Education bills: The Florida Senate Budget Committee passes two broadly drawn Senate education bills. SB 524 deals with teacher bonuses, charter facilities financing, competency-based pilot programs and giving principals greater authority to make changes at struggling schools. SB 1166 would allow open enrollment for any student to attend any school with an opening, allow athletes to transfer and play immediately, and more closely define charter school accountability. An attempt to add an amendment requiring recess every day in elementary schools was withdrawn. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. WFSU.

Help for deaf: A Senate committee passes a bill that would help mainstream children who are deaf or hard of hearing into regular education. The bill would increase state funds for school programs that use hearing devices to aid spoken communication. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

District, police split: The Pasco County School District and the Zephyrhills Police Department are ending their contract for resource officers at two schools. The relationship deteriorated when Zephyrhills High School fired football coach Reggie Roberts, who is a police sergeant. Pasco County deputies will take over the contract. Tampa Tribune. Gradebook.

Success story: Lake Wales High School has doubled students' college acceptance rate in five years, cut chronic absenteeism and has the highest graduation rate in Polk County. Much of the credit goes to Principal Donna Dunson, who has instituted new rules since starting at the school in 2010. Among them: An 8:30 a.m. start time, extending lunches from 23 minutes to an hour, requiring teachers to let students retake tests, and more. Lakeland Ledger. (more…)

Teacher bonuses: State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, says the reason the Senate has allocated no money for teacher bonuses is that the program has not yet been fully vetted. Miami Herald.

Budget dissent: Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, adds his name to the list of legislators who oppose Gov. Rick Scott's plan to boost education spending largely through local property taxes. Scott's $507 million increase in K-12 spending is reached mostly by collecting $427.3 million more from Floridians through property taxes. Tampa Bay Times.

Sales tax hike: A majority of Palm Beach County School Board members want to join the county to ask voters to approve a 1-cent sales tax hike. A decision is expected Feb. 17. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.

School scheduling: Martin County school officials are considering switching middle schools to a block schedule of three 85-minute periods and one of 45 minutes. The plan would save an estimated $800,000 by eliminating 15 teaching positions, officials say. TCPalm.

Safety and uniforms: If Alachua County wants a $180,000 grant from the state for school security cameras, it will have to conform to state rules and require solid-color collared shirts as part of school uniforms. Gainesville Sun.

Testing the disabled: A woman whose 15-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy tells the Sarasota County School Board that she has concerns over state and local testing requirements for disabled children. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)