Education lawsuit: The group suing the state over its funding of public education is asking the Florida Supreme Court to send the case back to lower courts for another review. Both a trial court and an appeals court have rejected the arguments made by the plaintiffs in the Citizens for Strong Schools v. Florida State Board of Education case, ruling that the language used in the constitutional standard for funding a high quality public education is not measurable. The plaintiffs disagree, saying the court's traditional duty has been to interpret constitutional terms and decide if the other branches of the government have acted constitutionally. Gradebook. redefinED.
School safety commissions: The federal school safety commission set up after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will not consider the role of guns in school violence, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tells a Senate subcommittee. “That is not part of the commission’s charge per se,” DeVos said. “We are actually studying school safety and how we can ensure our students are safe at school.” Associated Press. NBC News. Politico. Washington Post. Meanwhile, the chairman of the state commission looking into the shootings at Parkland acknowledges that its investigation and recommendations won't stop school shootings in Florida. "Nobody should be mistaken about this: It's not a question of if this is going to happen again," says Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. "The question is when and where, and most importantly, what has been done to put things in place to mitigate the impact." TCPalm. (more…)
School superintendents: Desmond Blackburn, superintendent of the Brevard County School District since June 2015, is resigning to become the CEO of the California-based New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit that trains and mentors new teachers. Blackburn's last day is no later than Aug. 10. The school board will discuss its search for a new superintendent at a meeting today. The highlights of Blackburn's tenure include a restructuring of district operations, scaling back teacher evaluations and district-required testing, and developing a new discipline policy. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily. Spectrum News 13. Viera Voice. WKMG. Sun-Sentinel. The Duval County School Board picks three finalists for its superintendent's job: Diana Greene, Manatee County superintendent; Erick Pruitt, area superintendent of Houston schools; and Michael Dunsmore, superintendent of Wayne County schools in North Carolina. Interview are this week and a decision could be announced as early as 4 p.m. Friday. Florida Times-Union. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School security: Volusia County school officials are now considering hiring 44 armed "school marshals" for each of their elementary schools. Hiring marshals, who would not have the authority to make arrests, would save the district more than $1 million a year because they would work only during the school year. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Cape Coral City Council commits $1 million to help pay for 22 resource officers so every city school will be covered. Fort Myers News-Press. Just a few days after creating positions for security guards, the Pasco County School District has begun hiring. Nine offers for the jobs of guarding elementary schools have been made, and another 28 have been approved but are awaiting background checks. The district plans to hire 53 guards and a security director. Gradebook. Stanley Switlik Elementary School in Key West will get a school resource officer from the sheriff for the last two weeks of school. Next year the school district will be responsible for the officer, says Sheriff Rick Ramsay. Florida Keys Weekly. (more…)
Teaching alternatives: As more teachers retire and fewer are graduating from education schools, some districts that struggle to recruit teachers fill the gaps with technology. In Pasco County, for example, far-away teaching experts provide virtual instruction while in-class monitors set up the lesson, help prepare for the connections and police student conduct. "For a couple of years we’ve been really looking for a solution for, typically, when a teacher isn’t able to complete their assignment," says Vanessa Hilton, an assistant superintendent in Pasco. "It obviously is a whole lot better than a substitute not doing any instruction." Tampa Bay Times.
Politics kills safety forum: A Palm Beach County town hall meeting about school safety is canceled after the school district gets complaints that it appeared to be related to gun-control events organized by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and to the Democratic party. The organizers say they have no direct affiliation with the March for Our Lives events, and have received no funding or resources from that group. But deputy superintendent Keith Oswald canceled the meeting through an email to organizers that said, “the political tension around this topic is palpable” and that "we cannot risk losing hard earned trust and credibility with our parents by hosting what many are perceiving to be a partisan event." Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post.
