Creating charters: Erika Donalds, a member of the Collier County School Board and the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, has already proposed constitutional amendments that would eliminate pay for school board members and impose term limits on them, end the election of school superintendents and allow legislators to "make provision" for educational services in addition to the free public schools. Now she's proposing an amendment that would allow legislators to create "alternative processes to authorize the establishment of charter schools within the state." If the amendment is approved by the 37-member commission, it would need the support of 60 percent of voters to go into effect. Gradebook. Donalds may have gotten some inspiration on the proposal of no salaries for school board members from Eric Robinson, who is on the Sarasota school board and thinks taking a salary is a conflict of interest. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Regulatory relief: State Rep. Mike Bileca, R-Miami, says he is interested in finding more state regulations that can be removed from top-performing public schools through the Schools of Excellence program. The program, which was authorized through the state's new education law, H.B. 7069, provides greater flexibility and autonomy to the principals of the highest-performing 20 percent of schools at each level. redefinED.
Recycling success: Two years ago, 2nd-graders at Old Kings Elementary School in Flagler Beach began a recycling campaign for plastic and later boycotted disposable plastic lunch trays. That interest in the environment blossomed, and led to every school in the district using trays made of recycled paperboard, which will remove 1.4 million plastic trays from county landfills and save the district $14,000 a year. Flagler Live. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Displaced teachers: Florida education officials say they'd like to hire teachers who were displaced when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in late September. The state is waiving the application fee for a teaching certificate and will accept unofficial transcripts. But there are still several hurdles Puerto Rican teachers must clear before getting a job in a Florida classroom. Many will have to pass expensive tests. And others are finding that their certifications don't align with the Florida requirements. In Puerto Rico, elementary teachers are certified in K-3rd and 4th-6th grades. In Florida, it's either pre-K through 3rd or all elementary grades. State officials say they have no plans to adjust certification requirements or waive test fees. Governing.
DeVos Q&A: U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos talks about undocumented students, the variety of education options, Title 1 funding, bilingual education and more in a question and answer session during a visit to Florida last week. Miami Herald.
Teacher evaluation changes: The Brevard County School District is making changes in the way it evaluates teachers and administrators. The district is eliminating the Professional Growth Plans, cutting back on classroom observations and killing the deliberate-practice portion in evaluations of administrators. "We think there are much better ways to evaluate and assess instruction while giving teachers more time to focus on our babies," says Superintendent Desmond Blackburn. Florida Today.
Making over schools: The Miami-Dade County School District is about halfway done with a $1.2 billion project to update the looks of schools and their technology. Glass walls, open spaces, interactive whiteboards and wi-fi are in, while rows of desks in boxy classrooms, narrow hallways and dim cafeterias are out. The changes are financed by a bond voters approved in 2012. Miami Herald.
Bond projects database: The Broward County School District is launching a website in May that will have details about every school construction project in the district's $800 million bond program. Listed will be projected costs, a completion date and any changes for every school project. Voters approved the bond to repair schools and update technology in November 2014, but construction still hasn't started on many projects that were scheduled to begin in 2015. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)
Scholarship appeal: The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to step into the fight over the state's tax credit scholarship program. Several groups that think the program is unconstitutional are appealing an appeals court ruling that the groups do not have the legal standing to challenge the program. The state Supreme Court is not obligated to take on the case. The Florida Education Association, NAACP and other groups believe the program resembles a voucher program that the court declared unconstitutional in 2006. The scholarships are funded by tax credits that corporations can make in lieu of tax payments. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the scholarships. Gradebook. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Sunshine State News. Associated Press.
Ethics issues: Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho may have broken state law by accepting gifts worth more than $100 and not reporting them, the Florida Commission on Ethics rules. The commission decided not to pursue the case after Carvalho accepted responsibility and later filed the proper forms. Miami Herald. The ethics commission also found probable cause that State Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, misused his position by implying he would help the Okeechobee County School District only if it retaliated against a district employee. The employee was suspended. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. TCPalm. The ethics case against Flagler County School Board chairwoman Colleen Conklin has been closed, according to the ethics commission. Her 2014 financial disclosure form was filed a year late. Conklin says it was misplaced, and paid a $1,500 fine. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
School spending: The St. Johns County School Board approves a $641.2 million budget that school officials call very tight. St. Augustine Record. The Hernando County School Board approves a $173 million budget that, for the first time since 2008, does not include cutbacks of employees or programs. Tampa Bay Times. The Citrus County School Board approves a $215.4 million budget. Citrus County Chronicle.
Teacher shortage: The national teacher shortage is affecting the United States and Florida and will continue to do so unless steps are taken to address attrition, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute. Florida data show that almost 50 percent of teachers hired in the past 10 years have left the profession. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
