Job cuts urged: A consultant tells the Hillsborough County School District that it should cut 1,761 jobs over the next five years to save $404 million. More than 1,000 of those job cuts would come from the teaching staff, which the Gibson Consulting Group says is larger than comparably sized districts. The report does not include any cutbacks of administrators. School officials will begin conversations about the report with two labor unions this week. Tampa Bay Times.

School nurse shortage: Florida has just 1,300 school nurses for more than 4,170 public schools. It would need to triple that number to meet recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group says every school should have a nurse. Orlando Sentinel.

Repairs needed: The Palm Beach County School District needs about $1.2 billion to make "critical" building repairs that were put off during the recession, according to a report by the Maintenance and Plant Operations Department. School roofs and windows, classroom lighting and fire alarm systems all reportedly need attention. The study comes as the district is asking voters to raise the county sales tax. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.

Retention fallout: Manatee County School Superintendent Diana Greene says it would be a "massive understatement" to say she was "angry, frustrated and disappointed in the FLDOE's lack of leadership on this extremely important issue" of retaining third-graders who did not participate in state standardized testing. Greene also released an email she received from the Department of Education when she asked about retention. Gradebook. About 15 parents and students protest against the Sarasota County School District's promotion policies. Superintendent Lori White says third-graders who refuse to take the Florida Standards Assessments or an alternative test can be promoted if they show mastery of the state's benchmarks in several other tests. Some districts allow promotion through a student's portfolio of work. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)