Special needs: The special needs student population in Palm Beach County School District is booming this year — both at district-run and charter schools. Palm Beach Post. Special needs students lead the homecoming court at a Miami-Dade high school. Miami Herald.
Technical center: Pasco County’s superintendent no longer supports the building of a technical center on the Pasco-Hernando Community College’s east campus. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter schools: A Polk County charter school starts an IT academy for middle-schoolers. The Ledger.
First year: One year after being hired to confront the district’s most stubborn stains, Duval County’s Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has become the city’s education leader by being visible and vocal. Florida Times-Union.
Common Core: As Florida looks to quell the controversy over its new education standards, state education officials try to figure out how those standards apply to nearly 2 million students. Tallahassee Democrat. OrlandoCommon Core comments run from “great” to “commie brainwashing.” Orlando Sentinel.
Dual enrollment: Pasco County’s superintendent vows to continue fighting the new fees districts must pay to state colleges. Tampa Bay Times.
Anti-bullying: Equality Florida recognizes the Broward County Public school district for its anti-bullying policies. StateImpact Florida.
Teacher pay: Santa Rosa County teachers will get raises of about 3.7 percent while support personnel receive an $800 flat-rate bump. Pensacola News-Journal.
Free meals: At least two Escambia County schools are being investigated for reportedly receiving federal reimbursement for thousands of free and reduced cost meals that were never served to students. Pensacola News-Journal.
Searching: After two tries and more than a year of searching, the Palm Beach County School District may have finally found an outside agency interested in investigating complaints against top district officials. Palm Beach Post.
Tuberculosis: Two active cases of tuberculosis are confirmed in Seminole and Orange county schools. Orlando Sentinel. Duval County schools report two cases. Florida Times-Union.
New name: Duval schools officials plan to survey several Forrest High stakeholder groups about renaming the school. Florida Times-Union.
Tony Bennett: Florida’s former education commissioner faces an ethics complaint in his home state of Indiana. StateImpact Florida.
Conduct: A state Department of Education investigation into a former Lee County superintendent is over. Naples Daily News. More from the Fort Myers News-Press.
State prize: A Port St. Lucie third-grader wins the state’s top prize for his 38-pound cabbage. TC Palm.
Grammar lessons: A fifth-grade teacher in Gainesville uses music to teach nouns and verbs. Associated Press.
Math help: Hillsborough County students bone up on Algebra skills with a new interactive program called Algebra Nation. The Tampa Tribune.
