Robin Gibson
If Florida public school administrators decide to convert their school to a charter school, they have the law on their side.
An administrative law judge's ruling against the Miami-Dade school district last week was the first-ever ruling under Florida statutes that bar school districts from taking "unlawful reprisals" against employees who support charter conversions. But the question remains: Will those protections prevent school districts from derailing those efforts before parents and teachers can have their say, as happened in Miami-Dade?
According to the ruling by Edward Bauer of the state's Division of Administrative Hearings, the district tried to deter efforts to convert the Neva King Cooper Educational Center to a charter school. When administrators kept at it, the principal and assistant principal were transferred out of their jobs into what their attorney, Robin Gibson, called a "purgatory kind of existence," replacing their administrative duties with menial tasks like sorting crayons and organizing car keys.
Bauer ruled that was against the law, and that Alberto Fernandez, the center's former principal, is entitled to $10,000 worth of bonuses he would have received if he had remained in his old job.
However, the district still managed to thwart the charter conversion. Bauer declined to reinstate the two administrators to their old positions, noting the law requires them to be returned to "equivalent" jobs and that there are new top administrators in place at the school.
Gibson said he will likely contest that part of the decision. For the time being, he said, "the district can privately congratulate itself on still being unscathed."
Gibson said the ruling helps establish that if districts retaliate against employees who support charter school conversions, they'll be breaking the law. Now, "the question becomes, what are they going to do in light of this decision?" (more…)
Charter schools. In the first ruling of its kind, an administrative law judge rules the Miami-Dade school district unlawfully retaliated against administrators who backed a charter conversion. Miami Herald. A Gainesville charter school will close after learning it will likely receive another F. Gainesville Sun. A Palm Beach Post guest columnist questions a proposal to let charters share in tax revenue earmarked for arts programs.
Facilities. Leon County Schools spent more than the state average on recent additions to district schools, which, statewide, frequently exceed the statutory threshold for projects funded through the Public Education Capital Outlay. Tallahassee Democrat. An engineering report finds a Hernando middle school needs its roof fixed. Tampa Bay Times.
Tax Credit Scholarships. Catholic school principal Todd DeClemente explains the benefits of the program in a St. Augustine Record guest column. The author of a column to which he was responding is back with another item that flubs basic facts, confuses the First and Second Amendments, and makes false allegations about Step Up For Students, which helps administer the program and co-hosts this blog.
Growth. Pasco schools prepare for new construction to accommodate growing enrollment. Gradebook. Walton district officials expect to build two more schools. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Private schools. A Tampa private school listens to residents' concerns as it looks to add a performing arts center. Tampa Bay Times. A Montessori school in the Keys faces opposition to a planned new location. Keynoter.
Homelessness. A Central Florida teacher pledges to live on the streets for a month. Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher conduct. A Broward teacher is set to be fired after 15 years of problems. Sun-Sentinel. A teacher is suspended for failing to report child abuse. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Nutrition. Some school districts offer free breakfast and lunch in schools with a high density of low-income students; others do not. Orlando Sentinel.
