School choice. The Florida House approves legislation that would expand public school choice and allow more students to attend schools across county lines. Associated Press. Sunshine State News. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano criticizes the school choice legislation. Escambia school board member Jeff Bergosh is unsurprised by objections emanating from “guardians of the status quo.”
Tax credit scholarships. The growth of Florida’s tax credit scholarship program may be limited next year by fundraising. Orlando Sentinel. The program is administered by organizations like Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog and employs the author of this post.
Charter schools. The Palm Beach Post looks at proposed restrictions county officials may place on local charter schools. A South Florida charter school’s property changes hands. South Florida Business Journal.
Testing. The state faces a crisis of confidence in its new assessment system. Tampa Bay Times. Broward schools plan to do away with locally developed end-of-course exams. Sun-Sentinel. Some districts say they lack clarity on the state’s new testing and accountability law. Orlando Sentinel. The Sentinel‘s editorial board argues districts should be able to use other assessments, like the SAT.
Homelessness. Thousands of Marion County students are homeless. Ocala Star-Banner.
Labor issues. With pay negotiations at a standstill, the Volusia school board plans to overhaul employee health insurance options. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Career education. A Sarasota high school begins a new mentorship program focused on engineering and construction professions. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Politics. A Herald-Tribune columnist is uninspired by an outgoing school board member’s denunciation of money in politics.
Sports. Central Florida school athletic directors oppose a proposed overhaul of state governance for high school sports. Orlando Sentinel.
Leadership. The Palm Beach school board should act quickly to prevent a foofaraw over an excessively lucrative contract from threatening the goodwill of a well-run selection process and a good choice for the district’s new superintendent, the Palm Beach Post editorializes.
Safety. An erroneous Manatee school district robo-call describes a months-old incident of indecent exposure. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Employee conduct. A guard at an Orlando school is arrested on a sex charge. Orlando Sentinel.
Administration. An external review examines an internal watchdog’s omission in his application for a job with the Manatee school district. Bradenton Herald.
Start times. Manatee schools consider earlier morning starts for high school classes. Bradenton Herald.
