Hot seat: Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett faces hard questions about his role as Indiana’s former education chief in a grade boost last fall for a charter school run by an influential Republican donor. Associated Press. In an interview with StateImpactIndiana, Bennett stands by his decision to raise the Indiana charter school’s grade.
Longer days: The Pinellas County School Board will vote today on adding an extra hour of instruction for the district’s seven schools that were among the lowest-performing in the state. The Tampa Tribune.
Cost-cutting: The Pasco County School District tells principals to use email, Twitter, Facebook and other online methods to communicate with parents to help cut costs. Tampa Bay Times.
STEM for teachers: New science teachers check out a satellite launch at Cape Canaveral with the National Association of Science Teachers and Lockheed Martin during a fellowship to help educators see real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and math. StateImpact Florida.
Second chance: Excel Leadership Academy charter school in Palm Beach County will get another chance to make its case to the school board to stay open. Palm Beach Post.
Budgets: Lake County School District officials preliminarily approve a $530 million budget with $16 million in cuts that affect teacher and guidance counselor jobs, and courtesy buses. Orlando Sentinel. Broward County school officials grapple with a tight budget despite $93 million in additional state funding. Miami Herald. The Duval County School Board is set to vote on a $1.7 billion budget today that brings back after-school and magnet transportation. Florida Times-Union. Manatee County school leaders approve a tentative $565 million budget. Bradenton Herald. Hillsborough County schools’ tax rate is likely to fall, but the district also expects less funding from the state. Tampa Bay Times.
Safety net: The state’s last-minute safety net saved seven Treasure Coast public schools from seeing their grades take a nosedive. TCPalm.
New principals: The Polk County School District names four new principals, but is still looking for a new leader at Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Ledger. Brooksville Elementary principal Mary LeDoux will take over Eastside Elementary after the school earned Hernando County’s first “F” grade from the state. Tampa Bay Times.
School lunch: There are more fruits and vegetables, grains and limits on meats inside public school cafeterias in Lee County and across the state. News-Press.
New year: Charlotte County schools are starting the new year with new priorities that include the return of laid-off teachers and raises for support staff. News-Press.
FCAT replacement: Florida will continue assessing PARCC and other standardized testing options. Tampa Bay Times. The closer Florida gets to implementing the new Common Core State Standards, the more top lawmakers question the new standardized tests that will come along with them. The Tampa Tribune.
Teaching: The next generation of top-tier broadcast journalists could be training at Leon County’s Oak Ridge Elementary School. It’s all part of a new project-based learning program designed to keep students engaged year-round. Tallahassee Democrat.
School board: Charles Brink, a longtime advocate of education reform, is now a candidate for the Hillsborough County School Board. Tampa Bay Times.
