Palm Beach: The future of a West Palm Beach private school for students with special needs is uncertain after school officials say they have not received their allotted funding from the state for scholarship students. Mountaineer's School of Autism has been a cornerstone of the special needs community for years, but the owner says she can only operate for about two more weeks unless she receives money owed from the state's scholarship program. WPTV.
Hillsborough: Plant High school voted to keep a graphic novel in its library in response to the district's first book challenge of the school year. A Plant High parent brought up the objection against "Blankets" by author Craig Thompson. The seven-member review board, comprised of school staff and parents, unanimously voted to keep the book in the school's library collection. WUSF.
Pinellas: The school district in Pinellas has pulled five books from its shelves amid concerns that their content is inappropriate for minors. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, support staff in Pinellas have asked the school district for better pay and living conditions during a recent bargaining session. Nelly Henjes, president of the Pinellas Educational Support Professional Association, said the union is asking the district to pay employees at least $18 per hour or to give them a 7.3% pay increase, depending on which is greater. The union is also asking for child care before and after school, and no increase in health insurance premiums. The two parties did not reach an agreement but plan to meet again on Sept. 28. WFTS.
Volusia: Some local school districts are looking for ways to stand out as they compete for teachers during a shortage and in the face of a population boom in the state. Forough Hosseini, founder of Homes Bring Hope, which is a non-profit that works to help make home ownership more affordable, made a pitch to school board members in Volusia during a recent workshop to turn vacant land into affordable housing for district staff. “As our community grows, the need for teachers and the need for school staff certainly grows,” Volusia County’s Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rachel Hazel said. “This is just one more incentive to come to Volusia County and work for our school system.” WKMG.
Alachua: Shane Andrew, superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools, is aiming to be impactful during the upcoming school year. “I don't know that I necessarily set out that this was my journey and my destiny,” Andrew said in an interview. “But definitely, when called to serve in our school district, I'm going to do whatever I can wherever I can.” Main Street Daily News.
More on book bans: State education officials released a list of books removed from public school libraries last year, and it turns out that South Florida is among the areas with the fewest book removals. A state law enacted last year allows parents or residents of the Florida counties to submit challenges to school books. WLRN.
Teacher pay: A lawmaker wants to raise teacher pay to a minimum salary of $65,000. Rep. Tae Edmonds of West Palm Beach is proposing the "Save Our Teachers Act" to bolster pay for the state's teachers closer to the national average. "This is just a minor step in the right direction to help our teachers," Edmonds said. Florida currently ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to average teacher pay, with the average teacher making about $51,000 per year, according to a report from the National Education Association. A previous education funding boost in 2022 increased base pay for teachers to a minimum of $47,500, but Edmonds think it isn't enough. If the bill is approved by legislators, it would go into effect in July. News 4 Jax.
Opinions on schools: To find out how students are doing in the aftermath of COVID-19, YouthTruth, a nonprofit that elevates voices to help schools improve, set out to answer that question by consulting the experts: students themselves. Jen Vorse Wilka, The 74th.
In the Legislature: A new bill submitted to the state House of Representatives would allow districts to put cameras in classrooms. HB 985, would require video cameras to be placed in certain public and charter school classrooms. Teachers in the classrooms with cameras would have to wear microphones during the school day, according to the bill. WKMG. A state senator has introduced legislation that would raise the state's compulsory age for school attendance. The proposed legislation, SB 992, would raise the cap by two years from 16 to 18. If enacted, the bill would take effect on July 1. WFLA. Another bill filed recently in the Florida House would limit diversity efforts and expand the powers of university boards and alter course offerings. HB 999 proposes leaving all faculty hiring to boards of trustees and removing majors or minors in subjects like critical race theory and gender studies. It would also prohibit spending on activities that promote diversity, equity and inclusion and create new general education requirements. Tampa Bay Times. State lawmakers have been given two vastly different cost estimates as they consider HB1, which would expand school vouchers and offer education savings accounts to all school-aged children in the state. The bill's sponsor put the number at $209.6 million, but the Florida Policy Institute says the measure could add billions to the state budget. Tampa Bay Times. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Around the state: The school board in Lee is considering a phased rebuild of Fort Myers Beach Elementary, students at universities statewide participated in walkouts regarding various issues and the school board in Alachua approved a new policy for homeless students. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools and colleges and universities:
Lee: The majority of the Lee County school board appeared to be leaning toward a phased rebuild of Fort Myers Beach Elementary, which was severely damaged during Hurricane Ian. During the board's meeting on Wednesday, three options were presented, which ranged in cost. They include sending students to other schools and restoring the campus, a phased rebuild and a portable campus with the option to rebuild. Ft. Myers News-Press.
