Charter schools. The charter schools in Pinellas expect to add 1,400 students this fall, for a total of nearly 6,500. Gradebook. A new charter school in Naples is offering a summer camp to boost literacy skills for ELL students entering kindergarten. Fort Myers News Press. The struggling Tiger Academy charter school in Jacksonville shows big improvement in its third grade FCAT results. Florida Times Union.
Private schools. Q&A with the new head of Tampa's Carrollwood Day School. Tampa Tribune.
Teacher transfers. Alexander Russo takes a look at a recent study examining involuntary transfers in Miami-Dade.
School spending. Pasco anticipates $1 billion in capital expenses through 2025 and $711 million from all funding sources. Gradebook. Pasco considers shifting some school start times to save money on bus routes. Tampa Bay Times.
Superintendents. The Tampa Bay Times profiles new Hernando Superintendent Lori Romano.
Porn. Pasco deputies arrest a 15-year-old high school student for possession of child pornography after school officials find a photo on her iPhone of two teens having sex. Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times.
Head Start. The feds uphold the suspension of the Jacksonville Urban League as a program provider, citing health and safety issues. Florida Times Union.
Parent power. Gov. Rick Scott signs into law a bill that gives parents of disabled students more say over their kid's education. Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press.
Virtual schools. Scott also signs the digital learning bill into law. Florida Current.
Charter schools. The Lakeland-based Achievement Academy, a charter for students with disabilities, plans to double enrollment to meet demand. Lakeland Ledger.
Career academies. A new firefighters academy is opening at Wellington High School next fall. Palm Beach Post.
Schools and religion. Atheist materials censored by the Orange County School District contained criticisms of the Bible. Orlando Sentinel.
School grades. The state again considers revision to the system in the face of concerns that the results will be too harsh. Tampa Bay Times. Add Treasure Coast districts to those warning parents about a drop in grades. TCPalm.com. A new task force should retract the most "onerous" changes to the grading system. Miami Herald. Or "trash" the system altogether. Palm Beach Post.
School technology. New technology in the Miami-Dade district is boosting education for students with disabilities. Miami Herald.
School spending. The state approves Manatee's financial recovery plan. Bradenton Herald. Bay plans to remove 22 old portables this summer. Panama City News Herald.
School districts. Pinellas needs to be more transparent with public records. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Charter schools. A new charter opening in Broward this fall will offer blended learning. THE Journal. The Imagine in Pasco offers an expanded expansion request. Gradebook.
Magnet schools. The Palm Beach district is speeding up its annual lottery process. Palm Beach Post.
Single-gender schools. The Palm Beach district finds a new home for an all-boys academy. Palm Beach Post.
School choice. Orange will allow students at overcrowded schools to transfer to less-crowded schools. Orlando Sentinel. Okaloosa is ending a horticulture program at one of its high school in part because of lack of interest. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Dual enrollment. The Bradenton Herald writes up the potential effect on Manatee of the Legislature's cost shift to districts.
NAEP. Scores for older students remain at the same level they were 40 years ago, but achievement is trending up for younger, minority students. Associated Press.
Science. The vast majority of commenters during a review period want Florida to adopt Next Generation Science Standards. Orlando Sentinel.
Jeb Bush. His Foundation for Florida's Future issues its annual legislative report card.
Rick Scott. In a discussion with teachers of the year from around the state, he stresses increased funding for education. Palm Beach Post. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.
School spending. The Pinellas school board turns down the idea of contracting its police force out to the sheriff's office, even though it might save money. Gradebook. More from the Tampa Tribune.
Superintendents. Brevard's Brian Binggeli gets a positive eval and an offer of a three-year contact. Florida Today.
Charter schools. A Lake County charter will get money to stay open despite an unfavorable audit that showed problems with record keeping for enrollment. Orlando Sentinel.
Common Core. The Manatee school board votes to release students early on one Wednesday a month next year so teachers can have more time to train for Common Core. Bradenton Herald.
ALEC. ALEC and Patricia Levesque respond to Progress Florida's report suggesting ALEC has run amok in Florida ed policy. StateImpact Florida.
School spending. Business leaders propose cost-saving measures for the Pinellas district, including limiting sick leave payouts. Tampa Bay Times. Pinellas may also consider transferring its internal police force to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to save money. Tampa Bay Times.
School grades. The Ocala Star Banner writes up fears of falling grades this year.
Teacher conduct. A Pinellas teacher is charged with felony child abuse after reportedly telling one student to put another in a choke hold. Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Tribune.
Transparency. The Pinellas school district isn't publicly posting a number of key items up for consideration by the school board. Gradebook. An appeals court rules that a Broward whistleblower fired after reporting corruption may be able to get her job back. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Common Core. StateImpact Florida: Don't let Common Core squeeze out science. StateImpact Florida: State Sen. John Legg says lawmakers still have a lot to do to get the state ready for Common Core.
Charter schools. New study from CREDO shows charter schools improving nationally, compared to traditional public schools, but with results varying widely from state to state. Coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, Hechinger Report, Charters & Choice, Associated Press, Huffington Post.
School grades. Gradebook: Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho calls on the state to change how it grades ESE centers.
Summer learning loss. Gradebook: High-poverty schools in Pinellas have the lowest turnout for a new district program to stem summer learning loss. Tampa Tribune: Overall turnout for the Pinellas program is less than expected, too. Tallahassee Democrat: Leon offers a summer course for students who failed the Algebra I end of course exam.
