CARES Funding: Just 10 percent of the $693.2 million from the CARES Act funds available to Florida has been allocated to schools. Hillsborough County schools have received $29 million and only 10 other school districts have received more than $1 million in funds to date. Tampa Bay Times.
Computer programing: Salaries in Florida for computer based occupations double the state average, but only 30 percent of public schools teach courses in the subject. Nearly 400 teachers in Miami-Dade are prepared to complete state certifications to teach computer science. Miami Herald.
Corona caution: Duval County schools superintendent urges students to be take precautions against the coronavirus at school and at home with face coverings, hand washing and social distancing. WJXT.
Effective?: Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy was rated “Effective” by the school board. Two board members pushed unsuccessfully to put Fennoy on an “improvement plan.” Palm Beach Post.
Pay Raises: Gov. DeSantis and the legislature set aside $500 million for teacher pay raises, including requiring a minimum teacher salary of $47,500, but not all teachers have seen their pay raise yet. While the teacher union accepted the deal in Palm Beach County the union rejected the raise in Broward. Negotiations are ongoing. Sun Sentinel.
Students for Trump: Students marching through Riverview High School during spirit week face a backlash from classmates. WFLA. A New Smyrna Beach high school student is suing his school after his parking pass was revoked. The 18-year old student believes the punishment was due to the red, white and blue elephant, painted with the word “Trump,” in the back of his father’s pickup truck. WVTV.
STEM: Former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh will become dean of DRL Academy, helping students learn STEM skills through games and online lessons on how to build drone racers and more. DRL Academy is a project of the Drone Racing League. Bradenton Herald.
Teacher survey: What is it like to teach students during the pandemic? A NBC 6 survey finds out. WVTJ.
Quarantine: 70 students and staff at Palm Lake Elementary School will be in quarantine for two weeks while two high schools in Orange County have reopened. Orlando Sentinel.
Alachua: Covid cases are not as widespread as previously feared, though 507 people in the school district have been infected. More than 30,000 students were enrolled in Alachua County last year. Gainesville Sun.
Manatee: Manatee County schools are looking to do another tax referendum in 2021 or 2022. The last property tax referendum passed in 2018 and is set to expire in 2022. Bradenton Herald.
Opinion: John E. Coons, professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, reflects on the excuses made by opponents of school choice to thwart educational opportunities for low-income students over the past 50 years. redefinED.
