPalm.
Opinions on schools: School choice is great for students, but it’s also good for educators. It gives them ownership of their ideas and decisions, the ability to make immediate changes as needed and to focus on the whole student and identify ways to serve his or her unique needs. Karla Collins and Mark Thomas, Lakeland Ledger.
Student enrichment: The Music Foundation of Southwest Florida uses a grant to buy three sets of new musical instruments that will rotate through elementary schools in Lee County. Fort Myers News-Press.
