Education bill: The Florida House Education Committee passes H.B. 733, the nearly all-inclusive education bill that would cut standardized testing and make significant changes to the state's K-12 education system. The bill does not include mandatory recess time for elementary students, which is in the Senate's proposal. Miami Herald. Sunshine State News. Florida Politics. Included in a 76-page amendment to the bill are several provisions to help charter and virtual schools. redefinED. The feud between House and Senate leaders over the state budget continues, though several still think they can reach an agreement before the session is scheduled to end May 5. News Service of Florida. Sunshine State News.
Autonomy for schools: A bill passed by the House would broaden autonomy for principals from a pilot program in seven districts to the highest-performing 20 percent of all public schools. Under the pilot program, principals at low-performing schools have greater control over hiring and would be freed from some state regulations. redefinED.
Teacher contracts: Two special state magistrates have issued different interpretations to districts about whether they can negotiate contract renewal guarantees for teachers who are rated highly effective or effective. In both cases, the districts told the teachers unions a 2011 law did not allow guaranteed teacher contracts. Unions in St. Johns and Pasco counties wouldn't agree to a contract without that guarantee. In St. Johns, a magistrate agreed with the teachers union. In Pasco, a magistrate sided with the district. Gradebook.
High school rankings: Pine View School in Osprey is rated the top high school in the state in the latest U.S. News & World Report's rankings. Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami is second, International Studies Charter High School in Miami third, International Studies Preparatory Academy in Coral Gables fourth, and Westshore Junior/Senior High School in Melbourne fifth. U.S. News & World Report. Miami Herald. Naples Daily News. South Florida Business Journal. (more…)
Capital funding for schools: A bill that would allow school districts to raise local tax rates for construction and maintenance also would require those districts to share the money with charter schools. Now, Senate PreK-12 Appropriations chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, says if the bill passes, "there won't be a need" for the state to provide money for capital funding. This year, that amount was $150 million. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. redefinED. WFSU.
Education budget cuts: Senate PreK-12 Appropriations chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, releases a list of $46.3 million in cuts to education as "a starting point for our budget discussions." The largest cuts are $14 million from the program for school uniforms, $13.95 million from teacher bonuses and $7 million from administrator professional development. Meanwhile, the Florida House identifies $485 million in education budget cuts in an exercise to meet Speaker Richard Corcoran's call to trim $2 billion from the state budget. Gradebook. Naples Daily News.
Testing bill: A bipartisan group of Florida state senators are urging the state to make a "common sense" decision to cut back on testing. Their bill would eliminate some tests, move the testing dates to the end of the school year and allow districts to give paper-and-pencil exams instead of online, among other things. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. (more…)
Teacher evaluations: About 98 percent of the teachers evaluated in Florida during the 2015-2016 school year were rated either "highly effective" or "effective," according to the Department of Education. Less than 1 percent of the state's teachers got an "unsatisfactory" rating, and only 1.2 percent were rated "needs improvement." The numbers have shown little change over the past few years. Evaluations are used by districts for raises and contract renewals, and by the state for determining eligibility for teacher bonuses. Okaloosa County was tops in the state with 97.6 percent of its teachers graded as highly effective, while Putnam County was lowest with just 1 percent. Gradebook.
Daily recess: A survey by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability reveals significant differences in how school districts offer recess, how often and for how long. Only 11 districts have some recess policy, and only eight of those made daily recess a requirement. Supporters of legislation to make daily recess mandatory in all Florida elementary schools argue the results show the need for statewide legislation, instead of allowing individual districts, schools or even teachers decide. Miami Herald.
Discipline disparity: Black students are twice as likely to be expelled as other children, four times more likely to be suspended and almost three times more likely to be arrested, according to recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Education. And children with disabilities, especially black students with disabilities, are more likely to be disciplined than those without disabilities. Florida is below the national average in arrests and expulsions, higher in referrals and about the same on suspensions. WTVJ.
LGBT sign stays: A Milton High School junior will be allowed to keep a "So gay I can't even drive straight" sticker in her car window. Rachel Campbell was cited by a school police officer for the sign, calling it a violation of a school policy prohibiting "offensive or obscene" tags or stickers. Campbell said she wouldn't remove it, and now principal Tim Short says it can stay. Northwest Florida Daily News. (more…)
Bright Futures: The proposed expansion of Bright Futures scholarships is moving in two directions within the Florida Senate. Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, wants to expand the scholarships for high-achieving students to cover full tuition and fees, and to allow them to use the money for summer classes. S.B. 2, which incorporates those proposals and more, was passed Wednesday by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott's proposal would allow all students with Bright Futures scholarships to use the money for summer classes. It's been endorsed by former Senate president Tom Lee, R-Brandon. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Florida Politics.
