Around the state: New College’s business plan gets a critical review from a faculty member of the University of Florida business school, the FHSAA is considering a proposal to allow high school athletes to be compensated for use of their name, likeness and image, the most senior Lee County teachers will get the biggest raises under a contract agreement reached Monday with the district, a Lake County high school senior riding his bike to school was killed Monday when he was hit by a school bus, New College has been approved to compete in sports at the NAIA level starting next fall, and enrollment is up by about 1,000 students in the Palm Beach County School District. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Hillsborough: A 14-year-old student at Freedom High School in Tampa was arrested Monday and accused of having a gun at school. A school official found the gun during a backpack search while investigating reports of smoking in a bathroom. The boy then ran away, but his mother later turned him over to authorities. Police said the gun had been stolen in Orange County, and was loaded. WTSP. WTVT.
Orange: Orlando parents who established a classical Catholic home-school co-op decided what they wanted for their children in a high school experience didn’t exist. So they created it themselves. The Chesterton School of Orlando began last year with 31 students and is up to 55 this year. Eventually it expects to have 160 students attending what it calls a “joyfully Catholic” school that blends Catholicism with classical education. reimaginED.
Palm Beach: About seven weeks into the school year, district enrollment is up by about 1,000 students to 167,000, said Superintendent Michael Burke. He called the increase “great considering all the competition we face now” from the new universal school choice law and charter schools. Burke noted that kindergarten enrollment is up 200. “We’ve done a lot of work over the summer to promote our schools,” he said. “We put a lot of effort into the kindergarten enrollment, the class of 2036. So we felt really good about it. But it was really nice to see it validated when the kids showed up for the first day of school.” WPTV.
Pinellas: Fred Fisher, a philanthropist who gave millions to the University of Florida, youth sports and other educational projects, died late last month in St. Petersburg at the age of 92. He started his own accounting firm and later helped start the nationwide development company U.S. Home Corp., which went on to become the largest homebuilder in the country. Tampa Bay Times.
Lee: An agreement was reached Monday in contract negotiations between the school districts and its teachers. Nearly $33 million will be spent on raises, starting at 3.65 percent hikes for starting teachers. Teachers with 1-4 years of experience would get 5.5 percent raises, those with 5-9 years of teaching would get 8.5 percent, with 9.5 percent going to teachers with 10-14 years, 10.5 percent for those with 15-19 years, and 11.5 percent for teachers with 20 years in the classroom. Union members have to ratify the agreement, and the school board must also approve it. WFTX. WBBH. WINK. The school district will receive $51 million from the state to help it recover from damage caused a year ago by Hurricane Ian. The award is part of $338 million going to county agencies from the state. Lee County School District.
Lake: A 17-year-old Lake Minneola High School senior riding his bicycle to school Monday was struck and killed by a school bus driver who was turning into the school. Sherman Vannoy rode his bike into a crosswalk when the accident happened at 6:50 a.m. The 78-year-old bus driver, Mary Laurenzi, tried to swerve away from the victim, hitting a stop sign and crashing into a chain-link fence. Circumstances of the crash are under investigation, and grief counselors were at the school to talk with staff and students. Daily Commercial. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV. WESH.
Alachua: Parents and teachers continued to criticize the school district’s rezoning plans for the 2024-2025 school year during a public forum Monday. They contend that the rezoning will snap the continuity they have with some students, and lead to increased behavior problems. District officials say the rezoning is necessary to ease overcrowding at some schools. A final vote by the school board is expected Dec. 5. WCJB.
Santa Rosa: Construction has begun on the $30 million Seacoast Collegiate High School charter school. The school is being built through a partnership with Northwest Florida State College, and will offer dual enrollment when it opens in 2025. WEAR. Triumph Gulf Coast is awarding a $9 million grant to the school district to help create a STEAM-powered career and technical education learning hub that will be called named the Santa Rosa Center for Innovation. The nonprofit organization distributes funds from a settlement over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. WEAR.
Flagler: School board members are asking their attorney to set up a “standing” closed board meeting every three months to discuss legal action involving the district. State law says that only the board attorney can ask for a closed-door session, must do so at a meeting that is open to the public, and that the meeting must be transcribed by a court reporter. County attorney Al Hadeed said, “The subject matter of the meeting shall be confined to settlement negotiations or strategy sessions related to litigation expenditures.” Flagler Live.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida’s business plan is “not financially viable” because it hasn’t identified a target market, concludes a report by a faculty member of the University of Florida business school. The report was requested by Amanda Phalin, a UF professor who also is a member of the university system Board of Governors, and will be discussed Wednesday. Today, trustees are expected to vote on a new president. News Service of Florida. New College’s vice president for communications and marketing, Ryan Terry, was fired Monday after just three months on the job. He criticized interim president Richard Corcoran for courting fights with the media and making little effort to restore a sense of community. Florida Politics. WPTV. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has approved the entry of 12 New College of Florida athletic teams starting in the fall of 2024. The NAIA is a national athletic association made up mostly of small colleges that compete in 16 sports and 28 annual championships. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB. Three candidates will be interviewed today for the job as acting president of Broward College: Henry Mack III, an education lobbyist and former college official; Barbara Bryan, who was an administrator at Broward College for 25 years; and Cesar Florian, who owns an immigration legal services company and formerly owned a tutoring firm. Sun-Sentinel. Florida A&M University wants to use a Biden administration letter to the state citing “longstanding and ongoing underinvestment” in FAMU when compared to the University of Florida in its lawsuit alleging that it has been short-changed in state funding. News Service of Florida.
NIL for Florida high schools? The Florida High School Athletic Association is drafting a proposal that could compensate high school athletes for the commercial use of their name, image and likeness. A similar measure was just approved in Georgia, which became the 30th state to grant NIL rights to high school athletes. “The FHSAA is currently in the process of drafting a proposal that will be given to our board of directors for review at one of our upcoming meetings,” said FHSAA spokesman Ryan Harrison. Its board meets Nov. 5-6, and also has meetings scheduled in February, April and June. Palm Beach Post.
Around the nation: U.S. K-12 schools now employ 20,000 more teachers than they did before the pandemic even though there are 1.9 million fewer students enrolled. That imbalance is expected to cause financial problems for districts. The 74.
Opinions on schools: We should view European pluralism as an undesired floor rather than the highest possible ceiling for educational choice. Matthew Ladner, reimaginED. Funding delays within the state school voucher program are hurting small schools and the people who run them. John A. Torres, Florida Today. Just because the GOP-backed voucher system is unfair does not mean Democrats should abandon discussion around school choice. Rather, Democrats must recognize that no choice is not an option either. Debbie Cox Bultan and Elena Parent, The 74.