School shooting developments: Confessed school shooter Nikolas Cruz had been assigned to an alternative discipline program, Broward County school officials are now acknowledging. Superintendent Robert Runcie had previously denied that Cruz had been part of the program that is designed to find discipline alternatives to arrests and suspensions. WLRN. Students who were among the 17 killed in the shootings Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are honored at the school prom. Associated Press.
Top court takes case: The Florida Supreme Court agrees to review a nearly 10-year-old lawsuit that claims the state has failed to meet its constitutional duty to provide a high-quality system of public schools. The case, brought by the group called Citizens for Strong Schools, has already been rejected by a Leon County circuit judge and the 1st District Court of Appeal, and the state had argued against the Supreme Court's involvement. When the suit was filed in 2009, it alleged that funding for schools was inadequate and that schools were hamstrung by regulations such as standardized testing. The suit was broadened in 2014 to argue that the state's school choice programs harm public education (Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer two of those programs). The court ordered the plaintiffs to file legal briefs by May 21. News Service of Florida. redefinED.
Securing schools: School officials around Florida are struggling to find ways to comply with the new state law that requires armed security on every campus. Last school year there were about 1,500 school resource officers for about 3,800 state K-12 schools. "The biggest hurdle is not lack of willingness, it's not even an issue of funding," says Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. "It's that everyone across the state … is going to be hiring law enforcement at the same time." Twenty-three of the state's 67 districts responded to a survey updating their progress at fulfilling the state requirement. Some are considering tax hikes. Some are working with law enforcement to share costs of officers. Some are considering arming school personnel. And some are hiring safety "assistants" who aren't sworn officers. Tampa Bay Times. The Duval County School Board is expected to vote today on a proposal to hire 103 armed safety assistants to guard elementary schools. WJCT. (more…)
Education bill: The Florida legislative session moves into its final three weeks, with a series of education issues to be decided. The Senate is reviewing the House education bill, and among the proposals being considered is replacing the House bill with the Senate version. Both bills would establish a Hope Scholarship for students who are victims of bullying or violence, though they disagree on how to pay for the program, and force teachers unions to disband if paying membership falls below 50 percent of the employees represented. Higher education issues, such as permanently funding an increase in Bright Futures scholarships, also will be addressed. News Service of Florida. redefinED. Gradebook. WUSF. Miami New Times. Gatehouse Media. WLRN. About 150 Tampa Bay area teachers protest against H.B. 7055 just down the street from House Speaker Richard Corcoran's Land O'Lakes office. Gradebook.
Political pressure: Marjory Stoneman Douglas students plan a march on the capital Wednesday to demand action on gun safety, just one of several rallies planned. Florida legislators say they will consider laws enacting an age limit to buy an assault rifle and add a three-day waiting period for all rifle purchases. Gov. Rick Scott has organized three meetings today to discuss school safety improvements and ways to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental illnesses. Miami Herald. Associated Press. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Sunshine State News. Florida Politics. WLRN. Legislation pushed by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will be considered once legislators strip out a provision allowing people to get a concealed carry permit without a thorough background check. Politico Florida. President Donald Trump says he would support an improvement in putting criminal offenses and other data into the national instant background check system. Sun-Sentinel. Broward School Superintendent Robert Runcie has spent much of the past five days acting as a tour guide for state and national politicians to the tragic shooting in Parkland, with the bullet casings and pools of blood still on the floors. “We’ve given them detailed tours and explanations of what has happened so they become sensitized to the tragedy and we can get the support we need,” Runcie says. “We only have one opportunity to make sure they understand what was inflicted on our community.” Miami Herald.
Cruz's rifles, appearance: Accused school shooter Nikolas Cruz had purchased 10 rifles in the year leading up to the killing of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last week. CNN. Cruz made his first appearance in a Broward circuit court Monday, but said nothing. The appearance was to discuss a sealed defense document that reportedly involved access of defense lawyers to Cruz. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. WKMG. NBC News. Sun-Sentinel. The Florida Department of Children and Families will release 22 pages from a 2016 report compiled after caseworkers visited Cruz. The DCF got approval for the unusual move from a Broward County judge, which was necessary because Florida law prohibits the release of DCF files without a court order. Miami Herald.