Capital funding: Public school superintendents and charter schools leaders share ideas with legislators on how to improve the way the state hands out capital funding. Both say more money is needed for infrastructure and repairs. Superintendents also are asking for more flexibility on how they use the available money, while charter leaders are lobbying for a more equitable and consistent share from the state. Politico Florida. redefinED.
Testing participation: The definition of testing participation could play a role in an appeal court's decision on a lawsuit challenging the state's retention policy for third-graders. The law on what constitutes student participation is not clearly spelled out, and those suing the state say that ambiguity is leading districts to formulate their own rules, resulting in unequal treatment of students across districts. Gradebook.
Testing questions: Members of the Florida House committee on school policy question whether the downside of frequent, standardized testing and giving schools grades outweigh the benefits of the testing. State Department of Education officials say stability in the testing and assessing school grades are crucial to accountability. "We can't assess ourselves into greatness," State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart has said. "But we also won't be great if we don't know how our students are performing." Sun-Sentinel. (more…)
Open enrollment rules: The state's new open enrollment law was intended to give any student a chance at any open seat at any public school in the state. But in practice, the law could reduce a student's chances of enrolling in an out-of-district school. The law gives in-county transferring students priority over out-of-county students for open seats, so many students who now attend an out-of-county school go to the end of the application line in the future. Tampa Bay Times.
Saturday school: More than two dozen Pinellas County schools are offering voluntary classes on Saturdays to give students a chance to keep up with their work. Most of the schools offering instruction are low performing. Funding comes from programs for extended learning and low-income students. Tampa Bay Times.
District hacked: The names, addresses, wages and Social Security numbers of more than 7,700 Manatee County School District employees are in the hands of hackers after a Friday night cyberattack on the district. District officials say a school employee turned over the information in response to a fraudulent email that appeared to have been sent by Superintendent Diana Greene. Bradenton Herald. WFLA. WTSP.
Dismissal recommended: A federal magistrate is recommending the dismissal of a suit against the Florida High School Athletic Association for its refusal to let a Christian school broadcast a pregame prayer over the stadium's public-address system at a 2015 high school football championship game. Cambridge Christian School of Tampa filed the suit, saying the refusal violated its rights. "Nowhere in the verified amended complaint (filed by Cambridge) is there a single allegation that Cambridge Christian or any of its members were deprived of their right to pray at the championship game," magistrate judge Amanda Arnold Sansone concluded. News Service of Florida. (more…)
Payment questioned: A Broward County School District audit reveals that the district paid a former district police employee about $23,000 over her approved salary in 2015. Jillian Haring was a special assistant to the district police chief, making $60,664. But she was also being paid for other duties that the district did not need, according to the audit. Haring now works in the district's special education department. Sun-Sentinel.
Middle school marriage: The Bonita Middle School student had an arranged marriage at 13 and was a mother at 14. Now she's 20, and her 31-year-old husband has been arrested and faces charges of lewd and lascivious behavior. And Lee County school officials are left to wonder how the situation could have gone unnoticed for so long. Fort Myers News-Press.
School choice: At its quarterly meeting, the Florida NAACP debates the role of charter schools. The national NAACP recently passed a resolution calling for “a moratorium on charter school expansion and for the strengthening of oversight in governance and practice.” But there is dissent in the ranks about the issue. WOFL. redefinED.
Magnet programs: While Alachua County's magnet school programs offer great opportunities for high-achieving students, critics say there are too many barriers for entry for students of different academic backgrounds. School officials say they are working hard to identify and encourage students of all backgrounds to apply. Gainesville Sun.
Legislative priorities: Common Ground, a group of organizations that has called for the end of Common Core standards, now says it wants the Legislature to end the Common Core-aligned Florida Standards Assessments in both English and math. Sunshine State News.
