Charter schools: A new St. Petersburg charter school under fire for missteps wants to open another school in neighboring Hillsborough County. Tampa Bay Times.
Pay raises: Polk County school district teachers, principals, assistant principals, paraprofessionals and clerical staff will get a raise this year. The Ledger. Lee County school leaders approve a 3.3 percent raise for district support staff. Fort Myers News-Press. Hillsborough teachers will get a 4 percent pay raise. The Tampa Tribune. Pasco County principals get a pay bump. Tampa Bay Times.
Class size: Broward schools face a $1.1 million fine this year for failing to meet state class size caps. Sun Sentinel. A Pasco County school turns to team teaching to comply. Tampa Bay Times.
Strategic plans: Polk County moves forward with a plan to pull the district’s state grade to an A by 2017-18. The Ledger. Duval County school leaders eye a legislative platform that includes dual enrollment and textbook funding. Florida Times-Union. Brevard County school board members vote unanimously to seek a half-cent sales tax in the 2014 election. Florida Today.
ESE aides: The special needs workers soon will get benefits, new titles and for some, a pay boost. Tampa Bay Times.
School zones: Public backlash influences a Broward County school board member to withdraw her boundary change proposals. Sun Sentinel.
Accreditation: Pinellas County school board members vote unanimously to seek accreditation from AdvancED. Tampa Bay Times.
Struggling students: Palm Beach County school officials now will separate academics from consequences to keep troubled students from falling further behind in class work. Palm Beach Post.
Foreign language: Pinellas school officials are looking for ways to keep dual-language immersion programs going in the upper grades. Tampa Bay Times.
Sex ed: Hillsborough school administrators likely won’t pursue grants for sex education. Tampa Bay Times.
Communications: The Lee County school district launches a new system that aims to respond to all parent inquiries or complaints within 24 hours. Naples Daily News.
New post: Mark Rendell is St. Lucie County School District’s new deputy superintendent. TC Palm. Dina Langston will be the new principal of Hillsborough’s McLane Middle School. Tampa Bay Times.
Bullying: Polk County’s sheriff calls for legislation to help bullies and bullying victims — before anything reaches a criminal level. The Ledger.
Healthy learning: Escambia County students participate in “Teaching Gardens,” a two-year program in partnership with the American Heart Association and Gulf Power Co. to promote healthy living habits. Pensacola News-Journal.
Lawsuit: The U.S. District Court in Tampa awards a former Manatee School for the Arts employee $175,000 in back wages and punitive damages. Bradenton Herald.
