Books and pay bill approved: The bill that would cut salaries of local school board members and change the process of selecting books for school classrooms and libraries was approved Monday by the House Appropriations Committee and is now ready for a full House vote. State Republicans have been pushing for a closer look at books and instructional materials, particularly on subjects of race, sex and gender. “I think it’s going to be surprising to most people to find out how much is going on in our school system today in our libraries,” said state Rep. Rick Roth, R-West Palm Beach. Pay for school board members was revised in the House bill to propose school board members to receive up to $4,800 a year, a significant drop from the current board salaries that range from $26,965 and $47,189, depending on the district. The Senate bill would set board pay at $29,697, which is what lawmakers earn, and has one more committee meeting to clear. Politico Florida.
Also in the Legislature: Teachers, first responders and members of the military could get an extra break on property taxes under a bill approved Monday by the House Ways & Means Committee. If the bill is approved by the Legislature, it would be placed on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. Sixty percent of voters would have to approve it. Florida Politics. Protests outside a residence would be a criminal offense under a bill passed Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. State Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, cited the case of Brevard school board member Jennifer Jenkins, who was harassed at her home for supporting a face mask mandate for students. Associated Press. The House Appropriations Committee has approved two proposals (H.B. 7023 and 7025) that set up a $500 million emergency fund controlled by the governor. Florida Politics. LGBTQ advocates rallied Monday against H.B. 7, a bill pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and backed by Republicans that could put limits on how sensitive topics such as race, gender, discrimination and historical events are taught. It gets a hearing today in the House Appropriations Committee meeting. Florida Politics.
Around the state: Broward school board members meet today to rerank the three finalists for the superintendent’s job, Lee County School Board members are expected to select a new superintendent today, the search for a new University of Florida president will begin in March, an alternate zoning map will be considered for a new elementary school in the Boca Raton area of Palm Beach County, and a program has been developed in Pinellas County that focuses on reading improvement among young boys. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: School board members meet again today to discuss the three finalists for the superintendent’s job. Interim superintendent Vickie Cartwright appears to be the favorite, judging by the support she received in preliminary voting last week. The other candidates are Keith Oswald, chief of equity and wellness for Palm Beach County schools, and Michael Gaal, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force and former deputy chancellor for Washington, D.C., schools. The new superintendent will succeed Robert Runcie, who resigned last year after being indicted on a perjury charge. Sun Sentinel. A teacher at Piper High School in Sunrise was arrested Monday and accused of sexual misconduct with a student. Police said Rafael Guzman, 37, admitted touching and kissing a 17-year-old student, then giving her $100 and telling her “not to feel bad.” WSVN.
Orange: Students who have been attending school remotely since the latest COVID surge are now required to return to classrooms or register as home-schooled students. “Students really need to be in class to optimize their learning,” said deputy superintendent Maria Vazquez, who added it is also “extremely difficult for our teachers to manage so many students at home for an extended period of time.” Orlando Sentinel. A Volusia County student was arrested over the weekend for making a threat on social media against Wedgefield School, an elementary school in Orlando. WKMG.
Palm Beach: Advisory boundary committee members have chosen another school zoning map as an option for a new elementary school opening this fall in Boca Raton. The first map drew criticism from some parents who said it was more favorable to wealthier neighborhoods. The committee will collect community input on the proposal Feb. 10, then decide which proposal to recommend to Superintendent Michael Burke. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: A group of teachers called the “Duval CORE” are holding a news conference today to demand that the school district do more to protect students and teachers from COVID-19. Specifically, the teachers want N95 masks and other personal protection equipment distributed to all district teachers and students, teachers and students to be notified when they’ve been exposed to COVID, and a districtwide vaccination campaign. WTLV.
Pinellas: District officials have launched a reading program aimed specifically at improving outcomes for boys and closing the gap between them and girls. The program recognizes and accounts for the competitive and restless nature of young boys and regularly introduces new materials to keep their attention. The model has attracted attention from other districts as a way to elevate the performance of boys without leaving girls behind. Tampa Bay Times.
Lee: School board members are expected to name a superintendent at today’s meeting. The two finalists made their final pitches to the board Monday, with both emphasizing their experience in Florida. Christopher Bernier, superintendent of schools in Clark County, Nev., and one of the finalists, spent 33 years in the Broward County district. The other, Michael Ramirez, the deputy superintendent of schools in Denver, worked 16 years for the Orange County School District. WINK. Lee is just one of several Florida districts looking for a new leader. Education experts said that task, which was already difficult, has become even harder these days because of the pandemic and political climate. “I’ve been in this business 54 years. I have never, ever seen anything like this,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. “This is definitely the worst period that I’ve ever seen in education. And so as these individuals that have been tested, excellent educational leaders are leaving, there’s nobody to replace them with that level of experience.” WUSF.
Collier: A 13-year-old student at New Beginnings Naples Alternative Education Center has been arrested and accused of making social media threats against his former school, East Naples Middle. WINK. WFTX.
Marion: The number of coronavirus cases reported by the school district dropped last week by 13.7 percent from the previous week. For the week ending Jan. 21, 1,014 students and employees reported positive COVID tests. That fell to 875 last week. Ocala Star-Banner.
Colleges and universities: The search for a new University of Florida president will begin in March, according to the school’s board of trustees. Fifteen people will be appointed to the search committee to find a replacement for Kent Fuchs, who said in January that he would return to a teaching position as soon as a successor is found. Tampa Bay Times. Bomb threats were made Monday against Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach and at least five other historically black universities. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating. Associated Press. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Daytona Beach News-Journal. University of Miami students returned to class Monday after two weeks of online learning because of the pandemic. WSVN. Miami Herald.
Around the nation: The New Orleans school system becomes the first in the United States to mandate vaccinations for children 5 and up, though a parental opt-out is available. Associated Press.
Opinions on schools: Choice programs, rather than existing in silos, interact with each other. Charter and private choice programs create incentives for districts to open their doors for open enrollment. Once one district lowers the open enrollment drawbridge, nearby districts feel an increased pressure to follow-suit, and the competitive juices begin to flow. Matthew Ladner, reimaginED. Just in time for Black History Month, Florida’s dimmer bulbs — you know them as the state Legislature and their salad-brained co-religionists — mean to clamp down on educators who dare tell the truth about racism. Diane Roberts, Florida Phoenix. The problem with banning books is not that the books be made unavailable to the children of the members of a Polk County group advocating the ban, but that they would be made unavailable to everyone’s children. Bruce Anderson, Lakeland Ledger.
