Schools of hope: A compromise on the "schools of hope" bill is drawing support from previously opposed Democratic lawmakers. The $200 million measure was introduced by the House to offer incentives to highly regarded charter school companies to open schools in areas where traditional public schools are persistently low performing. While details of the compromise are not known, some Democrats involved in the process say it's a mixture of the original House bill and a Senate suggestion that more money be made available to public schools before charters are recruited. “I think we’re 80 percent there” on a final compromise, says House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. WFSU. Teachers and education activists protest the legislation at a news conference in Tampa. “Diverting $200 million in our taxpayer money away from our children’s public schools to unaccountable private companies is a terrible plan,” said Michelle Prieto, coordinator for the group Mi Familia Vota. Florida Politics.
Budget agreement: Senate and House leaders announce a deal on an $83 billion budget that blends the educational priorities of both chambers. Details are being worked out in conference committee. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Public school leaders make a last-minute push for more K-12 funding. Politico Florida.
Virtual open enrollment: The House passes a bill allowing Florida students to attend any virtual charter school in the state that is authorized by a school district. Right now, students can only attend the virtual school in the district in which they live. Many consider the bill as the natural extension of the state's new open enrollment law, which allows any student to attend any public school that has space available. redefinED. (more…)
SAT scores: National and Florida SAT scores have dropped between 1 and 6 percentage points in reading, writing and math this year from last, according to the College Board. Miami-Dade County bucked the trend, with scores for graduating seniors up in all three areas. Miami Herald. Lee and Collier students perform better this year on the SAT than they did a year ago, and stand above state averages. Fort Myers News-Press. Volusia County students' SAT scores rose, while Flagler's fell. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Student homelessness: There are almost twice as many homeless students in Treasure Coast counties this year than there were five years ago. St. Lucie, Indian River and Martin counties count 1,282 homeless students this year, up from 739 in 2010-2011. In Martin County, the number has more than tripled in that time. TCPalm.
Address checks: As school districts turn to rezoning to solve overcrowding at certain popular schools, parents are lobbying districts to first crack down on those who are attending schools using false addresses. In Broward County, one such check found 60 children with address discrepancies - enough to avoid rezoning schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Opt-out winner: Brandy Paternoster of Broward County talks about her successful legal fight against the school system to get her two children promoted to fourth grade after they opted out of the Florida Standards Assessments tests. Sun-Sentinel.
Desegregation talks: Plaintiffs in the 50-year-old desegregation case against the Pinellas County School District say they're frustrated by the lack of progress in discussions with school officials. They say the district is slow to get them student performance data, and then slants its summaries to make the district look better. Tampa Bay Times.
Bush on education: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush talks about charter schools, Common Core, school spending and integration in a Q&A. The 74. (more…)
