Around the state: Sarasota’s school district has a new superintendent and Broward’s school board is expected to select one today, Duval school board members are warned it will take at least six months to find a new superintendent, Collier’s school board approves a three-year contract for its recently hired superintendent, Florida ranks 31st in the annual child well-being ratings, a former teacher is in line to become the first female speaker of the Florida House, and a Palm Beach County rabbi wants the Bible removed from schools to prove a point against book bans. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: The three finalists for the school superintendent’s job spent about 10 hours Wednesday answering questions from school board members, a panel of principals and a separate forum of parents and teachers. Board members will have one final round of interviews today before choosing among the finalists of Peter Licata, an assistant superintendent for Palm Beach County schools; Luis Solano, deputy superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools Community District; and Sito Narcisse, superintendent of East Baton Rouge (La.) School District. Sun-Sentinel. WLRN. WPLG. WSVN. WFOR. WTVJ.
Hillsborough: The closing of Just Elementary School in west Tampa means nearly 300 students will be moving to new schools in the fall. It also means members of the community around Just will have more input in district decisions about their children. That was one of several concessions Superintendent Addison Davis made to satisfy parents unhappy about their neighborhood school being closed: Students have the opportunity to attend one of five nearby schools, including three that have magnet programs, an advisory group was formed to advise the district on the future of schools in the area, and Just will reopen in a year or two, possibly with a Montessori program. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: A rabbi has filed a challenge to the Bible being in school libraries over verses that he says contain violence and sexuality and therefore meet the criteria for removal under state law. Barry Silver said he made the challenge to prove a point. “Don’t ban books just because you don’t like them, don’t fail to ban a book because you do like it,” he said. “If you’re going to go around banning books, which I don’t think you should, you need to do it objectively, otherwise it’s censorship. You’re censoring a point of view that you don’t like.” WPTV.
Duval: A consultant warned school board members Wednesday that the search for a new superintendent will likely take at least six months and that the cost of hiring is probably going to be higher than expected because the district will have competition with several other Florida districts for candidates. Until a replacement for Diana Greene is found, longtime district employee Dana Kriznar will be the acting superintendent. WJXT. WJCT. A new literacy program focusing on sounding out words will be introduced to students in K-2 this fall in district schools. UFLI Foundations was created by the University of Florida Literacy Institute, and stresses phonics to help with reading, writing and comprehension. Sixty Florida schools used UFLI during the 2022-2023 school year as part of a pilot program. WJXT.
Osceola: School board member Jon Arguello did not misuse his position while soliciting campaign funds from a vendor for his sister’s campaign for a school board seat in 2022, the Florida Commission on Ethics said Wednesday. Arguello was accused of intimidating a vendor who declined to contribute, and using a school board letterhead for a press release. WFTV.
Collier: In a 3-2 vote this week, school board members approved a three-year, $305,000-a-year contract for newly chosen superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli. Board members Kelly Lichter, Stephanie Lucarelli and Erick Carter voted to approve the contract. Jerry Rutherford and Tim Moshier voted against it, saying they wanted a shorter deal. Ricciardelli had been serving as interim superintendent since Kamela Patton agreed to retire in December. The contract provides Ricciardelli 23 days of vacation a year and $700 a month to cover gas, mileage and maintenance of her personal vehicle. She will be evaluated by the board in July 2024, July 2025 and January 2026. Naples Daily News. WGCU. WINK. District officials plan to hire a supervisor to oversee the recently approved school guardian program. Guardians must be at least 21, with a high school diploma or GED, a minimum of two years of military, law enforcement or security experience and a license to carry a concealed weapon in the state. WFTX.
Sarasota: Terrence Connor, the deputy superintendent and chief academic officer of Hillsborough County School District, was chosen by school board members Wednesday as the district’s new superintendent. The vote was 3-2, with Karen Rose, Tom Edwards and Robyn Marinelli voting yes and Bridget Ziegler and Tim Enos dissenting. Other finalists were Josiah Phillips from Broward County, current Sarasota interim superintendent Allison Foster, and Charles Van Zant Jr. of Clay County. Connor thanked the board for its due dilgence, and said he was excited to get started. “I can’t wait to get to work and help move Sarasota to be the No. 1 district academically in the state of Florida,” he said. Connor’s contract and start date will be determined at an upcoming board meeting. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Tampa Bay Times. WTVT. WWSB. WFLA. WFTS. WUSF.