Storm closes all schools: Gov. Rick Scott orders all public K-12 schools, colleges and universities in the state closed today through Monday so that they may be used as shelters for people fleeing from Hurricane Irma. Associated Press. Florida Department of Education. Orlando Sentinel. Tallahassee Democrat. Panama City News Herald. Brevard County school officials decide to move payday up a week to help employees prepare for the hurricane. Florida Today. How a Florida school district prepares for a hurricane. School Transportation News.
New school site: Manatee County commissioners won't support the site plan for the new high school being built in Parrish because the structure won't meet hurricane shelter standards. A school attorney defended the board, saying meeting shelter standards would add 7 to 10 percent to the $80 million budgeted for North River High School. The school board does not need the commission's approval to proceed, and the 3-3 vote frees the board from abiding by some of the details agreed to by the school district and county planners, such as traffic, sidewalk construction and stormwater retention, if it chooses to. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
One robe color: A Hillsborough County School Board member says she supports a school doing away with special graduation robes for its highest achieving students. Earlier this week, Leto High School announced it would stick with a single robe color for all graduates instead of dressing the highest achievers with a different color. Tamara Shamburger says "the two robe colors are nothing more than a type of caste system that really punishes those who are less academically successful rather than honor those who have achieved high academic success." Gradebook.
H.B. 7069 lawsuit: A law firm is selected to represent the Florida school districts that are suing the state over the new education bill, H.B. 7069. Husch Blackwell, a Chicago firm, will handle the case, with attorney John Borkowski taking the lead. Borkowski is not licensed to practice in Florida, however, so Harrison Sale McCloy, the law firm of Bay County School District attorney Franklin Harrison, will work with Borkowski. The Bay, Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Orange, Polk, Lee, Volusia, St. Lucie and Hamilton school districts have all agreed to join the suit. Several other districts are considering joining them. Panama City News Herald.
Charter conversion: The Manatee County School Board approves the conversion of Lincoln Middle School into a charter school. It's only the 22nd time in Florida that district-run schools have converted into charter schools. The changeover was initiated by the school staff and parents, and recommended by Superintendent Diana Greene. Local NAACP president Rodney Jones backed the conversion, even though the national group recently called for a moratorium on charter schools. “We are seeing kids go astray," Jones says. "They should be allowed the opportunity to give the child the best opportunity of success that they can possibly have. They will provide a very unique cultural experience for these students that they will not get anywhere else.” The school has about 500 students, and every one receives a free or reduced-price lunch. redefineED. Bradenton Herald.
Teacher shortage: School districts around the United States are increasingly falling back on emergency measures to fill teaching vacancies. In Citrus County, the district is looking at retirees. In Franklin County, school officials made a last-minute math teacher hire and avoided the contingency plan of online classes. Some districts are hiring parents, and others are hiring people without any formal teacher training or certification. Education Week.
VAM evaluation use: While some state school districts are moving away from use of the value-added model to evaluate teachers, Pasco County school say they most likely will continue to use it. Union officials have no problem with that, saying its use hasn't changes the outcomes of evaluations. The district and union are negotiating a contract. Gradebook.
Teachers needed: Just days before the school year begins, school districts in west-central Florida still need hundreds of teachers. Hillsborough County has the most openings, 205. Pasco needs 128, Polk more than 110 and Sarasota, Hernando and Citrus counties are also hiring. Pinellas County has just seven jobs left to fill. “You have 67 public school districts in Florida, so we're all competing for that same small group of students that are graduating from Florida universities and colleges,” says Teddra Porteous, assistant superintendent in Polk County. WFTS. WTSP. Lakeland Ledger. WFLA.
