Around the state: A new report shows Florida again led the nation in the number of book removals from schools during the last school year, how a Broward settlement with charter schools ballooned from an expected few million dollars to $120 million, Duval’s school board members are expected to vote today on a plan to close several schools that could have an effect on the District 5 board race, voters get another chance Tuesday to decide if they agree with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ vision for education in the state, and a 15-month-old infant died Friday after inadvertently being left in a car by an employee at Sumter County middle school. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Transcripts of the school board’s closed-door discussions show that members believed they could settle a lawsuit with charter schools that wanted a share of the revenues from a 2018 referendum by offering them a few million dollars. Instead, by the time a settlement was reached the cost had soared to $120 million, which includes $45 million in interest payments because the district didn’t have the cash on hand and had to borrow the money and repay it over three years. How did it come to that? Sun Sentinel.
Duval: School board members are expected to decide today whether to follow a superintendent’s recommendation to close several schools, most of them on the west side of the county. That decision is expected to be a significant issue in Tuesday’s District 5 school board race, since most of the schools affected lie in that district. Reginald Blount and Hank Rogers are the candidates for that seat. Rogers believes the closings will push more students out of traditional public schools and into charters if they get assigned to a school they don’t want to attend. Blount said he is also concerned, but declined to be specific because “the process is still being worked out.” Jacksonville Today.
Brevard: Sheriff Wayne Ivey has joined Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood in publicly naming students who aren’t yet teenagers but are accused of school threats, and posting photos of them in handcuffs online. In a video announcing the recent arrest of a 12-year-old, Ivey said, “Folks, this has got to stop,” and added he wanted students to “see what’s coming when they threaten our schools.” Florida Today.
Leon: Vernisha Howard, a STEM coach at Hartsfield Elementary Magnet School in Tallahassee, has been named the winner of the school district’s Glenn-Howell distinguished educator of the year award. WFSU.
Hernando: Two tax measures that benefit schools are up for renewal on Tuesday’s ballot. A half-cent sales tax was first approved in 2015 and has generated $107 million for capital improvements such as new and renovated schools, roofs, air-conditioning and more. A 1-mill property tax was first improved in 2020, and has produced $32 million that has been used “to recruit and retain quality teachers, keep students safe, add mental health resources and enhance successful academic and career and technical programs.” Hernando Sun.
Sumter: A 15-month-old child died Friday after inadvertently being left in a car by an employee at South Sumter Middle School. Deputies said the child was supposed to be dropped off at day-care by a family member who forgot the child was in the car and went to work. An emergency call was placed at 4:18 p.m. The incident is being investigated by deputies, the medical examiner and the state attorney. WFTV. WKMG. WESH.
Colleges and universities: Less than 24 hours before an academic symposium on the Israeli war in Gaza was scheduled to begin at the University of Florida, it was canceled by school officials. Thursday, the school notified event organizers that the conference was not a university event, so their use of a campus classroom was improper and the event was canceled. WUFT. One of the points of discussion about name, image and likeness money at last week’s Board of Governors meeting focused on the possibility of using state funds to help compensate college athletes. WPEC. A 19-year-old University of Central Florida freshman was one of two people killed in a mass shooting Oct. 31 in downtown Orlando. Timothy Schmidt Jr., who was from Weston, was at a Halloween celebration. A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with the murders. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. WPLG. WTVJ. A professor at the University of Miami medical school has been arrested and accused of trafficking the date rape drug GBL. Dr. Dairon Garcia, 44, has been an assistant professor of clinical radiology at the school since 2022. WPLG. WFOR.
School board battles: Voters get another chance Tuesday to decide if they agree with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ vision for education in the state. He’s endorsed six school board candidates, including three who are facing opponents backed by the Democratic party. Two years ago, when DeSantis first decided to endorse local board candidates, his choices won 29 of 34 races. In the August primary, though, nearly half of the 23 people he supported lost. The state is also voting in the DeSantis-supported constitutional amendment that would require school board candidates to be identified on the ballot by party. Politico Florida.
Florida #1 in book removals: Florida has retained its No. 1 ranking for removing books from public schools, according to a new report from the free speech group PEN America. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 4,500 books were taken out of schools, nearly half the 10,000 or so books removed across the country and more than three times higher than the state’s 2022-2023 total. Escambia County banned the most, almost 1,600, followed by Orange County with 700-plus and Clay County with 462. Florida officials have objected to the use of the word “ban,” contending that the books are being removed because they contain inappropriate sexual material. USA Today Florida Network. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Phoenix.
Around the nation: Where do the presidential candidates, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican president Donald Trump, stand on educational issues such as parental rights, teacher pay, Title IX, student debt, higher education and more? States Newsroom. School districts across the United States are increasingly using computer programs that monitor student use and trigger alerts when certain words or phrases are typed. Tribune News Service.
Opinions on schools: Educators in Florida’s schools of all types – and their leaders in school districts, Step Up For Students and the Florida Department of Education – have a responsibility to inform parents about how to prepare for bachelor’s degree programs in STEM fields. Right now, they are nearly all dropping that ball. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
