Schools of excellence: Eighty-eight more Florida schools may be added to the 630 already designated as "school of excellence" by the state Board of Education at its meeting Thursday. Those schools earn the label by being in the 80th percentile or higher in points for Florida's school grading system, then maintain it by getting an A or B grade the next year. Designated schools' principals are permitted greater autonomy, and the schools are exempt from daily minimum reading requirements and may calculate class size as a school average, among other benefits. Gradebook.
District's toll violations: The Broward County School District has been billed almost $10,000 for 34 toll violations by school buses on the Florida Turnpike dating back to 2009. If the violations had been paid on time, the bill would have been less than $50. A school spokeswoman says at least some of the violations are in error, and it's asking for clarification from SunPass. “I’m at a loss for words," says school board member Robin Bartleman. "That is unbelievable that this slipped through the cracks.” Sun-Sentinel.
