Issues for BOE: In its only meeting before the legislative sessions begins March 5, the Florida Board of Education urges lawmakers to boost funding for armed security and mental health services in schools, and to give districts greater flexibility on how they deploy the guardian program that arms school staff. Also, new Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wants to streamline the application process for Hope Scholarships for bullied students, and said unused funds could be redirected into other programs, and Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas pleaded for more help for districts that were devastated by Hurricane Michael. Gradebook. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Pensacola News Journal. BOE members say they could consider differentiated pay to help address the teacher shortage. WFSU. Corcoran will be paid $276,000 a year, the same as his predecessor Pam Stewart. Associated Press.
School closings expected: Bay County School Superintendent Bill Husfelt says a loss of students and the repair bills for schools damaged by Hurricane Michael last October will force the closing of some schools. The district has lost nearly 2,500 students, a number that could increase to 4,700, and faces repair bills of up to $300 million. Husfelt says most of the closings will be elementary schools. “Financially, we just can’t afford to keep all of our schools open at the low level some of them are at, so we’re going to have to make some decisions,” he says. Panama City News Herald.
Superintendent targeted? An email from Lee County School Board member Cathleen Morgan to about 30 people in the community suggests that a majority of the board is questioning the leadership of Superintendent Greg Adkins. “I believe the superintendent has been told that he no longer has the confidence of the majority of the board,” Morgan wrote. Adkins was hired in 2015 and given a raise and a three-year contract in June. But three new members were elected to the board in November. Fort Myers News-Press.
Superintendent’s response: Okaloosa County School Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson, suspended last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis after a child abuse scandal and two grand jury reports critical of her leadership, requests a formal hearing from the Florida Senate in an effort to reverse the governor’s decision. Her letter to the Senate disputes all of the allegations in the suspension order. Northwest Florida Daily News. Pensacola News Journal. News Service of Florida.
Construction at schools: The Pinellas County School District is spending $158.5 million for additions or repairs at nine schools. Some projects have already started or been completed, while others will begin over the summer break. “It’s a lot of work,” says associate superintendent Clint Herbic. “We wanted to jump on the biggest, more challenging projects first because … when you get those done, you have an entire school feeling a positive impact.” Tampa Bay Times.
Educators honored: Finalists are chosen for the Alachua County School District teacher of the year award. They are Alachua Elementary media specialist Geoffrey Bramlett, Fort Clarke Middle math teacher Laura Wykoff and Eastside High Spanish teacher Maria Zelaya. The winner will be announced Jan. 24. Gainesville Sun. Teachers of the year are named at each of Gulf County’s schools. Port St. Joe Star.
District’s financial issues: The Indian River County School Board gives Superintendent Mark Rendell until the end of the month to clearly explain the district’s financial position. Depending on that report, the board could impose a spending freeze. Board members say they’re confused about the district’s reserves after hearing conflicting reports. TCPalm.
District’s software problems: Manatee County School District officials failed to recognize warnings about its new business software system and are still having problems with it, according to a review of records. The software finally went into use last summer, a year later than expected, and will cost about $27 million, nearly triple the original estimate. Bradenton Herald.
Contract negotiations: Pasco County School Board members approve 2 percent pay raises for administrators and nonbargaining employees, while negotiations with teachers and school-related personnel remain at a stalemate. Sticking points are pay, performance evaluations and other issues. Gradebook.
Board plea for peace: Marion County School Board chair Kelly King issues a two-page memo to other members asking for an end to squabbling among board members and a plea to maintain “decorum” at public meetings. King says fighting between Superintendent Heidi Maier and board members prompted the note. Ocala Star-Banner.
Helping a classmate: Students in the National Honor Society at South Fort Myers High School launch a fund drive to raise money for a prosthetic leg for a classmate. Alia Sainval, a 14-year-old 9th-grader, had a leg amputated below the knee as an infant. Fort Myers News-Press.
Grant help teachers: The Polk County School District receives a grant that provides almost half a million dollars to pay for 20 Lakeland Kathleen High School teachers to go back to college to get advanced degrees. Lakeland Ledger.
Personnel moves: Kimberly Natal, an assistant principal at Quail Hollow Elementary in Pasco County, is chosen as principal at Cox Elementary, and Lori Wiggins, most recently at the Pasco e-School, is the new principal of Double Branch Elementary. Gradebook.
Education podcasts: Brevard County School Board member Cheryl McDougall talks about school safety and more in a Q&A. Florida Today.
Elementary students’ plot: A Tallahassee police report discloses the plan that two Roberts Elementary School students hatched to kill a third student and escape in a golf cart. The boys are 10 and 11, and their target is also 11. The planning began after one of the boys and the intended victim got into a fight. The two 5th-graders were suspended and expulsion proceedings have begun. Tallahassee Democrat.
Drugs in schools: A couple and a 16-year-old boy are arrested for dealing in drugs at Seminole Ridge High School. Deputies say Carnell Anthony Anderson, 41, and Stephanie Marie Wransky, 37, had a 16-year-old boy living in their home distribute cocaine and marijuana at the school. Palm Beach Post.
Students arrested: An 18-year-old student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School is arrested and accused of exposing himself to a teacher. Police say the student was asking for help with college applications, and when the teacher approached she saw him exposed. Miami Herald. A 19-year-old Volusia County student is arrested for bring a gun-shaped knife onto the campus of DeLand High School. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Student enrichment: The Miami Beach City Commission approves a pilot program to bring art performances and museum exhibits into county schools. It begins next month and runs through June. Miami Herald. More than 2,500 south Florida students and their teachers earned tickets to a matinee showing of the stage musical Hamilton by studying a special curriculum about the title character, Alexander Hamilton, and the nation’s Founding Fathers, in their history classes. Miami Herald. Sun Sentinel. Fifteen Lake County schools receive the Five Star School Award from the Florida Department of Education for their involvement with their communities. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: Academy Prep’s expansion in Polk County is a reminder how valuable school-choice efforts have proven for low-income and minority families. But thousands more Florida students remain on waiting lists for scholarships that can provide them similar help. Lakeland Ledger. There are an abundance of proposals on ways to raise teacher pay. What we need now is political will to implement them. Isadora S. Rangel, Florida Today.A mandate from Tallahassee dictating an elective course of study that is fraught with pitfalls and potential litigation is not what Florida’s schools need at the moment. Brent Batten, Naples Daily News.