Volusia: Local businesses have donated items such as model jet engines and hotel stays to Volusia County schools through the adopt-a-school program. Now, the hospitality industry is on a mission to find adopters for the last nine of 67 traditional public schools — most of which are in West Volusia. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Alachua: The school board in Alachua approved a new policy that waives school fees for students experiencing homelessness or who are unable to pay. The new Waiver of School Fees policy establishes prohibitions on school fees for students who qualify for free lunch of breakfast, a student whose family is experiencing a severe loss or does not have the ability to pay due to any reason Superintendent Shane Andrew deems appropriate. WUFT.
Target list: Gov. Ron DeSantis' list of 14 incumbent board members around the state he is targeting to defeat in the 2024 election include Nadia Combs and Jessica Vaughn in Hillsborough county and Laura Hine and Eileen Long in Pinellas county. Tampa Bay Times.
Book reversal: A book about late MLB legend Roberto Clemente that was removed from public schools in Florida's Duval County pending a review over its references to racism and discrimination has been approved for student use. NBC News. Axios.
University and college news: A public art display celebrating diversity will not travel to State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota after college officials requested the omission of several pieces. The concern, according to a college spokesperson, was that several images could offend viewers. The organizer canceled the scheduled exhibit. WUSF. Inside Higher Ed. Members of University of Florida's Bateman case study competition presented their campaign to Greater Gainesville Young Professionals. Students are teaching people how to identify credible news by sharing their experiences with misinformation. WCJB. A Florida nonprofit in a new lawsuit is seeking the call logs and texts of one of six trustees recently installed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the state's most progressive higher education institution. New College of Florida made headlines in recent weeks after an overhaul of the liberal arts university's leadership. Miami Herald. The State University System Board of Governors signed off on making Richard Corcoran the interim president of New College of Florida, and will take the helm on Monday. WUSF. Hundreds of University of South Florida students participated in a walkout to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' education policies. Tampa Bay Times. At University of Florida, a protest was held called "Stand for Freedom." Gainesville Sun. In Tallahassee, Florida State University students also protested. Tallahassee Democrat. Meanwhile, students at six Florida universities staged a walkout protesting school officials sending transgender students health information to the state. In January, Gov. Ron DeSantis sent state universities a survey requesting the number and ages of students who sought gender dysphoria treatment, including sex reassignment surgery and hormone prescriptions. WMFE. NPR.
Opinions on schools: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush joined Students Over Systems host Ginny Gentles to talk about the history of Florida's flourishing education options. Ginny Gentles and former Gov. Jeb Bush, reimaginED.
Around the state: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he would approve a line in the state's new budget that allocates $800 million toward upping teacher salaries, more limits may be coming on public comment at school board meetings in Pinellas, and discussions continue on the superintendent post in Volusia. Here are details about these stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Palm Beach: Nearly two dozen sheriff's deputies will soon be available to guard Palm Beach County schools if the school board approves a million-dollar agreement on Wednesday. A pending agreement with Sheriff Ric Bradshaw would provide 20 deputies and two sergeants at a cost of $100 per hour and $136 per hour, respectively. Palm Beach Post.
Orange: Residents here can share what they'd like to see in a new school superintendent, and what they see as the public school system's biggest challenges, at a series of community forums that begin today. The seven public forums are one part of the school board's multi-pronged approach to selecting a new superintendent for the region's largest school district. Orlando Sentinel.
Pinellas: The Pinellas School Board is considering more limits on comments at public meetings. When the board meets this morning, it will hold a public hearing before voting on proposed changes to its comment policy that emerged amid concerns that long and often heated speeches about issues such as masks and classroom lessons were interfering with regular district business. Tampa Bay Times.
Volusia: The school board here says it plans to decide soon whether to keep the superintendent in his post. Teachers, parents and leaders in the community say they are divided about whether Superintendent Scott Fritz should stay. School board members plan to decide if they will extend Fritz's contract beyond the end of this year in a meeting next month. WFTV.
Osceola: The county announced on Monday that all 2022 seniors will get to attend Valencia College or Osceola Technical College for free as part of Osceola Prosper. The money was set aside from what Osceola County received through the American Rescue Plan. That means that all high school students who graduate in May, whether they are in public, charter or home school graduates, can attend one of the schools for a full ride with a two-year degree.
Teacher salaries: Gov. DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran toured the state on Monday to promote initiatives they say will help recruit and retain teachers. Gov. DeSantis addressed media from the front of Fleming Island Elementary School in Orange Park to announce that he would approve a line in the state's new budget that allocates $800 million toward upping teacher salaries. The Florida Education Association worked with lawmakers to switch the funding percentage for beginning and veteran teachers. Florida Times-Union. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Lakeland Ledger. The funding is part of Gov. DeSantis' efforts to raise the starting teacher salary in Florida to $47,500. In 2020, the governor oversaw a $500 million shift in the state budget intended to move Florida to fifth in the nation from 26th in starting pay. Palm Beach Post.
