Around the state: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for a special legislative session to address immigration issues such as the end of in-state tuition for undocumented students gets support from President-elect Donald Trump, Leon County teachers come to an agreement with the school district for a 3% pay raise and other benefits, no agreement is reached to renew a contract for sworn resource officers in 30 Orange County schools, Volusia’s school board elects a new chair, and an Orange County student raises $30,000 to bring a Holocaust exhibit to his school. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Orange: Negotiations remain at a stalemate between the school district and five city police departments to continue providing sworn resource officers for 30 schools. The issue is money; the district says it can’t afford more than $72,000 a year per officer, while the Apopka, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park departments say their costs are $120,000 a year per officer. If no agreement is reached, the school district says it will consider joining the state’s program to train and arm guardians who are not sworn law enforcement officers. WOFL. A 17-year-old senior at Edgewater High School in Orlando raised $30,000 to bring a traveling Holocaust exhibit to his school and community. “It’s just a new way to learn,” said Adam Mendelsohn. “Kids are much more involved and feel like they’re a part of the experience instead of just reading words on a textbook.” Orlando Sentinel.
Polk: The district’s public high school graduation rate improved in 2024, but is still well below the state average. Polk went from a 78.3% to 82.2% in 2024, but is the eighth-lowest rate in the state. The state average is 89.7%. Lakeland Ledger.
Volusia: Jamie Haynes was re-elected as school board chair Tuesday on a 4-1 vote to replace Jessie Thompson, who stepped down from the leadership position earlier this month after derogatory comments she made about Deltona High School students were revealed. Haynes had been the board chair since December 2022 before Thompson was elected in November. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Central Florida Public Media. No charges will be filed against the 70-year-old driver who hit and killed a 9-year-old student who was on a bike in a crosswalk outside Sugar Mill Elementary last May. Port Orange police said the driver “had not been operating her vehicle in a wanton or reckless manner” when she struck ShaoLan Kamaly, and will be ticketed for “failing to exercise due care toward a pedestrian in a crosswalk.” WKMG. WFTV. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
St. Johns: A rezoning plan for a new K-8 school opening in the Rivertown community in August was approved Tuesday by the school board. All students in the community are now zoned to attend the school, which is expected to fill to capacity quickly. Plans are for the school to eventually become a middle school, with the district building an elementary campus nearby. WJXT.
Marion: A former principal at a private elementary school in Ocala was arrested Tuesday and accused of molesting an 8-year-old student a decade ago. Dontay Prophet was the principal of South Ocala Elementary at the time. In 2017 Prophet was arrested and accused of interfering with the custody of a child. He was later hired as principal of Destiny Leadership Academy, and was arrested in May 2024 and accused of aggravated child abuse for allegedly putting a student in a chokehold and hitting him with a cable. His trial on that charge begins in April. WCJB.
Leon: A potential contract impasse was averted when the union representing teachers and the school district reached a tentative agreement Tuesday. All teachers will receive a 3% pay raise, and some will also get performance bonuses. The district also agreed to provide teachers with free child-care before and after school, reimbursement for unused leave time, and paid parental leave. If school board and union members approve the deal, it will go into effect March 31. Tallahassee Democrat. WFSU. WCTV.
Indian River: A 2025-2026 calendar has been proposed that would start the school year Aug. 11 for students, end May 29, and include a week off at Thanksgiving and for spring break, and two weeks over the Christmas holidays. A school board vote is expected Jan. 27 . TCPalm.
Citrus: The graduation rate of district high school seniors rose 6.7 percentage points in 2024, from 84.9% to 91.6%, according to data from the state. Citrus County Chronicle.
Jackson: A 25-year-old SUV driver was critically hurt and six students were treated and released at a hospital for injuries suffered after the vehicle slammed into the back of a school bus Tuesday morning in Grand Ridge. Troopers said the bus was stopped and students were boarding when the accident happened. WJHG. WMBB.
Special legislative session: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for a special legislative session to prepare for a proposed federal crackdown against illegal immigration was supported Tuesday by President-elect Donald Trump. “Thank you Ron, hopefully other Governors will follow,” Trump said on social media. Trump has called for the mass deportation of millions who are not in the country legally. Bills that could be considered in the special session the week of Jan. 27 would end in-state tuition breaks for undocumented students, and prohibit public Florida universities with an acceptance rate of less than 85% from admitting those students. Politico Florida. Associated Press.
Around the nation: The U.S. House passed a bill Tuesday that would prohibit transgender girls and women from competing on girls school sports teams, and recognize that a person’s “sex” is “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The vote was 218-206, and the measure now goes to the Senate. CBS News. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics.
Opinions on schools: The new Social Security Fairness Act is anything but. Teachers who pay into Social Security for their full working lives in Florida and 34 other states will subsidize those who do not. Chad Aldeman, The 74. Norin Dollard of the Florida Policy Institute and Mary McKillip of the Education Law Center note that the continued growth of Florida’s universal voucher programs means they account for a growing share of the state’s education spending. Florida Policy Institute.
