Amendment 8 appeal: The state’s Office of the Attorney General announces it plans to appeal a Leon County judge’s decision to remove proposed constitutional Amendment 8 from the November ballot. Judge John Cooper ruled that the amendment, which would allow the Legislature to create an organization to authorize charter schools, set term[Read More…]
Tag: Gov. Rick Scott
Florida schools roundup: Storm aid for schools unspent, opening day and more
Storm funds unspent: Florida received $84.5 million from the federal government to assist in the recovery of schools affected by the 2017 hurricanes, but hasn’t spent any of it, according to Jason Botel, principal deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grants were[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Teacher of the year, school security issues and more
Teacher of the year: Joy Prescott, a 4th-grade math teacher at Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School in Glades County, is named Florida teacher of the year. She wins $20,000 and will be the state’s Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education for the next year. The other finalists were Kyle Dencker, a computer[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: School grades improving, unions lose case and more
School grades improve: The number of Florida schools getting a grade of A or B from the state this year is up 2 percentage points, from 56 to 58 percent, according to the Florida Department of Education’s annual report. The state also says the number of schools receiving a D[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Tax hikes, textbooks, charter schools and more
School tax hikes: Palm Beach County school leaders are considering giving charter schools a portion of the $150 million a year that would be generated if voters approve a property tax hike in November. Language that specifically excluded charter schools has been removed from the proposal, which the school board[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Legislators graded, virtual schools study and more
Teachers grade lawmakers: The state’s largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association, releases the grades it’s given to legislators. Most Republicans got F’s, while most Democrats got A’s and B’s. The Senate grades are here, and the House grades here. The grades given were almost the inverse of those handed[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Tougher tests, Schools of Hope, top employee and more
Testing standards toughened: The Florida Board of Education adopts tougher standards for the state exams high school students must pass to graduate. The board also eliminated the Post Secondary Education Readiness Test, one of the alternatives for students who don’t pass the state exams. Alternatives to the state tests are[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Alt teaching, security, discipline program and more
Teaching alternatives: As more teachers retire and fewer are graduating from education schools, some districts that struggle to recruit teachers fill the gaps with technology. In Pasco County, for example, far-away teaching experts provide virtual instruction while in-class monitors set up the lesson, help prepare for the connections and police[Read More…]