Charter schools: A troubled Lee County charter school withdraws its application for a local campus, a month after Collier County board members ordered the closure of the company’s Immokalee campus due to widespread mismanagement. Naples Daily News. The fate of a charter school at MacDill Air Force Base will be decided next week. The Tampa Tribune. MacDill's proposal gets a preliminary No from the district due to concerns with the local governing board. Tampa Bay Times.
Private schools: Students from Seacrest Country Day Academy in Naples channel Secretariats owner during history lessons. Naples Daily News.
Career academy: A Pasco County district high school will launch a gaming technology career academy in the fall. Tampa Bay Times.
Cambridge: Cambridge college prep programs and exams are being introduced in several Orange County public schools. Orlando Sentinel.
Honors classes: Incoming freshmen in Pinellas County could find that their honor courses are worth a little less toward their grade-point averages than college-level courses offered at the high schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher pay: Palm Beach County school and union officials continue working to hash out a salary plan before winter break. Palm Beach Post. Pinellas County Schools and its teachers union reach an agreement to pay teachers up to $29 an hour to work with students before and after school next year. Tampa Bay Times.
Athletic transfers: Suggesting the Lee school district is doing a disservice to student athletes if it fails to adopt stricter policies on athletic transfers implies that students shouldn’t pursue their dreams, that competition is a bad thing and that students should settle for what the system deals them — without question, writes Michael Smith for the Fort Myers News-Press.
Teacher evals: A state senator who's also a Miami-Dade teacher and vocal opponent of Florida's education reform efforts files a bill to delay implementing the new teacher evaluation law for another year. Tampa Bay Times. It's time for educators and politicians alike to put one foot back in the real world, writes John Romano for the Tampa Bay Times.
Corporal punishment: There are about 20 Florida school districts, including Santa Rosa, where corporal punishment still is practiced. Pensacola News-Journal.
Shutdown: For the sixth year, Brevard Public Schools will shutdown all facilities during winter break in an effort to reduce energy costs. Florida Today.
Expansion: Optimistic about future growth, the St. Lucie school district is hanging on to its vacant property site for expansion. TC Palm.
