Around the state: An estimate of the damage to Lee County schools caused by Hurricane Ian is revised to $230 million, Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints a new school board member in Miami-Dade County, a Broward school board member elected Nov. 8 is not expected to be sworn in today because of questions about his eligibility to serve, two Polk County charter schools are now in the state’s turnaround program after receiving D grades, the latest enrollment figures show that three of the five largest universities in the United States are in Florida, and the number of counselors or psychologists in some large Florida school districts have declined since 2019. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed attorney Daniel Espino to the school board to replace Christi Fraga, who had to resign to run for the Doral mayor’s job. Espino is a partner in the Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes Law firm. He was formerly a Miami Springs city councilman, and is the current chair of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. New school board members will be sworn in today. Miami Herald. WPLG.
Broward: Rod Velez, who was elected earlier this month to the District 1 school board seat, reportedly will not be sworn in today with the rest of the new board members. Complaints have been filed disputing his eligibility to hold office because of a felony conviction in 1995. His voting rights were restored in 2020, but that doesn’t automatically mean he can hold public office. If he is sworn in and says he’s eligible to hold office when he’s not, he could be charged with a felony. The seat could remain vacant until Velez’s issue is resolved, or Gov. DeSantis could appoint someone to replace him. Sun-Sentinel.
Polk: Two charter elementary schools are now in the state-required turnaround program after receiving D grades from the state. Principals from Polk Avenue and Janie Howard Willson elementary schools filed plans last week detailing how they intend to improve students’ performance. Both schools are part of the Lake Wales Charter Schools system. “I think both principals that are in place are building excellent strategic plans for the future, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what your population is … it comes down to two key four-letter words: time and work,” said Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich. Lakeland Ledger. Rick Nolte will be sworn in as the District 3 school board member today despite unresolved questions about allegations of campaign contribution violations. Two complaints have been filed with the Florida Elections Commission. Lakeland Ledger. Adam Lane, the principal at Haines City High School, has been named the national principal of the year by the K-12 Dive education publication. It cited his work in building a teacher pipeline and boosting student morale and achievement. K-12 Dive.
Lee: The latest assessment of damages to district schools from Hurricane Ian is $230 million, which is about $80 million higher than the initial estimate made in late October. School officials prepared the latest estimate for the Florida Department of Education, but warned it could change. Some repairs are underway now, and plans for long-term projects will be presented to the school board next month. Updates were also provided for the three schools that had the most damage. The Sanibel School has been judged to be structurally sound and students are expected to return early next year. A portable campus for students of Cafferata Elementary is expected to be completed Dec. 5 at Cape Coral Technical College, and a decision is still pending on the future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary. Fort Myers News-Press. WFTX.
Brevard: Two Melbourne High School students will dance in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Lalia Bryant and Kaylee Henderson are among 1,200 cheer and dance performers participating. Florida Today.
Marion: The school district is partnering with local businesses and parents on a literacy program aimed at reaching elementary students outside the school day. Instructional materials, including activities, will be provided to businesses and parents through the Launching Literacy in the Community campaign. For instance, Mojo Grill and Catering will provide literacy-focused menus with problems and puzzles, and daily activities based on grade levels are available to parents through the district’s website. WCJB.
Escambia: Negotiations between the school district and its teachers union are moving ahead five months after they started when the district proposed raising the starting salary of teachers from $44,100 to $45,500 a year, an increase of 3.17 percent. But the union representing support workers has rejected a proposal to raise pay by 97 centes an hour. Negotiations resume after the Thanksgiving holiday. Pensacola News Journal.
Hernando: Three school board board members who won election this year are being sworn in today: Mark Johnson representing District 1, Shannon Rodriguez in District 3, and Susan Duval in District 5. Suncoast News.
Colleges and universities: Three of the five largest universities in the country are in Florida, according to the latest data. The University of Central Florida is second with an enrollment of 70,406. The University of Florida is fourth with 60,613 students, and Florida International is fifth with 56,617. Leading the list is Texas A&M University with 73,284, and third is Ohio State University with 67,772 students. World Atlas.
Legislature leadership: New legislative leaders for the 2023 session are being sworn in today. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said they are in alignment with Gov. DeSantis on his education agenda, such as the Parental Rights in Education law, and other issues. The 60-day legislative session starts March 6. Orlando Sentinel. Democrats re-elected Sen. Lauren Book of Plantation as leader of the Senate on Monday and Sen. Jason Pizzo as leader pro tempore. The number of Democrats in the Senate declined from 28 of the 40 seats to 24 after the Nov. 8 election. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Florida Phoenix. New House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, announced her leadership team on Monday. It includes Rep. Dotie Joseph of Miami-Dade County as leader pro tempore, Rep. Kelly Skidmore of Boca Raton as policy chairwoman, Rep. Mike Gottlieb of Davie as floor leader, and Rep. Christine Hunschofsky of Parkland as House whip. News Service of Florida. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics.
Around the nation: Twelve of the 18 largest U.S. school districts have fewer counselors or psychologists than they had in the fall of 2019, according to a recent analysis. The number of counselors dropped 19 percent in Broward County, 11 percent in Hillsborough and 5 percent in Polk, while going up 4 percent in Orange County and 1 percent in Palm Beach County. Hillsborough also had 22 percent fewer psychologists, Palm Beach 2 percent and Polk 7 percent, while Broward boosted its total by 20 percent and Orange by 8 percent. Chalkbeat. The National School Lunch Program provides far less seafood for school meals than dietary guidelines recommend, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. Guidelines suggest school-aged children should eat between 4 and 10 ounces of seafood a week, but the report said they are getting an average of only 3.4 ounces in a school year. K-12 Dive.
Opinions on schools: Although school board seats are nonpolitical, that has hardly been the case in the Miami-Dade County races, and that’s a shame. Gov. DeSantis’ war on what he calls “woke” education forces in Florida is sending board members to their corners, where they may be prepared to dig in their ideological heels over issues that demand more thoughtful and thorough consideration, if the districts’ students are to benefit. Miami Herald.
