Around the state: Rising construction costs are having an impact on the Palm Beach County School District’s plans to renovate and rebuild schools, a Flagler school board member breaks protocol to tell students at an SAT test site that they don’t need to wear masks, a University of Miami booster’s proposal to build the school a stadium on a high school campus gets a tepid reception, the Orange County School District says a special magistrate-recommended longevity supplement for veteran teachers is too expensive, Duval school officials begin trying to sell their waterfront administration building, a University of Florida Faculty Senate committee report said employees were told “not to criticize the governor of Florida or UF policies related to COVID-19 in media interactions,” three districts honor their top teachers and other employees, and five Venice Middle School students are disciplined for chanting “F— Joe Biden” on a school bus last week. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A University of Miami booster’s proposal to build a fully retractable stadium for the college on the campus of Coral Gables High School did not get a warm reception from the school district or the city. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, “This has come on us in a very surprising way. … at this point we are not entertaining any such idea.” A spokesman for the city said in an e-mail that it is “NOT in favor of a stadium project.” The booster, attorney John Ruiz, said he was surprised by what he called the “knee-jerk reaction.” Miami Herald. WPLG. WFOR. Two students, a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, have been arrested and accused of making social media threats against schools. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen this before in the aftermath of shootings across America,” said Carvalho. “There are copycat threats, which quite frankly, is unacceptable.” WTVJ. WSVN. WFOR. Miami Herald. WPLG.
Broward: A 12-year-old student is responsible for a shooting threat made on social media against Deerfield Beach Middle School, according to deputies. Her case has been turned over to the Broward County State Attorney’s office. WPLG. WSVN.
Orange: A special magistrate’s recommendation that veteran teachers be given a “longevity supplement” has been rejected by a school board attorney who said it was too expensive. John Palmerini also said health insurance premiums have to be raised to keep the district’s plan financially stable. The developments were the latest in the contract dispute between the district and the teachers union. When an impasse was declared in negotiations, the issue was put before special magistrate Dennis Campagna, who agreed that the district couldn’t afford the raises the union wanted but recommended extra pay for veteran teachers be added to the district’s offer of $175 raises and bonuses up to $3,500. Superintendent Barbara Jenkins will now make a recommendation to the school board, which will make the final decision. Orlando Sentinel.
Palm Beach: Rapidly rising construction costs are causing problems for the district’s 10-year plan to repair and rebuild aging schools, with some projects being postponed. The cost of modernizing Grove Park Elementary in Palm Beach Gardens, for example, is now projected at $31 million, almost double the original estimate, and a similar project at Pine Grove Elementary in Delray Beach has gone from $11 million initially to $21 million. The projects are being funded through a voter-approved extra penny of sales tax, which has raised about $671 million for the district in five years. But costs are outrunning collections, and the district is taking on more debt to get the work done. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: The school district is looking for a buyer for its administration building on the St. Johns River, a 5-acre property that has been assessed at more than $11 million. Money from the sale will be used to build a new headquarters at a site off the river. Jacksonville Daily Record. A Jacksonville City Council committee approved newly drawn districts for council and school board representatives. The recommendation has to be approved by the council. WJXT. Two more sites have been added to the locations where students can pick up free meals after school. There are now 31 sites, and about 2,000 students collect meals every weekday. WJCT.
Lee: School officials are asking county residents to suggest names for an elementary school in Lehigh Acres that is scheduled to open in August 2023. Until it gets a name, the school is being called the East Zone Elementary School J. The deadline for the online survey is 5 p.m. Friday. WINK. WBBH.
Pasco: Ryan Bintz, a theater teacher at Longleaf Elementary School in New Port Richey, has been named the school district’s teacher of the year. Principal Jennifer McCormack said Bintz “builds confidence in kids like no other.” Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: School officials have not made specific preparations for the omicron variant of the coronavirus because most of the strategies they have used are now prohibited by the state. “We only have so many things that we can do,” said district spokesman Russell Bruhn. “Social distancing, encouraging mask-wearing, encouraging those who didn’t get vaccinated to get the vaccine. And(for)people are feeling sick, we encourage them to stay home from work, and parents keep their child home from school.” Florida Today.
Manatee: Laura Campbell of Tara Elementary School in Bradenton has been named the school district’s principal of the year, and Irene Nikitopoulos of Lincoln Memorial Middle in Palmetto is the district’s assistant principal of the year. Bradenton Times. Jace Billingsley, a 7th-grader at Buffalo Creek Middle School, has won the 2021 Congressional District App Challenge with his “Code Blue App” that helps health-care workers treat patients in cardiac arrest and record data needed for the patient’s medical records. WFTS.
