It’s election day, board reverses rehiring of Holocaust principal, pension funding and more

School pension worries: Florida school districts were hit this year with a legislative demand to increase pension contributions by $404.6 million because of unfunded liabilities. Now state actuaries are saying the Florida Retirement System’s pension liability has increased by almost 6 percent this year. That, coupled with expected lower returns on investments, could require school districts to contribute another $380 million for pensions. Incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, called it the “biggest eyesore” confronting the Legislature for the 2021 session that begins in March. Florida’s actuarial firm, Milliman Inc., has warned for years that investment return assumptions being used by the state were unreasonable. New contributions are going “to the ‘department of the past’ to make up for what we should have been paying the whole time,” said Leonard Gilroy of the free-market think tank Reason Foundation. Politico Florida.

Around the state: Today is election day, with races for superintendent, school board seats and education tax hikes as well as for president, congressional seats, statewide amendments, and other local races. Here are details about other stories and developments from the state’s districts and private schools, and colleges and universities:

Miami-Dade, south Florida: If my child is ordered to quarantine, does that mean her brothers and sisters have to as well? Districts in south Florida have answers to that and other frequently asked questions about protocols schools follow during the coronavirus pandemic. Miami Herald.

Orange: A physical education teacher at Riverdale Elementary School in Orlando rescued a young deer after it got its antlers caught in a chain link fence at the school. Dale Greifenstein was able to untangle the deer while about 30 4th-graders looked on. WKMG.

Palm Beach: School board members unanimously voted Monday to reverse an earlier decision to rehire the principal who told a parent in 2018 that could not say whether the Holocaust was a factual, historical event. William Latson, who had been the principal at Spanish River High school, was fired last October after sparking a national uproar with his remarks. An administrative law judge ruled that firing was too harsh a punishment and recommended the board rehire him, which it did last month. But after that decision outraged the community, board members decided to reconsider. The board takes a final vote Nov. 10. Palm Beach Post. WPBF. WPTV. WPEC. Sun Sentinel. Miami Herald. Jewish Journal.

Duval: A change in the way the district updates its coronavirus dashboard will let people know sooner when there are new cases at schools. The dashboard will be updated as soon as cases are confirmed, instead of waiting until health officials complete contact tracing. Florida Times-Union. WJAX. If voters approve adding a half-cent to the sales tax for repairing and replacing schools in today’s election, nearly $2 billion would be raised over 15 years. State law would require up to $350 million of the money to go to charter schools. WJAX. A paraprofessional and football coach at Oceanway Middle School in Jacksonville has been arrested and accused of armed burglary and aggravated assault. District officials said James Michael Coney, 35, had been moved to duties away from students on Oct. 5 after he was accused of inappropriate physical contact with a student during an altercation. He was fired after his arrest. WTLV. WJXT.

Pasco: Students in the performing arts are questioning why the district’s sports teams can play before fans while they are banned from doing so. “Why do sports get to do it and we don’t?” asked Julianna Manes, a senior who is the stage manager for Sunlake High School’s fall play. District policy gives arts groups the choice of performing outdoors or livestreaming. Their complaints have caught the attention of some school board members, who said they are trying to find a solution. Tampa Bay Times. Dawn Scilex, a highly regarded principal at Gulf Trace Elementary School, has resigned to take a job leading educational initiatives at a church. She had worked in the district for 14 years. Tampa Bay Times.

Brevard: Voters will decide today whether to renew an extra half-cent sales tax to help the school district repair and maintains schools. It was first passed in 2014, and has raised $265 million for roof repairs, electrical system upgrades and more. WFTV.

Seminole: Parents are being asked to decide by Nov. 9 whether they want their children to attend schools or learn remotely. More than 33,000 students are in schools now, with almost 29,000 attending in one of three virtual options and more than 5,800 enrolled in a hybrid program. “We have schedules at the school level that need to happen as more students come face-to-face. Again, with the safety on campus, we have to plan those classes out so we can keep them at low numbers,” said Michael Lawrence, district communications officer. WKMG.

Manatee: Seven students tested positive for the coronavirus, district officials announced Monday, sending more than five-dozen people into quarantine. A case at Stewart Elementary School was its first since schools reopened Aug. 17. The district has now reported 197 cases and 2,038 quarantines. Bradenton Herald.

St. Johns: Tracie Cascio Snow has been hired as president of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine. Snow had been the administrator of instructional services at the school. She succeeds interim president Julia Mintzer, the school’s administrator of business services who stepped in when Jeanne Glidden Prickett retired July 31. St. Augustine Record.

Leon: Distribution of 32,000 Chromebooks to students began Monday, starting with Title I schools. “Having these mobile devices gives us that flexibility for kids to transition in and out from school to home,” said Superintendent Rocky Hanna. WFSU.

Bay: Chris Coan, the principal at Parker Elementary School, has been named the district’s principal of the year. He’s now eligible for the state award. Panama City News Herald.

Putnam: School Superintendent Rick Surrency is being challenged by Pamela Brown. Surrency has held the job four years, and Brown has worked for the district 22 years as a guidance counselor and graduation coach. WUFT.

Around the nation: Key questions about how the elections will affect K-12 schools. Chalkbeat. Education Week. An analysis of data from a handful of states suggests that concerns about huge numbers of teachers retiring because of the coronavirus pandemic are largely unfounded. The 74. Researchers at the University of Central Florida are studying how to make artificial intelligent-based teachers relatable to students. Gadget Bridge.

Opinions on schools: A grand mess awaits whoever wins this election, so good luck to them. The task of recovering from our education troubles and leading a broad reimagining of an antiquated K-12 system will primarily fall on our state and local leaders. Matthew Ladner, redefinED. School districts across south Florida began offering more Holocaust education training programs to teachers and administrators last fall. But economic issues caused by COVID-19 may put the future of those programs in question. Sylvia Gurinsky, Sun Sentinel. It would be premature to return to schooling as we knew it pre-COVID, but the lessons learned in Florida — such as choice of in-person or remote learning and promoting policies like mask use — suggest how other districts nationally can safeguard student health while reopening schools and how Florida schools can continue to support student learning and health. F. Chris Curran and Lelydeyvis Boza, Gainesville Sun. The coronavirus didn’t break the country’s public school system. It was already broken. Corey A. DeAngelis, Reason.


Avatar photo

BY NextSteps staff