District under investigation: The Sarasota County School District is under investigation by the state for steering a student with an average IQ into a program reserved specifically for students with severe cognitive disabilities in order to protect the district’s grade from the state. “Staff conduct related to such misrepresentations was systemic in the district and fundamentally violated the Individuals with Disabilities Act, which is based on individualized education derived from an honest reporting of the data,” administrative law judge Diane Cleavinger wrote after hearing a complaint in October from the student’s parents…

Proposed district funding: If Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education budget is approved, $602,282,686 would be distributed proportionately to the state’s school districts through the Florida Education Finance Program for the 2020-2021 school year, with Miami-Dade getting the most at $41,380,556…

Teacher shortage: The Lee County School District is fighting the teacher shortage by offering scholarships for local high school and college students who then commit to teach for at least three years in the district after college graduation…