Charter schools: A new St. Petersburg charter school opens up applications for its board – something the school’s leader recently was criticized for not having in place. Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter School System plans to refinance the remaining $4.1 million on a loan to build the Edward W. Bok Academy campus. The Ledger.
Common Core: StateImpact rehashes some of the comments made during the public hearings on the new education benchmarks. Can Florida learn something from Kentucky, which has been using the standards since 2011? StateImpact Florida. Teachers in subjects like social studies have been asking students to spend more time reading “informational texts,” such as historical documents. Tallahassee Democrat.
Jeb Bush: In the battle between Florida’s self-proclaimed “education” governors, former Gov. Jeb Bush leads by a wide margin, writes the Sun Sentinel.
At risk: A new report finds 99 percent of Duval County high school seniors who took part in a program for at-risk students graduated. Florida Times-Union.
Teacher pay: Santa Rosa County remains among the 51 school districts that hasn’t negotiated teacher raises. Pensacola News-Journal.
Class size: In Duval County, 95 percent of the district’s English, math, science and social studies classes meet the state-mandated requirements. Florida Times-Union.
School spending: Broward school board members continue to debate outsourcing construction services, an effort considered to be a giant step toward cleaning out a department repeatedly cited for gross mismanagement and waste. Sun Sentinel. Manatee County School District’s new Citizen Budget Advisory Committee plans to survey the community about funding priorities. Bradenton Herald. Plans for a new Largo High in Pinellas County are in the works. Tampa Bay Times.
Principals: Brevard County honors its principal of the year, Jeseph Loffek of Gemini Elementary School. Florida Today.
Teachers: Volusia County teacher Jose Cortes is honored by the Florida Education Association for his work with students and their parents. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Holocaust: Leon County history teachers hear stories from Holocaust survivors in a workshop on how to relate those stories to students. Tallahassee Democrat.
E-cigarettes: Pinellas County school board members consider a ban on e-cigarettes after a student is caught smoking one at school. The Tampa Tribune.
Conduct: Collier County sheriff’s deputies arrest a 9-year-old student on a felony battery charge, and a substitute bus driver faces a felony child neglect charge after another student is choked. Naples Daily News. The parents of an autistic child who say their daughter was injured when she was kicked off a Hillsborough County school bus sue the school district. The Tampa Tribune.
