Recess bill advances: A bill requiring mandatory daily recess of at least 20 minutes for all Florida K-5 students passes the state Senate Education Committee. Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said the bill showed “the power of advocacy, of parents” who pushed legislators to act when local school boards would not. The bill now goes to the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Committee for consideration. Miami Herald. Associated Press. Florida Politics.
Charter facilities funding: The Senate Education Committee approves a bill that would send a proportional share of a district’s property tax revenue to charter schools based on enrollment, with more money attached for those schools that have large low-income or special needs populations. But a second bill that would have increase districts’ local tax authority is delayed. Supporters say the measures need to move forward together to allow districts to catch up on construction that’s been backlogged since the recession. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
Hidden dropouts: Alternative schools increasingly are being used by public schools as places to hide struggling, problem students who might otherwise drag down a school’s graduation rate, test scores and grade, according to an investigation by ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism website. The Orange County School District is one of 83 U.S. school districts that bumped its graduate rate by at least a percentage point between 2010 and 2014 by sending an increasing number of students into alternative schools. ProPublica.
Florida 4th in AP: Florida ranks fourth in the nation in the percentage of students taking and passing at least one Advanced Placement course, according to the College Board, the organization that runs the AP program. In Florida’s class of 2016, 29.5 percent passed at least one AP exam. That’s over the national average of 21.9 percent and 11 percentage points better than 10 years ago. Orlando Sentinel.
Alternative tests: The Florida Department of Education is considering toughening alternative tests students may take instead of the Florida Standards Assessments. The department is still studying whether the SAT and ACT tests are adequate substitutes for the language arts part of the FSA, and if the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test is still a match for the Algebra I end-of-course test. Gradebook.
Teacher evaluations: A third of the teachers in south Florida schools are rated highly effective, up from 29 percent two years ago. In Palm Beach County, half the teachers got the highest evaluation, slightly above the state average of 46 percent. In Miami-Dade it was 33 percent, and in Broward it was 18 percent. Sun-Sentinel.
New superintendent: Todd Bowden, who takes over as Sarasota County school superintendent March 1, submits a budget that calls for the creation of 15 assistant principal positions but no raises for teachers and other employees. The proposal drew concern from board chairwoman Caroline Zucker and criticism from the teachers union. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School rezonings: After approving a rezoning plan for Warren Hope Dawson Elementary School, the Hillsborough County School Board decides it needs to reconsider all its school boundaries. Members hope to start by mid-April, when a consultant’s report on future growth is due. Tampa Bay Times. The Palm Beach County School Board will take a final vote today on the rezoning plan to relieve overcrowding at Calusa Elementary School in Boca Raton. Palm Beach Post.
Board boundaries: The Lee County School Board will consider an NAACP proposal to change board boundaries to provide better representation to low-income neighborhoods. The proposed NAACP boundaries would be a starting place for the discussion, board members say. Fort Myers News-Press.
Software decision: In 2013, the Brevard County School Board approved an $8 million deal to keep its business operations software updated. Now, as the contract with the company is running out, Superintendent Desmond Blackburn says it may not be necessary to replace the EDR software. Florida Today.
School changes protested: Parents protest proposed changes to the Roosevelt Academy in Lake Wales. School officials say they have considered removing the sixth grade from the school, and integrating non-disabled students. Polk County School District say the changes were recommended by the Florida Department of Education, which denied that and said the decision is a local one. Lakeland Ledger.
Remote service: Hernando County School Board member Susan Duval has been attending most board meetings remotely after temporarily moving to Connecticut to help an ill daughter and her family. She returns once a month for a meeting, and dials in to attend other meetings. Tampa Bay Times.
New courses offered: Students at Arnold and Mosley high schools will have the option of taking two Advanced Placement courses over the next two years. AP Seminar will be offered in the fall, and AP Research in 2018. The courses allow students to take a subject they’re interested in, and do a project that requires in-depth research. Panama City News Herald.
Powder Puff football: The Powder Puff football game this year at Jupiter Community High School is canceled because organizers can’t get enough players interested. It was just a year ago that the school decided to cancel the 50-year tradition for safety reasons. That decision was protested and appealed, and the game was eventually played. Palm Beach Post.
Opinions on schools: Increasingly, South Florida school boards are applying pressure on students, teachers and parents to avoid airing criticism in public. It’s a disturbing trend that discourages the right and duty of citizens to speak up. And it sends a terrible message to students so passionate about an issue that they are willing to sit through a school board meeting for the chance at three minutes of public comment. Sun-Sentinel. While the Hillsborough County School District has put a new spotlight on spending, it also has moved around pieces on the game board rather than seriously confronting the extent of its bureaucracy, its culture of business as usual and the best use of both its academic and physical resources. Tampa Bay Times. Rather than take on the business of broadcasting, you’d think Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho would have enough to worry about given his challenges with student performance, school grades, charter school competition, teacher recruitment and a political climate that increasingly views public schools with a jaundiced eye. Sun-Sentinel.
Student enrichment: Student leaders at Cypress Elementary School in Pasco County are being trained in a program designed to make all students welcome and comfortable in the school through befriending, connecting, mentoring or tutoring. Tampa Bay Times.