Religion in schools: State Rep. Kim Daniels, D-Jacksonville, writes on her Facebook page that the motivation for filing a bill to protect religious expression in schools is to get prayer back in schools. Daniels is a minister and founder of Kimberly Daniels Ministries International. Florida Politics. (more…)
Teacher bonuses program: The chairman of the Florida Senate K-12 education appropriations subcommittee says he wants to rewrite the bill authorizing teacher bonuses. Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, would remove the use of teachers' SAT or ACT scores from the formula for granting bonuses and replace it with a different measure of performance. He also said principals could get more authority in parceling out bonuses, and bonuses could be used to get better teachers to work in poorer schools. Officials hope these and other reforms will help recruit and retain teachers. Orlando Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel. Gradebook. Politico Florida. WFSU.
Achievement gap: Two Polk County legislators file bills that would approve a study to find out why the state's middle schools are performing significantly worse than elementary schools in reading and math. The bills are S.B. 360, filed by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and H.B. 293, filed by Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland. Bridge to Tomorrow.
School arrests: Nearly 70,000 U.S. students were arrested in the 2013-2014 school year, and in 43 states and the District of Columbia black students were arrested at disproportionately high levels, according to an Education Week analysis of federal data. Florida was 11th in the number of arrests, with 1,768. About 39 percent of the arrests were of black students, who made up just under 23 percent of the student population. Education Week.
Unequal treatment? An assistant principal who was demoted when she became pregnant in 2010, then won a $350,000 settlement against the Palm Beach County School District, questions why the man who demoted her was never disciplined, reprimanded or even investigated by the school district. Anne Williams Dorsey says the continued employment of Darren Edgecomb, now principal of Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, "raises eyebrows, to put it politely.” Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Graduation path: State Rep. Ralph Massullo, R-Citrus County, files a bill that would give students a way to graduate without passing the Algebra I or the 10th-grade language arts Florida Standards Assessment exams. H.B. 407 would allow graduation for students who have earned 24 credits with a 2.0 GPA if they earn an industry certification, complete a classroom performance portfolio or post an adequate score on an alternative test. Gradebook.
When a 66 is an A: The Pinellas County School Board approves the use of common exams for high school health and physical education, biology, U.S. history and art classes. Common exams, which are already used in the county's middle schools, have a wider grade scale range. In history, for example, a score of 66 is considered an A. School officials say the tests are hard, and the scale doesn't lower standards but are a valid way to bring uniformity across the county. Tampa Bay Times.
Board issuing bonds: The Manatee County School Board authorizes the issuing of $150 million in sales tax revenue bonds to build three new schools. The schools are a 2,000-student high school in Parrish for $80 million, an 823-student elementary school for $20 million and a 1,164-student middle school for $45 million. Bradenton Herald.
Addressing growth: The Brevard County School Board will consider a plan to deal with expected growth over the next five years. For the next school year, the plan would include portable classrooms, converting a district building into a school, adding classrooms at existing schools and redrawing boundaries for some schools. In future years the plans also include new construction. Florida Today. (more…)
School choice growth: More than 1.6 million Florida preK-12 children enrolled in school choice programs during the 2015-2016 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education. That's an increase of more than 74,000 over the previous year, and it accounts for 45 percent of all Florida students. Choice and magnet programs now have 287,568 students, open enrollment has 280,134 and charter schools 270,301. redefinED.
Open enrollment: School districts in central Florida are beginning to implement the open enrollment law passed by the Legislature last year. Under the law, students may attend any public school in the state that has vacancies for them. More than 1,000 parents in Osceola County have already applied for a transfer. Lake County parents can apply Feb. 1, and Orange, Seminole and Volusia will soon follow. Orlando Sentinel. Hundreds of Lee County students apply to change schools in the first day under open enrollment. A lottery and available space will decide assignments. Fort Myers News-Press. The Volusia County School Board will review changes the district must make to bring it into compliance with the state's open enrollment law. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Citizenship education: In addition to giving students more school choice, Florida House education leaders want them to learn how to become good citizens. "The purpose of education goes to the meaning of man. You want to raise up a great citizen," said House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, speaking on the Florida Channel. Corcoran also said students get "a well-rounded, think-outside-the-box education," which would help them become good citizens, parents and employees, no matter what job they pursue. Orlando Sentinel.
Education bills: A House bill that would prohibit religious discrimination in schools now has a Senate companion bill. Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, filed S.B. 436. The House bill was filed by Rep. Kim Daniels, D-Jacksonville. Florida Politics. News Service of Florida. A bill is filed by Rep. Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte, that would bar school districts from offering annual contract renewal guarantees to teachers who are rated as "highly effective" or "effective." Gradebook. A higher education bill that would broaden Bright Futures scholarships passes in the Florida Senate Education Committee. Florida Politics. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. WFSU. (more…)
