District-hospital deal: The Volusia County School District and a local hospital reach an unusual agreement that gives the hospital advertising rights in the district in exchange for health care services and education for students. The program will be known as the Florida Hospital Healthy Futures Program of Volusia County Schools. District officials call the deal “a first of its kind agreement between a school district and major health care provider that will serve as a national model.” The contract is for five years and requires Florida Hospital to pay $200,000 a year and provide $1 million of in-kind services. Florida Hospital becomes the district’s “Official Health Care Champion," and will have direct involvement in the district’s 15 health care academies and programs, support athletic teams and physical trainers and provide health care services to students at 36 schools with high student absenteeism. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
School security: Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has rejected a request to provide 50 deputies on overtime to patrol dozens of elementary schools, and district officials now say they will consider hiring private security guards. Palm Beach Post. A report from Sarasota School Superintendent Todd Bowden that an agreement was reached with the sheriff's office to provide school resource officers is refuted by the sheriff. District officials later said it was just an idea being floated, and that the district will go ahead with its plan to create its own police department. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Paul Grohowski, the new Sarasota County School District's police chief, has made decisions in his past three jobs that caused controversy. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Leon County school officials say they have a deal to pay the sheriff's office $1.9 million to provide resource officers for 30 schools, and will spend $1 million to hire off-duty officers for the remaining 18 elementary schools. Tallahassee Democrat. The city of Cape Coral is considering ways to help Lee County put an armed school resource officer in each of the city's schools. The cost for the 23 officers needed will be more than $1 million a year. WFTX. Like public schools, Catholic schools are struggling to find the money to provide security for students. redefinED. (more…)
New superintendents: Mark Mullins, the Brevard County School District's chief operating officer, is named superintendent. The school board was scheduled to whittle down a list of 12 candidates and conduct interviews next week. Instead, all five board members selected Mullins as the only candidate everyone wanted as a finalist, and chose to forgo the rest of the process. Mullins, who has worked for the district since 1994, replaces Desmond Blackburn, who is leaving this summer to become chief executive officer of the national education nonprofit New Teacher Center. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily. The Manatee County School Board is negotiating with Cynthia Saunders, deputy superintendent of instructional services, to serve as interim superintendent. She'll take over temporarily for Diana Greene, who leaves July 1 for the same job in Duval County. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Old superintendent: In a 3-2 vote, the Hernando County School Board has fired Superintendent Lori Romano. Board member Beth Narverud initiated the move, saying she was concerned about "a multitude of misinformation, half-truths and urgent, last-minute decisions thrust upon" the board by Romano. Linda Prescott, who cast the deciding vote, says Romano's firing of all 47 teachers at the struggling Moton Elementary School without first notifying the board or teachers union convinced her it was time for a change. Board attorney Dennis Alfonso says the board will explain its reasoning in an official termination letter at its June 26 meeting. Tampa Bay Times. Earlier Tuesday, a lawyer apparently representing Romano threatened legal action against school board members Susan Duval and Narverud for "failing to meet" the requirements of Romano's evaluation. "Several of you have attempted to publicly humiliate and needlessly and irreparably injure the reputation of the superintendent," wrote Kathryn McHale. Gradebook. (more…)
Tax bill and school choice: The Republican tax bill contains a mixture of good and bad news for school choice advocates. On the plus side, the bill would allow families to tap up to $10,000 from 529 college savings plans for K-12 expenses, including private school tuition. But the bill does not include a tax credit for donations for private school scholarships. The bill would also cut the deduction for local income and sales taxes, which some advocates believe could have a negative impact on local taxes collected for schools, and the $250 deduction teachers use to cover classroom supplies. Education Week.
Hope Scholarship: A bill that creates a scholarship for bullied students that can be used to change schools will get a hearing before a Florida House subcommittee next week. The Hope Scholarship program would allow victims of bullying or harassment in public schools to transfer to another public school or qualify for a state tax credit scholarship, and also be eligible for transportation scholarships. Students would be eligible for the scholarship within 15 days of reporting “battery; harassment; hazing; bullying; kidnapping; physical attack; robbery; sexual offenses, harassment, assault, or battery; threat or intimidation; or fighting at school.” The bill was filed this week by State Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples. redefinED. News Service of Florida.
Technical school boom: These are boom times for career academies and technical education, with more high schools opening that emphasize career choices over a college education. For the past 10 years, state lawmakers have pushed career academies that offer industry certifications, and continue to consider alternative paths to a diploma. "The workforce is not demanding four-year-college-degreed people," says Jim Stone, director of the National Research Center for Career & Technical Education. "The workforce is demanding people who can do something." Tampa Bay Times.
School grades: The 114 Florida schools that received preliminary grades of incomplete in May now have their final marks from the state. Incompletes are given when fewer than 95 percent of a school's students take the Florida Standards Assessments tests. Orlando Sentinel. Both schools in Franklin County receive C grades from the state. Apalachicola Times.
Superintendent jobs: After being lobbied by community leaders who expressed support for Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, school board chairwoman Ashley Smith Suarez now says firing Vitti is no longer on the agenda for Friday's board meeting. Smith Suarez had asked Vitti to resign, and said if he didn't he would risk termination. She has accused him of being untruthful with the board and not being aggressive enough in closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. Florida Times-Union. Florida Politics. WTLV. A Sumter County School Board member says he has no confidence in an investigation that cleared Superintendent Rick Shirley of coercing employees to work on his re-election campaign. David Williams said the investigation, which was launched by school board chair Kenneth Jones without consultation with the board, was unfair and biased. Villages News.
Race-based targets: The Florida Board of Education is considering an end to race-based student achievement goals. Instead, the board would impose improvement targets for all students while still setting goals for closing the achievement gap. Gradebook. The board also is expected to consider new rules for charter school capital spending at its meeting Friday. The new rules approved by the Legislature loosen charter schools' eligibility for the funds, but also impose new restrictions. Gradebook.
Recess policy: A Duval County School District policy review committee recommends that the school board approve daily recess for all elementary students. The resolution is not binding and does not suggest a start date, but supporters of daily recess call it a step in the right direction. Florida Times-Union. (more…)