Leon: Chiles High School head football coach Kevin Pettis has been removed from his job and reassigned after a independent investigation into allegations of possible violations that will be forwarded to the Florida High School Athletic Association for review. Pettis was placed on paid administrative leave April 19. Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee Reports. WTXL. WCTV.
Santa Rosa: Escambia County high school English teacher Vicki Baggett has taken her crusade to purge schools of books containing what she considers inappropriate content to neighboring Santa Rosa County. Baggett complained to county commissioners that many books in the school district contain adult material. Commissioners responded that the school board is an independent agency and not under the control of commissioners. Santa Rosa school officials said they will comply with new state laws that go into effect July 1. Fox News.
Bay: School board members have approved a variety of school improvement projects to be done this summer, including replacing flooring at Callaway and Hiland Park elementary schools, installing cameras at Patronis and Waller elementaries and adding eight portable classrooms at the Tyndall Academy. “We are in the process of adding some additional modular classrooms to account for the influx of students based on the increase of airmen coming to the base,” said Lee Walters, district director of facilities. WJHG.
Citrus: The school district will join districts around the nation in suing social media companies for damages to students. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok are named in the suit and accused of causing mental health issues to heavy users, especially children. “School districts have had to hire more health professionals, develop lesson plans for the arms of social media, requires more training by educators and staff, increased disciplinary measures, bullying, harassments and threats that originate on social media,” said Franklin Harrison, the Bay County School Board attorney who presented the information to the Citrus board. Citrus County Chronicle.
Colleges and universities: The man hired last July to lead the University of Central Florida’s military outreach program spent four months in a military prison in 2015 after being court-martialed for sexually harassing and assaulting a female lieutenant under his command. Michael Kepner was retained even after UCF was informed of his past and investigated his history. Orlando Sentinel. A federal judge is allowing a Florida A&M University lawsuit accusing the state of discrimination to be revised, but said the school’s attorneys will have to provide more evidence showing that the alleged discrimination can be traced to segregation. News Service of Florida. Florida Gulf Coast University spent $173,167 in its search for a new president, according to university documents. The search began in April 2022, yielded three finalists, then was restarted after all the finalists withdrew their names from consideration. A second group of four candidates was chosen, and vice president Aysegul Timur was hired. Fort Myers News-Press. The University of Florida’s athletics programs brought in $190 million in revenue in 2022, ranking them eighth in the nation, according to a report released Wednesday. Florida State pulled in $161 million, the University of Central Florida $89 million, and the University of South Florida $56 million. WFTS. Tallahassee Democrat. USA Today.
Florida 31st in child well-being: Florida ranks 31st in the nation in child well-being, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The state ranks fifth in education, 37th in economic well-being, 33rd in health and 32nd in what the foundation calls “family and community.” News Service of Florida. WJAX.
In the Legislature: State Rep. Jennifer Canaday, R-Lakeland, a former teacher and school administrator, will become the first female speaker of the Florida House in 2028 if she is re-elected and Republicans remain in control of the chamber. Canaday and Rep. Jessica Baker, R-Jacksonville, were the last two candidates for the post, and on Wednesday Baker acknowledged she didn’t have enough votes. Florida Politics. Florida’s Voice.
Around the nation: A bill that would require the U.S. Department of Education to study the mental health effects of lockdown and active shooter drills on elementary and secondary school students has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who represents the 23rd congressional district that covers parts of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Florida Politics. U.S. middle and high school students give their schools middling grades for the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a new Gallup poll. Only 22 percent of students give their school an A grade, while 44 percent think their school deserves a B. The rest, 34 percent, issue their school a C, D or F. The 74.
Opinions on schools: Passing strong education savings accounts laws is hard, but implementing these programs with excellence is harder. Nothing is more important right now than implementing with excellence. Education freedom will only thrive when the public trusts parents, not bureaucrats, to be in charge of their children’s education. Robert Enlow, Education Next. Florida’s new laws create psychologically unsafe classrooms where kids can treat one another with less dignity, increasing risk for anxiety, depression, isolation, loneliness, self-harm and suicide. By teaching prejudice instead of perspective taking, which students will be empowered? Florida’s youth deserve to learn in classrooms that promote courage and compassion, not hate and bigotry. Stacy Frazier and Elisa Trucco, Sun-Sentinel.