Educator conduct. South Florida Sun Sentinel: A teacher's aide at a Palm Beach County charter school is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old he met at church. Tampa Bay Times: A former Pinellas County elementary school is sentenced to two years in prison for possession of child pornography.
Teacher data. Gradebook: DOE offers help to teachers whose info may have been compromised.The Gainesville Sun writes up the data breach. So does the Pensacola News Journal.
STEM. Northwest Florida Daily News: Parents pack an Okaloosa County School Board meeting to show support for a STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medical) academy.
Charter schools: Pembroke Pines city leaders release a privatization plan for its charter schools system that could result in hundreds of teachers losing their jobs. Miami Herald. The city plans to contract with Charter Schools USA for $10 million a year to operate the system. Sun-Sentinel.
School grades: Education officials from across the state head to Tampa today to talk with Board of Education members about the state's school-grading formula. Miami Herald.
Budget cuts: Lake County School Board members on Monday discussed changing school start times and cutting courtesy busing to fill a $16.3 million budget shortfall for next fiscal year. Orlando Sentinel.
Prison: Former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd faces a life in prison surrounding allegations that he traded candy for sex with 9-year-old students. Palm Beach Post.
Lawsuit: Palm Beach County schools sues the city of West Palm Beach for unpaid stormwater fees. Palm Beach Post.
Tony: Education Commissioner Tony Bennett talks Common Core, charter schools, teacher quality and more. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Summer school: Pinellas County school officials expect 8,500 students to participate in the Summer Bridge program. Tampa Tribune.
Budgets: The numbers aren't final, but the Collier County school district projects an $8.3 million shortfall while Lee County school officials expect to make $13 million to $15 million in cuts. Naples Daily News. Baker County school officials blame a drop in enrollment for an estimated $1.3 million shortfall. Baker County Press. Flagler County school officials take another look for new ways to cut the budget after voters reject a tax hike. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Cell towers: Parents and teachers worried about the health and safety of students at Naples Park Elementary have started a petition against a cellphone tower on school grounds. Naples Daily News.
Fired: A Duval County paraprofessional is fired after an investigation found he forcibly removed a student from the school bus. Florida Times-Union.
Lawsuit: A parent is suing the Polk County school board, alleging that a science teacher slapped her son last year at a Lakeland elementary school. The Ledger.
Grads: High school graduation speeches deserve a lot of scrutiny, say principals and others. Tampa Bay Times. Friends since preschool, these two recent grads are headed to Harvard. Pensacola News Journal. (more…)
Common Core: Sen. John Legg tries to clear up confusion about the Common Core State Standards. Tampa Tribune.
Stepping down: An elementary school principal makes good on his threat to retire following an ethics complaint against a Palm Beach County school board member whose children attended the school. Palm Beach Post.
Going digital: Students at Cardinal Newman High, a private school with less than 700 students, will either lease an iPad from the school or buy their own and bring it in to school next year. Palm Beach Post. Lawmaker says state needs to phase out pencil-and-paper school tests and go digital. StateImpact Florida. Lakes Wales' charter school hosts technology summit - for teachers. Ledger.
Failing: Poor performance that is not acceptable at a charter school is just as unacceptable at other public schools, editorial notes. Tampa Bay Times.
CAPE: Pinellas County school board looks at district's career academies and number of student certifications. Tampa Tribune.
STEM camp: Hillsborough County is seeing more summer camps devoted to the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math. Tampa Bay Times.
Special Ed: Hillsborough County schools will use the summer to focus on special education needs and train workers, including aides and bus drivers. Tampa Bay Times.
Lawsuits: A mother sues the Pinellas County School Board, alleging her son was beaten so severely by other students that he had to have a testicle removed. Tampa Bay Times. An Atheist group sues the Orange County school district for blocking the distribution of pamphlets in schools. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
FCAT: Florida releases scores today for reading, math and science. Miami Herald.
Graduation rates: Florida sees strong growth in grad rates, report finds. Gradebook. Florida's high school graduation rates for Hispanics tops nation. Orlando Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Charter school conversion: Rowlett parents weigh the benefits of converting their district school into a charter school. Bradenton Herald.
Advanced Placement: Report praises Orange County schools for improving black students' AP passing rates. Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher conduct: A Skycrest Elementary School teacher faces firing for allegedly abusing two special needs students earlier this year. Tampa Bay Times.
School hiring: Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego names a new area superintendent and three executive directors for elementary, middle and high school education. Tampa Bay Times. New principal appointments at Campbell Park Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Largo Middle, and Northwest Elementary. Tampa Bay Times. A former principal charged with stealing school property will become the principal of a Boynton Beach charter school. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher unions: Jackson County teachers OK salary proposals. Jackson County Floridian. Monroe County teachers' union and district talk about unpaid furloughs, other negotiations. Keynoter.
Nonrenewed: A Hillsborough County school board candidate loses his job as a district teacher. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Bang for the buck. Florida's education system gets a lot of it. Florida Watchdog.
Charter schools. Broward sees its eighth charter school close this year, raising questions about accountability, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Imagine charter schools network will close its struggling elementary school in Pinellas, but keep its middle school open, reports Gradebook. The C-rated Athenian Academy charter school in Pasco is suing the school district for barring its plans to grow enrollment, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Career education. A Pasco student in Wiregrass Ranch High's information technology career academy highlights the potential of choice and career education. Tampa Bay Times. The Tampa Tribune writes up the changes in graduation requirements that put more value on career education.
Dual enrollment. The Palm Beach County school district and Palm Beach State College are hoping to hash out an agreement over dual enrollment costs in the wake of a legislative change. Palm Beach Post.