Sarasota: Five Venice Middle School students have been disciplined for chanting “F— Joe Biden” on a school bus last week. One of the students also drew a swastika in condensation on a bus window. District spokesman Craig Maniglia said a letter was sent home with the boy who started the chant, and that his parents were “very supportive” of the disciplinary action. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Escambia: The district plans to hire 20 campus security officers to patrol and protect elementary schools. Finding enough off-duty law enforcement officers has been a struggle, district officials said, so more security officers are needed. The job pays about $20 an hour. “There’s a lot of places you could be working in the security field,” said Kyle Kinser, the district’s protection services coordinator. “It’s a rewarding place being in an elementary school.” Pensacola News Journal.
Leon: The school district is now requiring all job applicants to create an account on its “Applicant Tracking System” and complete an application form. All applications that were made through the old system will not carry over into the new system. WTXL.
Martin: Choice-rich Florida is becoming a hot spot for classical education charter schools, such as the Treasure Coast Classical Academy in Stuart. The school opened in 2019 with 535 students, and is already up to 1,200, with a waiting list of 800 who want access to the liberal arts education that emphasizes history, literature, arts and language, teaches students to strive for virtue and puts a premium on reading the works of great writers and thinkers. “They’re reading classics. They’re not reading Captain Underpants,” said principal Janine Swearingin. “The majority of the feedback we got was, ‘We’re blown away by the content.’ Their kids have a lot to talk about. They’re becoming interesting, knowledgeable people. They’re excited about what they’re learning.” reimaginED.
Flagler: School board member Janet McDonald appeared Saturday at Matanzas High School, where the SAT was being administered, to tell students they didn’t have to wear face masks even though they’re required under the rules set by the College Board, which gives the SAT. Students who refuse to wear masks could be removed from the site and their tests can be thrown out. The College Board also forbids anyone other than students and test administrators to be present at the testing site. It is investigating the incident. WOFL. Flagler Live. Palm Coast Observer.
Gulf: Finalists have been chosen for the school district’s teacher and employee of the year. Teachers being considered are Kim McFarland, a math teacher at Port St. Joe High School; Chevonelle Johns, an English teacher at Wewahitchka High; Michelle Baker, a 2nd-grade teacher at Port St. Joe Elementary; and Kayla Bailey, a 3rd-grade teacher at Wewahitchka Elementary. The top non-instructional employee finalists are Debbie Peak, a guidance secretary at Port St. Joe High; Elizabeth Guemmaz, a paraprofessional at Port St. Joe Elementary; Ashley Forehand, a secretary at Wewahitchka High; Tiffany Brock, a secretary at Wewahitchka Elementary; and Julie Hedberg, a bus driver for the Wewahitchka schools. Winners will be announced before the winter break. Port St. Joe Star.
Colleges and universities: University of Florida employees were told “not to criticize the governor of Florida or UF policies related to COVID-19 in media interactions,” according to a report issued Monday by a Faculty Senate committee. Gainesville Sun. Tampa Bay Times. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a former Florida Atlantic University professor’s appeal of his firing in 2015. On his blog, James Tracy had questioned whether the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut happened. He was fired for “gross insubordination” after refusing to comply with FAU’s conflict-of-interest policy requiring faculty to disclose outside activities. News Service of Florida. The University of South Florida’s annual economic impact to the state is more than $6 billion, according to a report released Monday by the school. USF has more than 16,000 employees, making it the 14th-largest employer in the state and second only to UF in the university system. Tampa Bay Times. Gov. Ron DeSantis has reappointed attorney Katherine Cole to the St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees. Cole has been on the board since 2017. Florida Politics.
Around the nation: Nearly 40 percent of teachers who work with students learning the English language said those students should have repeated the last school year because of learning loss during the pandemic, according to a survey by Off2Class. The 74. Public trust in teachers has declined 6 percent since 2019, according to a recent poll by Ipsos. K-12 Dive.
Education podcasts: Mike McShane, the director of national research at EdChoice, talks with reimaginED executive editor Matthew Ladner about the commonly argued position that traditional public schools are a superior education option because they are held financially, democratically, and educationally accountable to the public, three reasons why that’s a myth, and possible reforms to improve accountability. reimaginED.
Opinions on schools: To the school choice movement – which advocates affording families more options beyond traditional public schools – Maine’s Carson v. Makin case being argued at this Supreme Court this week represents a chance for more parents to give their children an education in line with their religious beliefs. Opponents fear it could establish a precedent of requiring taxpayer dollars to fund religious teachings. Charles J. Russo, The Conversation. We’re tired of the threats, we’re tired of the fraught nerves, the school shutdowns, the police power diverted from other duties. Threats to shoot up South Florida schools — or blow them up — are not funny. We know these teens are hormonal and don’t think through consequences. But on this score, they need to grow up, and the legal system, unfortunately, has become the place to accelerate some missing maturity. Miami Herald.
