Failure Factories: The Tampa Bay Times has won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its stories on five failing St. Petersburg elementary schools. The series, labeled Failure Factories, detailed how the Pinellas County School District abandoned integration efforts in 2007 and then failed to provide adequate resources for the schools, which became predominantly poor, black and failing. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics.

Civil rights query: The Escambia County School District is being investigated by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education for allegations related to a hazing incident on a school bus involving the West Florida High School junior varsity football team. The parent of one of the students punished alleges her son was treated differently because he's black; that he and his mother, a teacher, were retaliated against after complaining; and that the district treats black students differently than nonblacks in the administration of discipline. Pensacola News Journal.

Science testing change: Next year, the state's annual state science test for fifth- and eighth-graders is tentatively scheduled for late March, a full month earlier than this year. But science teachers oppose the change, saying their students need the extra month to prepare. The Department of Education says it will consider those concerns before making a final decision. Gradebook.

Budget shortfall: Broward County school officials are projecting a $4 million budget deficit for the 2016-2017 school year. They cite inflation, a change in school schedules and an increase in the cost of fringe benefits. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)