Special needs. WTSP profiles a boy from Ethiopia who benefitted from a special needs scholarship in Florida. Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, helps administer the Gardiner Scholarship program.
Desegregation. Plaintiffs demanding integration and equity in Pinellas County schools are unsatisfied with improved test scores at troubled elementary schools, and say they plan to continue lawsuits against the district. Tampa Bay Times.
Think global. Students at a Manatee County charter school make books for children in Honduras. Bradenton Herald.
Kicked out. A Sarasota Herald-Tribune columnist critiques a charter school’s decision to oust a second grader.
Career education. A Pasco student helps promote a Ford Motor Company-backed education program. Tampa Bay Times.
Pay raises. Salaries for Florida school board members and district superintendents will rise, though not by much. Gradebook.
Testing. Miami-Dade Public Schools are paring back mid-year assessments to free up instructional time. Miami Herald.
Bad checks. A collection agency hired by the Palm Beach County school district to go after parents who write bad checks is now bouncing checks of its own, and a porous contract may prevent the district from recouping lost money. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
School boards. The Fort Myers News-Press unpacks Lee County election results. The Duval school board might bring in a mediator to smooth its working relationships. Florida Times-Union. A lawsuit by a former coach accuses a Sarasota board member of slander. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Leadership. What does Brevard County’s new district leader have planned? Florida Today. An elementary school principal who challenged Okaloosa County’s sitting superintendent in an election gets reassigned. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Budgets. Districts in Martin and Indian River counties approve spending plans, TC Palm reports, as does Bay County. Panama City News Herald.
Lifesaver. A Palm Beach ESOL coordinator saved a man’s life at the beach. Palm Beach Post.
Religion. A Hillsborough evangelist continues to back programs in public schools that stir church-state debates. Gradebook.
Facilities. The Broward County School Board approves nearly $500 million in upgrades. Sun-Sentinel.
Boundaries. Planning meetings are set for Pasco County rezoning efforts that are likely to draw controversy. Gradebook.
Portfolios. The Orange County school district may keep portfolios for all third graders following a Leon County judge’s retention ruling. Orlando Sentinel.
Resource officer arrested. A Pasco County school cop is accused of stalking an ex-girlfriend. Tampa Bay Times.
Bomb threat. A Flagler County school is hit with an emailed threat, and six students are suspended. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
