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 science teacher at Timber Creek High School in Orange County; Samantha Neff, a math coach at Idyllwilde Elementary School in Seminole County; Patrick Farley, a 3rd- and 4th-grade gifted teacher at Crystal Lake Elementary School in Martin County; and Molly Winters Diallo, a social science teacher at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School in Miami-Dade County. Each wins $15,000. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Department of Education.
School security: Only 35 of the 140 applicants for armed guardians jobs in Broward County schools pass the first screening test. The district says it needs to hire at least 80. Fort Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman says based on his experience with his city’s police department, only about five of those 35 candidates will survive further screenings. He says most candidates fail the psychological tests. Sun-Sentinel. Only 24 of the eventual 107 school safety assistants will be in Duval County classrooms when students return to schools Aug. 13 because of hiring and training delays, say district officials. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. Insuring each security guard the Brevard County School District will cost only $150 a year, says Mark Langdorf, director of risk management for the district. District officials say they need 28 guards, so the insurance premium will be $4,200. Florida Today. The Leon County School District's patchwork of protection for schools will test the state law demand that every school have an armed officer every day. Tallahassee Democrat. Lawrence Leon, the former chief of the Palm Beach County School District's police department, will keep his $137,732 salary even though his job now is patrolling Jupiter Farms Elementary School. Palm Beach Post. The city of North Miami Beach is partnering with the Miami-Dade County School District to place a resource officer in all schools located in the city. The agreement adds officers at the two elementary schools; the middle and high schools were already covered. WTVJ. Several of the 13 Manatee County charter schools still do not have a plan for school security. Bradenton Herald. (more…)
School security: The Broward County School Board agrees to ask voters Aug. 28 to approve a property tax increase for school security and teacher bonuses. If approved, the tax hike could generate about $93 million a year. Sun-Sentinel. The Pinellas County Commission votes against helping the school district put deputies into the 31 schools in unincorporated areas. Tampa Bay Times. Brevard County School Board members vote to hire "security specialists" instead of arming school staff. The specialists will get 176 hours of training and receive $40,431 a year in pay and benefits. Florida Today. Manatee County commissioners decided they won't pay any more for school security than the $892,000 they currently provide. School officials will now consider a plan to hire 35 armed guards trained by the sheriff and paid for with state funds from the guardian program. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Putting a resource officer in every Lee County school will cost more than $8 million, school board members are told. The district is hoping the city and county will supply the $4 million it needs. Fort Myers News-Press. Jackson County School Board members and county commissioners agree that hiring eight more school resource officers is the best way to protect all its schools, and pledge to work together to pay for them. WMBB.
H.B. 7069 lawsuit: Pinellas and Collier county school board members vote to continue appealing the latest decision against school boards that are challenging the constitutionality of the state’s 2017 education law, H.B. 7069. The suit contends the law violates the state constitution by stripping authority from local school boards and by forcing districts to share their tax revenue with charter schools. Pinellas and Collier join the Lee and Bay county school boards in appealing. School boards in Duval, Clay and Wakulla have dropped out of the case, and those in Alachua, Broward, Hamilton, Orange, Polk, St. Lucie and Volusia counties have yet to decide. The Palm Beach County School Board is pursuing its own suit against the law. Gradebook. Naples Daily News.
Reassigning students: The Florida Department of Education orders the Duval County School District to reassign 378 students into schools that have a C grade or better from the state. Two years ago the district took the students out of four failing schools and sent them to other schools, including some that had D or F grades. That was a mistake, the state concluded in an investigation. Florida Times-Union. WJCT. WJAX. WJXT. (more…)
ESSA plan: After federal education officials recently raised questions about Florida's plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act, the state asks for an extension beyond the Jan. 4 deadline to rework the plan. State officials say they are still reviewing the letter federal officials sent that questions the state's plans to measure how individual groups of students perform and to consider progress made by English-language learners when holding schools accountable for student learning and progress. "We acknowledge that USED may not be able to provide a final determination within the 120-day period in the law," Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart wrote in her request for an extension. "Our focus is the successful completion of the 2017-18 school year as school districts continue to recover from Hurricane Irma and embrace the nearly 9,000 students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of Hurricane Maria.” Politico Florida.
Active shooter training: The University of Central Florida is using video game technology to help train teachers on how to react to an active shooter scenario. The $5.6 million technology was developed by the Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Army, and is similar to the program used to train soldiers in combat tactics. "With teachers, they did not self-select into a role where they expect to have bullets flying near them. Unfortunately, it’s becoming a reality,” says chief project engineer Tamara Griffith. “We want to teach teachers how to respond as first responders.” Associated Press.
Bonuses mistakenly paid: Twenty-seven Leon County School District employees wrongly received about $180,000 from the state's Best and Brightest teacher bonuses program, according to a recent report from the Florida auditor general. The audit showed that 21 teachers who received $143,155 in bonuses were not rated as "highly effective," a requirement to be eligible for the payments. Another six who received $40,902 weren't eligible because they didn't meet the state's definition of a classroom teacher. All must repay the district, which in turn will send the money to the state Department of Education. The audit also raised concerns about a lack of competitive bidding to select health insurance companies and the security of personal information for students. Tallahassee Democrat. WTXL. WCTV.
Education amendments: Two Florida school officials are offering amendments to the state constitution that would provide more public financial support for schools other than traditional public schools. Marva Johnson, a member of the Florida Board of Education and Florida Constitution Revision Commission, is urging changes that would allow public money to be used for private schools "in the event that a student's right to an education that meets his or her individual needs and learning differences." Erika Donalds, a member of the Collier County School Board and the commission, is proposing an amendment allowing the Legislature to make a provision for "other educational services that benefit the children and families of this state that are in addition to the system of free public schools.” If the amendments are approved for the ballot, they would need the support of 60 percent of voters to go into effect. Tampa Bay Times. redefinED. News Service of Florida.
District's book ban: The superintendent of the Dixie County School District has issued a ban on instructional materials that contain “profanity, cursing or inappropriate subject matter.” Mike Thomas issued the ban after a parent complained about sexual references in the book A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest Gaines, but Thomas denies any connection between the complaint and the ban. Thomas says a committee will be formed to review instructional materials. Gainesville Sun.
Educators honored: Five finalists are chosen for Orange County teacher of the year. They are: Kenneth Boyd, music teacher at West Orange High School; Cindi Brasch, a teacher for the “hospital homebound”; Kyle Dencker, computer science teacher at Timber Creek High School; Bernie Hendricks, band director at Ocoee High School; and Sandy Mercer, a teacher for disabled students at Lake Silver Elementary School. The winner will be announced in December. Orlando Sentinel. Larissa Bennett, counselor at Virgil Mills Elementary School in Palmetto, is named school counselor of the year by the Florida School Counselor Association. Bradenton Herald. WWSB.
