Around the state: Florida has ordered the Broward school district to investigate allegations of ethics violations against three school board members, Miami-Dade teachers and the school district reach a tentative contract agreement that calls for raises of 4.5 percent, the University of Miami’s interim president has been elevated to the school’s presidency, a Brevard County commissioner has resigned his teaching job at Valencia College after a report that he used county employees to do parts of his work, and Broward school board members will review their controversial cell phone ban at a meeting next month. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A tentative contract agreement has been reached between the school district and the union representing teachers. The deal includes a 4.5 percent pay boost for teachers, new health-care packages and more. School board members and the union membership still have to approve the agreement. WFOR. The school district is the only one in Florida to receive a $1 million “fostering diverse schools” grant over two years from the U.S. Department of Education. Funding will be used to strengthen data collection at the school level to better understand students’ needs. Miami’s Community Newspapers.
Broward: District officials have been ordered by the state to investigate allegations of ethics violations against school board members Sarah Leonardi, Allen Zeman and Jeff Holness. Nathalie Lynch-Walsh, a frequent critic of the district, filed the complaints about “alleged improper relationships” those board members had with vendors and “the improper use of grant funds.” Findings must be reported to the Florida Department of Education by Nov. 4, and the DOE could conduct its own inquiry if it believes the district is “unwilling or unable to address substantiated allegations made by any person relating to waste, fraud, or financial mismanagement within the school district.” Sun Sentinel. Two months after cell phones in schools were mostly banned, educators’ and parents’ perceptions of how it’s working largely depends on whether they supported it. Parents and some teachers say students are more focused and attentive, but others say the policy hinders students’ ability to communicate with parents and is inconsistently enforced. School board members will review the effectiveness of the ban and whether changes are needed at a Nov. 6 workshop meeting. Sun Sentinel.
Orange, central Florida: The two top vote-getters for the District 4 school board seat in the August primary face off again Nov. 5. Kyle Goudy, a manager at NBCUniversal GolfNow, received 37.24 percent of the primary vote and Anne Douglas, an Orange County teacher for more than 25 years, was chosen on 32.85 percent of ballots. Douglas says she wants to make schools safer by improving mental health services and reducing teacher turnover. Goudy says his top priorities are fiscal responsibility and fixing transportation problems. Orlando Sentinel. Nine central Florida school districts have received almost $15 million in grants from the state to create or expand career and technical education programs. Central Florida Public Media. University High School’s football stadium was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton. The storm knocked down goal posts and blew bleachers over and out of place. Sports Illustrated.
Duval: An app that tracks the location of school buses in real time will be launched by the school district Nov. 1. Students’ families are being encouraged to download the Edulog app now so they can test it before it goes live. It will track buses and their riders, and also delays. WJAX.
Lee: School superintendent candidates Denise Carlin and Victor Arias discuss their top three priorities if elected Nov. 5, the district’s book review policy, parental rights in education, the switch from an appointed superintendent to an elected one, and more. Fort Myers News-Press.
St. Johns: After five days of classroom time were lost when hurricanes Helene and Milton closed county schools, district officials extended the end of the academic year’s first quarter by three days and announced that report cards will be issued Wednesday. The change allowed students to have the minimum required classroom time in the first quarter and gave teachers the time to finish assessing grades. WJAX. St. Johns County School District.
Escambia: An Auto Service Academy will be re-established at Tate High School in Pensacola with a $617,227 grant from the organization that oversees the distribution of funds recovered in a settlement over damages caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The Triumph Board funds will be used to renovate and equip the school’s former auto body building with modern equipment and labs. NorthEscambia.com.
Highlands: Schools were closed for five days during hurricanes Helene and Milton, and members of the school board will meet Oct. 29 to discuss how many of those days will need to be made up. Highlands News-Sun.
Monroe: County voters are being asked Nov. 5 to renew two taxes for schools that have been in place for 20 years. An extra half-mill property tax has been used to improve teachers’ salaries and help pay for school resource officers, and a half-cent sales tax generates revenue for school construction projects. Florida Keys Weekly.
Colleges and universities: Joe Echevarria, who has been the acting president at the University of Miami since Julio Frenk left in June to become the chancellor at the University of California at Los Angeles, has been appointed as president. Echevarria, 67, had been the CEO of UM since 2022. Miami Herald. WLRN. Brevard County Commissioner John Tobia has resigned the government and history teaching job he’s had at Valencia College since 2001 after the school found he has “for years” been using county employees to write class materials, report grades and communicate with students. School officials said Tobia was placed on administrative leave Aug. 13, and he resigned Oct. 15. Florida Today. A 19-year-old former University of Tampa student has been charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors say Brianna L. Moore gave birth to a girl in her dorm’s bathroom, then wrapped her in a towel, put her in a trash bag and placed the bag in a trash can outside the dorm. WTVT. Tampa Bay Times.
Around the nation: Here are five ways education policy would be different depending on whether Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris is elected president next month. The Hill.
Opinions on schools: Incoming Duval County School Board member Anthony Ricardo has shared a lot of things on Facebook about the government controlling the weather, which seem particularly relevant because Ricardo soon will have a hand in what students are learning — which I presume still will include science. Mark Woods, Florida Times-Union.
