Magnet schools: Broward County’s popular district choice schools, NOVA, face scrutiny for what some parents call unfair advantages over other magnet and choice options. Sun Sentinel.
Charter schools: Bok Tower Academy charter school in Lake Wales attempts to set a Guinness World record for hand-holding. The Ledger. All 430 of Hillsborough’s Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School students plan to pursue post-secondary education and all 69 seniors have received college acceptance notices. The Tampa Tribune. Pasco County school administrators change procedures for reviewing charter schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher pay: The teachers union and Palm Beach County School District return to negotiations about raises. Palm Beach Post. Osceola County’s public school teachers will get raises of about $1,400 this year. Orlando Sentinel.
Bright Futures: The state scholarship that used to pay up to 100 percent of college tuition for qualifying students now covers only about half the costs. Fort Myers News-Press.
School safety: Hillsborough school board members continue talks about putting armed security guards at elementary schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Principals: Patricia Noble is the new leader of Kingsford Elementary in Polk County. The Ledger. Janet D. Knott of Duval County is one of 61 school principals named a distinguished principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Florida Times-Union.
Class size: Broward County school officials expect a lower fine this year, maybe even as low as $1,600. Sun Sentinel. Hillsborough County district schools meet class size. The Tampa Tribune.
Gift of joy: A prosthetic elbow gives a West Palm Beach boy born with no left arm the chance to play violin. Palm Beach Post.
Music award: Jacksonville’s Beauclerc Elementary School music specialist April M. Laymon is the Florida Music Educators Association’s 2014 Music Educator of the Year. Florida Times-Union.