Miami-Dade: Miami educators in addition to literary and civil rights organizations gathered Tuesday to raise awareness about censorship and to offer a rebuttal to the recent decision to restrict four titles from elementary students in one Miami-Dade school. The event drew a crowd of about 300 community members, teachers and young children. Miami Herald.
Hillsborough: New principals were tapped to lead 10 schools in this county after the Hillsborough County School Board meeting. Some will start on Monday, and all should be in place by July 1. Tampa Bay Times. To make ends meet, some teachers in Hillsborough are working second jobs this summer. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 20% of teachers hold second jobs that make up about 9% of their income. Bay News 9. Perfect attendance rewards await students in this county. Seven students are receiving a $500 scholarship from Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, in addition to new laptops from Partners in Education, after not missing a day of school since kindergarten. WTSP. Meanwhile, educators in Hillsborough are now calling “social-emotional learning” something different. A redlined version of the student code of conduct, which the School Board unanimously approved on Tuesday, now uses terms such as “resiliency, character and life skills education” wherever “social emotional learning” was found before. Tampa Bay Times.
Sarasota: More than two dozen people offered opinions at the Sarasota County School Board meeting Tuesday on who the district’s next leader should be as the search for a new superintendent nears a scheduled conclusion next week. The district has been searching for a new superintendent since the board moved last year to terminate the previous superintendent, Brennan Asplen. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Alachua: The school board here heard a preliminary report on grades 3-10 attendance, behavior and core academics on Tuesday. Board members expressed concern over the inequity the report didn’t seem to address. Results are not yet processed fully, and grades K-2 were not ready for a preliminary report. Main Street Daily News.
Spelling bee champ: The Largo teen who won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee arrived at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday evening. Friends and teachers waited for Dev Shah, 14, to arrive home after he caught a flight from Tampa to New York, where he rang the closing bell on the NASDAQ exchange and made an appearance on “Live with Kelly & Mark.” “I do appreciate the surprise and it was very welcoming and warm just to know everyone was here,” he said. Shah was named champion of the bee on June 1, winning a trophy and a $50,000 prize. Shah will be a freshman at Largo High in the fall. ABC Action News. Tampa Bay Times.
Moms for Liberty: Florida-based Moms for Liberty has taken steps against what they consider liberal indoctrination in schools. Now, the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed Moms for Liberty, along with 11 others, as “anti-government extremist” groups. “These groups publicize their fight for alleged parents’ rights while simply attempting to maintain absolute authority on issues they oppose,” the Southern Poverty Law Center stated. Moms for Liberty did not comment on the report. Tampa Bay Times.
Virtual school: Florida Virtual School has paused hiring and is taking other cautious financial measures amid a drop in full-time students completing courses over the past year. Course completion is a key metric for the school, which only gets paid if students finish online classes. There was a significant influx of enrollment in recent years that was driven by the pivot to online learning during the pandemic, decreasing the number of students completing courses. Orlando Sentinel.
Turkey list: Florida Tax Watch included millions of dollars worth of education projects on its annual “turkey” list as Gov. Ron DeSantis examines the state’s budget for line-item votes. Florida Phoenix.
University and college news: For the first time in 13 years, Daytona State College is looking at a fee increase. The school issued a news release announcing that tuition is expected to remain at the same level it has been since 2011, but that increased costs are driving the need to raise fees. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opinions on schools: School choice means options in addition to opportunity. It also packs daunting responsibility for parents who want to do what’s best for their offspring, but are uncertain about where to turn. Tom Jackson, reimaginED.