Spending analysis: The Duval County School Board delays an outside audit of the district's spending, opting first to have the board auditor and district staff do an analysis of how the district spent $21 million more than it was budgeted to last year. Two state representatives had asked for an audit, which board members rejected. Now those members are saying they will likely have an outside audit done after the spending analysis. Board chairwoman Paula Wright says the first analysis should be able to narrow the focus of the second, which should lower its cost. Florida Times-Union.
School recess: Elementary students in Pasco will get their 20 minutes of free, unstructured recess every day. The district's new student progression plan calls for "at least 100 minutes of supervised, safe, and unstructured free-play recess each week for students in kindergarten through grade 5 so that there are at least 20 consecutive minutes of free-play recess per day," according to the plan. Decisions on how to make that happen will be made by each school's principal. Gradebook.
S.B. 374 veto: Gov. Rick Scott vetoes the Legislature's higher education bill, S.B. 374, saying it shortchanges community colleges. "While the bill makes positive changes to several State University System programs, and there are many provisions I think would be good for students, it does so at the expense of the Florida College System," Scott wrote in his veto letter. The bill, the top priority for Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, also includes a significant expansion of the Bright Futures scholarship program. That and other programs that expand financial aid won't be affected this year because they're also embedded in the overall budget bill, says Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. Scott is urging legislators to make the Bright Futures changes permanent during next year's session. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. Sunshine State News. The governor signs 28 other bills, including a measure to study school crossings for potential safety improvements. Palm Beach Post.
H.B. 7069: Despite reports that Gov. Scott will sign H.B. 7069 today in Orlando, State Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, is holding out hope that the bill will be vetoed and reworked. Gradebook. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican candidate for governor, says he remains troubled by the secret process used to put together the education bill. Tampa Bay Times. Here's a summary of some of the things that will happen if H.B. 7069 is signed. Palm Beach Post. Brevard County school officials say they're behind in the budget process because they still doesn't know how much money they'll be getting from the state. Florida Today. The Volusia County School District should receive about $4.5 million more than expected from the state, after the increases approved in the legislative special session, but school officials say they still face a $2.42 million budget deficit. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Charlotte County School District will receive about 1.7 percent more per student than originally expected from the state. Charlotte Sun.
Charters win in court: A circuit judge rules that five charter schools in Indian River County are entitled to their fair share of a tax approved by voters and collected by the school district for operations. The charters have received about 5 percent of the tax since the 2013-2014 school year, as determined by the school board, but contended they deserved 12 percent. The judge agreed, saying the charter schools should receive a proportional amount based on enrollment. The school board will have to decide whether to appeal. TCPalm. The ruling could have implications for Palm Beach County. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Secret budget meeting? A Democratic legislator says six senators hashed out a deal on the K-12 education budget last week in secret in a separate room at the back of the Senate chambers. Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, disclosed the meeting while speaking at a meeting of Democrats on Monday. Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, disputed Braynon's account, saying no such meeting took place. Miami Herald. The Palm Beach County School Board website urges parents to lobby Gov. Rick Scott to veto the state budget. Palm Beach Post. Bay County School District officials say they'll have to eliminate eight programs if the education bill becomes law. Panama City News Herald. St. Johns County school officials say they'll lose $1 million under the education bill. St. Augustine Record. Hillsborough County School Superintendent Jeff Eakins says the state budget could force the district to initiate a hiring freeze. Tampa Bay Times. State Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, a sponsor of the education bill, defends it in an interview. WJAX.
Charter schools: Charter school advocates are celebrating the education bill passed by the Legislature. Naples Daily News. Chris Moya, a lobbyist for a charter school company, calls the education bill a victory for students, but thinks it will end up in court. WFSU.
Teacher honored: Vanessa Ko, a math teacher at Palm Harbor Middle School in Pinellas County, is named one of five finalists for the 2018 Florida teacher of the year award by the Department of Education. Ko was awarded $5,000. The winner will be announced July 13. Gradebook. (more…)