Settlement talks: Teachers in Pinellas County expect a contract settlement to be reached this week. Meanwhile, the Pasco County school district also remained without a settlement. But the Friday before spring break, Superintendent Kurt Browning sent an email to employees saying the district had found budget funds to pay for a 4% across the board pay supplement. Tampa Bay Times.
COVID-19 adjustment: As protocols end, young students and educators are adjusting after two years of disrupted lessons. For veteran teachers and older students, its a return to normalcy. But for new teachers and young students, it's the first time they have experienced in-person learning without restrictions or interruptions. Chalkbeat.
College and university news: An international climate change conference in Orlando featured dozens of experts who spoke in carbon sinks, carbon traps, carbon sequestration and of being carbon neutral. Precious Nyabami, a University of Florida graduate student, was honored for her discovery that farmers can easily trap planet-warming carbon. WGCU.
Opinions on schools: Access to high quality schools should not be rationed through the mortgage market, nor kept as an unnecessarily scarce commodity. Allowing educators the freedom to create new schools and families to select between them creates opportunities for families and teachers. Matthew Ladner, reimaginED. Over the last two years, public school enrollments have dropped at about the same rate as their private school counterparts have risen, and districts that denied students in-person options for most of 2020-21 experienced some of the largest declines. Ben DeGrow, reimaginED.
Oops. A principal and a teacher are reprimanded after a botched fire-breathing stunt at a Palm Beach pep rally that had been intended to get students fired up for testing season. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Misfire. Pinellas parents hoping to make it off a school choice waiting list receive a robo-call by mistake. Gradebook.
Change needed. Pinellas school board candidates agree something needs to be done about academic struggles in South St. Petersburg, but find things to disagree on. Saint Petersblog. Gradebook.
Accountability. Florida seeks public input on new federal school accountability guidelines. Gradebook.
Leadership. Alachua County's superintendent resigns, stoking tensions with the black community. Gainesville Sun. Five apply to be Sarasota schools' next chief. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A top Hernando administrator suddenly resigns. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Early learning. St. Johns County expands its full-day pre-K programs. St. Augustine Record.
Discipline. A student advocacy group plans a federal civil rights complaint against the Bay County school system, alleging discipline disparities that disproportionately affect African-Americans. Panama City News Herald.
Support services. Funding is in limbo for a Leon County center that provides after-school and juvenile-diversion programs. Tallahassee Democrat.
Elections. A teacher-turned-Hernando school board candidate bows out of the race after accepting a job in Pinellas County. Tampa Bay Times.
Information. Duval County announces a new online student information portal. Florida Times-Union.
State board. The Florida Board of Education meets next week in South Florida. Palm Beach Post. Charter school capital funding changes won't be on the agenda. Gradebook. (more…)
Virtual school: The Pinellas County School District sees a surge in its in-house virtual school programs, prompting school officials to close the application period a week early. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools: One of Tallahassee's oldest and most successful charter schools looks to expand, while another that caters to middle school hopes to add an elementary. Tallahassee Democrat. A struggling Palm Beach County charter school agrees to stay closed the entire school year to right its ship and repay about $56,000 in taxpayer funding. Palm Beach Post. Gulf Coast Academy South opens with a waiting list almost as large as its current enrollment. Naples Daily News.
Ed poll: A new education poll looks at standardized testing with just 22 percent of respondents saying the increased use of such tests has helped schools; 36 percent said the testing hurts schools; 41 percent said it made no difference. StateImpact Florida.
Adult ed: Hernando County's adult technical education programs suffer from low enrollment. Tampa Bay Times.
Common Core: StateImpact Florida asks teachers what they think about the new education standards. Sarasota state Rep. Ray Pilon breaks ranks from local Republicans and opposes the standards. "My vote is going to be get rid of it,'' he wrote on Facebook. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)
School is cool: The Community Foundation of Broward County and other donors launch a School is Cool initiative for middle-schoolers to boost high school graduation rates and competitiveness. Sun Sentinel.
Welcome back: Broward County students are back in class. Sun Sentinel. The re-designed Galaxy Elementary in Boynton Beach opens its "green" doors to 580 students for the first day of school, boasting hallways equipped with interactive white boards, classrooms with sliding glass doors and an auditorium with hands-on kinetic experiments in every corner. Sun Sentinel. More than 179,000 students in the nation’s 11th-largest school district return to school to meet nearly 13,000 Palm Beach County School District teachers. Palm Beach Post. Orange County schools welcome back about 185,000 students and Lake County greets about 4,000. Orlando Sentinel. Miami-Dade County sees more than 600,000 students return to school. Miami Herald. About 85,000 students return to Polk County schools. The Ledger. In Collier County, 45,000 students return. Fort Myers News-Press. More from Naples Daily News. About 65,000 students head to class in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Pensacola News-Journal. Pinellas schools see about 100,000 students return. The Tampa Tribune. Hillsborough County sees about 200,000 students return. Tampa Bay Times. The district reported 64,116 children showed up Monday for classes, up 993 from the first day a year ago. Tampa Bay Times. The Hernando County school district expects to enroll 21,672 students. Tampa Bay Times.
