Teacher evaluations: Local school boards would be given the power to set evaluation standards for teachers, if a bill filed in the House gets through the Legislature next year. H.B. 427, filed by Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, would allow school districts to opt out of the state teacher evaluation and merit pay plan and give them the option of creating their own standards for evaluating teachers. “It would return the authority back to the local school board, which I think is very important,” says Orange County School Board member Linda Kobert. Florida Politics.
Graduation rates: The U.S. high school graduation rate hit an all-time high at 84.1 percent in 2016, according to data from the National Center for Education. In 2015 it was 83.2 percent. Florida's graduation rate was 80.7 percent. White students graduated at an 85.1 percent rate, blacks at 72.3 percent and Hispanics at 75.6 percent. Education Week.
Contract negotiations: The Hillsborough County teachers union calls the latest pay offer from the school district disappointing. The district is offering $1.8 million for bonuses to spread among the 20,000 employees represented by the union. The union has asked for the raises school officials promised years ago, which the district says could cost it as much as $17 million and which it says it cannot afford. "This is a pay cut," says Stephanie Baxter-Jenkins, the union’s executive director, who says the offer is $92 per person before taxes and won't cover the increase in health insurance premiums. "I can’t see that satisfying people." Tampa Bay Times. WTSP. Negotiations between Brevard teachers and the school district resume, but little progress over raises is made. The district is offering $876 to the highest-rated teachers and $600 to effective ones. Union officials countered with a $1,075 raise for highly effective teachers and $800 for effective ones. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily.
ESSA implementation: The Florida Department of Education is going ahead with the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) despite Congress' decision to repeal many of its key provisions. ESSA sets benchmarks of minimum student performances in a variety of areas. A group of school district leaders from around the state are working on the plan, and are expected to finish it by Sept. 18. Gradebook.
Brown convicted: Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, is convicted on 18 of 22 corruption counts ranging from mail fraud to filing a false federal tax return. Prosecutors say she used her office to collect $800,000 in contributions for her phony education charity, One Door for Education. Florida Times-Union. Associated Press. Politico Florida.
Teacher honored: Katelyn Fiori, a fourth-grade teacher at Vero Beach Elementary School, is chosen as one of five finalists for the Department of Education's 2018 Florida teacher of the year award. Fiori was awarded $5,000. The winner will be announced July 13. TCPalm.
Charters and tax revenue: Some lawmakers have been trying for six years to direct property tax revenue to charter schools. This year, that measure was finally passed, and in the next school year charters may get almost twice the $75 million they received this year. redefinED.
School security: The education bill that allots $654,000 to improve security at Jewish day schools draws criticism from those who say that other religious schools - such as Muslim and Sikh - have also seen a recent spike in violent threats.“The fact that the funding singles out one religion raises serious concerns about unconstitutional discrimination, whether intentional or not,” says Kara Gross, ACLU of Florida’s legislative counsel. Miami Herald. (more…)
Amendment 8 debate. Video at the Naples Daily News. Featuring Jim Towey, Ave Maria University president, and Howard Simon, Florida ACLU executive director. The Naples Daily News also runs this op-ed in favor of 8.
Drug-sniffing dogs. The U.S. Supreme Court considers arguments in two cases, including one in Florida, with potential implications for the use of drug-sniffing dogs in public schools, reports Education Week.
U.S. Rep. Brown
Request for investigation. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, wants an investigation of online education provider K12, reports StateImpact Florida.
Online growth. Lake County appoints its first virtual school principal, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Growth in tax credit scholarships. From redefinED (with speadsheet showing district-by-district growth over the past eight years). From Gradebook.
Vouchers and the Florida Supreme Court. Critics of the three justices up for a merit retention vote say their 2006 ruling on vouchers is evidence of liberal judicial activism, the Washington Post reports in a broader story about the campaign against the justices.
