Around the state: The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that President-elect Donald Trump is considering Gov. Ron DeSantis for the secretary of Defense role if it’s determined that current nominee Pete Hegseth cannot be confirmed, another 30 books are removed from Polk school libraries after complaints, Florida’s graduation rate increase from 2011 to 2022 was second among states, a report says swatting threats against schools cost the state $65 million to respond and $8 million in lost instructional time, Citrus schools name their teacher and school-related employee of the year, and Lee schools also honor their employee of the year. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Robert Parks, a longtime educator and a member of the school board from 1986 through 2009, died Nov. 29. He was instrumental in reopening Pompano Beach High School as a magnet school for international affairs and technology in 1994, and the track at Coconut Creek High School is named for him. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: Three schools are getting new principals. In January, Jefferson High principal Brittney Wilhelm will move to a new school, Morgan High in Wimauma, which opens in August. Walker Middle principal Heather Holloway will take over at Plant High on Monday, and LaVoy Exceptional Center assistant principal Christa Washington was chosen as principal at Eisenhower Exceptional Center, also starting Monday. Tampa Bay Times.
Orange, central Florida: Three members of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office were fired just before Thanksgiving, weeks after Supervisor Glen Gilzean was criticized for using millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to set up a scholarship program in his name. Gilzean directed money to a job-training nonprofit CareerSource and to Valencia College for scholarships for students from Evans and Jones high schools. Both returned the money after the program was criticized by county officials. Fired were the chief financial officer, the employee who supervised the office’s mail-in ballot operation and a worker in the voter outreach division, they said. Tuesday, Orange County commissioners voted to cut off funding for the supervisor’s office. WFTV. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Politics. WKMG. New Worlds Reading, a Florida nonprofit, is offering to send a free book a month to struggling central Florida readers in grades preK-5. Central Florida Public Media.
Polk: More than 30 books have been removed from school libraries in addition to the six named in a state report released last month, pending reviews from school book review committees. All of the books were removed after challenges by Robert Goodman and Beverly Hartley, who are both associated with the group Citizens Defending Freedom. About 30 of the challenges were made in May, and the district’s dominant reason listed for removing the books was that they don’t “meet current district selection criteria.” Lakeland Ledger.
Lee: Peggy Quinn, a media paraprofessional at Trafalgar Middle School in Cape Coral, has been chosen as the school district’s school-related employee of the year. She’s now eligible for the statewide award. Lee County School District.
Pasco: Chief academic officer Vanessa Hilton has been tapped by Superintendent John Legg to take over the principal’s job at Bexley Elementary School in Land O’Lakes for Michelle Boylan, who was recently chosen to lead Skybrooke K-8 when it opens next August. Deputy superintendent Betsy Kuhn said the chief academic officer role will remain open for now. Tampa Bay Times.
Osceola: A math teacher and instructional coach at New Beginnings Education Center and Kissimmee Middle School has announced his candidacy in the special election to replace 6th District U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to become national security advisor. Josh Weil, 40, is the lone declared Democrat in the race so far. Republicans in the race are state Sen. Randy Fine and Don Browning, and also running is Libertarian Andrew Parrott. The primary is Jan. 28, and the general election is April 1. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
St. Lucie: A teacher at the Somerset College Preparatory Academy charter school was arrested on Thanksgiving and accused of improperly entering Windmill Point Elementary school in Port St. Lucie and “running around the school without clothes on.” Joe Urias, 34, is charged with lewd lascivious behavior, battery on an officer/firefighter and burglary and possession of not more than 20 grams of marijuana. TCPalm. WPTV. WPEC.
Citrus: Autumn Crabtree, a culinary arts teacher at Crystal River High School, has been named the school district’s teacher of the year. Also honored at a ceremony this week was Jamil Namey, a paraprofessional at Homosassa Elementary School, as the district’s school-related employee of the year. Both are now eligible for statewide awards. Citrus County Chronicle.
Colleges and universities: The first dean of the newly formed University of West Florida School of Education is Denise Soares, who has been an assistant dean and director of graduate studies at the University of Mississippi. She starts her new job Jan. 6. Pensacola News Journal. Florida Politics.
Costs of swatting schools: Florida reported more than 1,500 cases of false threats to schools last year, costing the state $65 million to respond and resulting in $8 million worth of lost instruction time, according to a report from TDR Technology Solutions. In addition to the costs, swatting threats have an effect on the mental well-being of students, parents and school staff, experts say. WPTV.
Graduation rate rises: Florida’s high school graduation rate jumped 16.7 percentage points from 2011 to 2022, the second-largest increase among the states, according to a report from the GRAD Partnership, a group of nine education organizations. The rate went from 70.6 percent in 2011 to 87.3 percent in 2022. It rose again in 2023, to 88.8 percent, according to the Florida Department of Education. Axios.
Around the nation: U.S. Education Department officials are encouraging schools and districts in every state to create policies on the use of cell phones in school. Florida and six other states already have policies banning or restricting students’ use of phones on campus. “The evidence makes clear: there is no one-size-fits-all policy,” said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. “Different school communities have different needs, and the nuances of this issue demand that local voices — parents, educators, and students — inform local decisions around the use of personal devices in school.” Florida Phoenix. Politico.
