When she walked across the stage as a freshly minted graduate of Tampa Catholic High School a couple of weeks ago, Cheyenne Daphney looked out at the audience cheering in the downtown theater and thought about all the help she got along the way.

Her mom, DJ Ruhland; her basketball coach, Matt Rocha; her teammates; and the rest of her Tampa Catholic family – they were all there giving a standing ovation.

Cheyenne also thought about the tax credit scholarship that made private school possible, and how she will soon start a new scholarship this summer at St. Petersburg College. (Step Up For Students administers the scholarships and publishes this blog.)

“I’ve got butterflies,” she said after the ceremony. “I’m so grateful. Tampa Catholic turned me around. I really don’t feel I would have made it to college without Tampa Catholic or Step Up.”

In ninth grade at her neighborhood school, Cheyenne’s grades slipped so badly her mom told the basketball coach to bench her despite being the best player on the team.

The discipline didn’t work and Cheyenne’s grades continued to slide. She even earned an F in one class and had to take an online summer course to make up for it.

DJ decided to make a change.

She secured a Step Up scholarship, which helps low-income and working-class students pay for private school tuition. Then she enrolled Cheyenne at Tampa Catholic, something she had always dreamed of but never thought she could afford.

Results were immediate. (more…)

Cellphones. A teacher is suspended after using a device that jammed students' cellphone signals. Gradebook. Tampa Tribune.

Teacher evaluations. Polk says it won't use student test scores in teacher evaluations this year. Lakeland Ledger.

Superintendents. Six finalists contend for the top job in Brevard. Florida Today.

Graduation. Volusia's school board chairwoman apologizes for commencement remarks that drew criticism. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Citizenship. A young woman graduates high school and passes the test to become a U.S. citizen. Tampa Bay Times.

Tragedy. An 18-month-year old girl dies after her mother, a Bay County teacher, left her in a hot car while she went to work. Panama City News Herald.  Washington Post. (more…)

Charter schools. Pepin Academies, which cater to students with learning disabilities, plan an expansion in Pasco. Tampa Tribune. A charter school on Polk State College's campus celebrates its first graduating class. Lakeland Ledger.

Budgets. Gov. Rick Scott signs a budget that boosts funding for public schools and sets aside money for digital learning and personal scholarship accounts for students with disabilities. He vetoes funding for single-gender classrooms and a Bradenton charter school. News Service of Florida. redefinED. Tampa Bay Times. Bradenton Herald.

Private schools. A high-priced private school hopes to sell bonds to finance an expansion. Palm Beach Post.

Graduation. Pinellas schools move more of their ceremonies indoors. Tampa Bay Times. A Manatee County charter school celebrates its family-like environment. Bradenton Herald. A 90-year-old WWII veteran receives his high school diploma more than 70 years after leaving to fight overseas. Florida Times-Union.

Financial literacy. Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab takes lawmakers to task for not requiring "the money course" for high school students.

School boards. A Miami-Dade incumbent draws a rare challenger. Miami Herald.

Courts. A self-described "sovereign citizen" is ordered to enroll his daughter in school. Ocala Star-Banner.

Contracts. The Volusia school district hears complaints after outsourcing custodial services. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Schedules. Lake County schools consider doing away with block scheduling. Orlando Sentinel.

Classrooms. Expecting classroom decorations to have instructional value may be overrated, a study finds. Gradebook.

Superintendents. Manatee County's superintendent gets poor marks from a school board member known as the "watchdog." Bradenton Herald.