Common Core: StateImpact Florida takes another look at the new education standards. "Like every government reform project, Common Core will have its glitches, its shortcomings, its setbacks. But The DaVinci Code of the ABCs it is not,'' writes Tampa Bay Times columnist Daniel Ruth.
Pre-K: Duval County schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti starts the school year with increased pre-K classrooms to better prepare children for kindergarten, narrow the achievement gap and expose low-income students to technology at a younger age. Florida Times-Union.
Charter schools: Florida Intercultural Academy charter school welcomes back students, but sends them to a temporary location while the permanent facility undergoes construction. Miami Herald. (more…)
Debit cards: Only seven of 67 Florida school districts have taken Gov. Scott's offer of a $250 debit card for school supplies. Why? The cards won't be distributed until late next month - well after the start of school. The Buzz. More from the News Service of Florida.
Hiring: Only days away from the start of school, the Palm Beach County district still needs transportation and safety directors. Palm Beach Post.
ESE crisis: Hillsborough County school officials say they responded to concerns an ESE teacher shared with them months before a special needs student died while in school care. Tampa Bay Times. Columnist Sue Carlton says Hillsborough district leaders ought to be saying something like this: "Something went horribly wrong. We messed up. And we should be looking hard at the bigger picture to keep it from ever happening again.'' Tampa Bay Times.
Club control: Lake County School Board members vote to only allow middle school clubs that promote critical thinking, business, athletics and the arts. That upsets some students as they try to form a Gay-Straight Alliance to deter bullying. Orlando Sentinel.
Priorities: Orange County School Board Chairman Bill Sublette set goals for the coming year that include changes to career and technical education, magnet programs and gifted education. Orlando Sentinel.
75th anniversary: The Miami Country Day private school that opened in 1938 celebrates its diamond anniversary. Miami Herald. (more…)
Bill Maxwell, a highly regarded African-American columnist with the Tampa Bay Times, has used a new Hechinger Report to argue that charter schools are introducing a second wave of “white flight” in public education. His argument tracks the work of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, which has called charter schools a “civil rights failure” and echoes the assertion of University of Minnesota researcher Myron Orfield that charters are “an accelerant to the normal segregation of public schools.”
Some of these findings are certainly cause for concern. But racial integration in American education is rooted in nearly a half-century of social policy and federal court intervention, which makes isolated conclusions about the new role of charter schools problematic. Yes, it could be that charter schools cause more racial segregation. It is also possible something else could explain the racial demographics. It could be, for example, that charter school enrollment merely reflects the racial makeup of the neighborhoods in which they operate.
In that sense, examining the racial ratios in charter schools is but one part of a much larger equation.
Maxwell’s column was inspired by an article in the Hechinger Report that began with an anecdote about a very white elementary charter school south of St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minn. The charter school, Seven Hills Classical Academy, was 82 percent white while the surrounding Bloomington Public School District averaged 57 percent white.
However, the school district obscures the vast range within the public schools themselves. Among Bloomington public elementary schools alone, the ratio of white enrollment ranged from 15 percent to 81 percent. In other words, there are also public schools with similar degrees of racial segregation.
Charter schools. Parents at the now-defunct Ben Gamla charter school tell Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego that they're unhappy with its closing. Gradebook. Gainesville's oldest charter school goes to a year-round schedule. Gainesville Sun. A new charter in Hillsborough will serve high school students with disabilities. Tampa Tribune.
Tax credit scholarships. SchoolZone writes up the state report that shows rapid growth in the tax credit scholarship program (which is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog).
Virtual schools. WGCU: " 'What the state has done is actually made a cut to education and disguised is as an operating protocol for virtual students.' ”
Standards. In 2011, Florida's proficiency bars in reading and math, relative to NAEP, don't stand out as particularly high, according to a new analysis. Education Next.
Mentors. Can boost FCAT scores, and groups like 100 Black Men of Orlando are heeding the call. Onyx.
School spending. Once again, the Palm Beach County School District's audit committee wants to know why so many schools have "money handling problems." Palm Beach Post. A new Orange County principal was demoted from his former job in Palm Beach County because he used a school credit card for $6,400 in questionable charges, including a $200 dinner with his wife at a Ruth's Chris Steak House. Orlando Sentinel. Flagler cuts its budget by another $1.1 million because "staff budgeted too high for this year." Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)
