Around the state: Today is the first day of school for all public-school students in 58 of the state’s 67 counties. Clay and Collier start on Tuesday, while Broward, Liberty, Monroe, Sumter and Taylor counties start on Wednesday. Miami-Dade students return on Thursday, while Madison County has a rolling start that runs today through Wednesday. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. USA Today Network.
Student safety is a top concern for school districts across the state. This year, that includes an initiative to keep all campus doors locked at all times, in accordance with a new state law. Orlando Sentinel.
Those seeking to open small private schools say that finding an affordable, suitable location is the biggest obstacle as more cities seek to put up barriers through burdensome zoning regulations. Florida, which passed legislation this year to relax rules for schools opening in certain locations such as movie theaters, community centers, houses of worship or former charter school properties, has sought to smooth the pathway. However, operators say some cost-related challenges remain. The 74.
Childcare centers across Florida say state early learning programs do not provide enough funding to adequately pay teachers. Advocates argue per-pupil funding is too low and a funding increase approved this year by state lawmakers wasn’t enough. Despite funding concerns, data show students who enroll in a state-funded early program enter kindergarten better prepared than those who do not. Orlando Sentinel.
Miami-Dade: As the number of families using the state’s expanded education choice scholarships grows, some Miami-Dade school district officials fear that district school budgets will suffer. School board members have discussed ways the district can increase revenue and continue to innovate to compete with private and charter schools, including renting district-owned public school land to developers to build workforce housing. Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres mentioned the possibility of creating professional development programs where teachers outside the public school system can pay to participate. “Will [school choice] present challenges? Yes. But will it do away with traditional public schools in five or 10 years? I don’t know the answer to that now in 2024, but I foresee us rising to the challenge and doing great things in Miami-Dade County,” said school board member Monica Colucci. Miami Herald.
Lee: When Diana Lowry talks about education, she speaks from experience. She has worked for almost 30 years in public education in Lee County as a school-based administrator and teacher. Instead of retiring, Lowry took on a new full-time job as a homeschool teacher. Last school year, the state rolled out an education savings account program for parents whose kids are not enrolled in a traditional school. Figures show that last school year, homeschoolers totals in Lee County were 4,133; in Charlotte, it was 2,502; in Collier, it was 2,693. WINK.
South Florida: Broward schools will use Focus, a new portal for parents to access their student’s information, including bus routes. Breakfast and lunch will continue to be served to all students in Miami-Dade and Broward schools free of charge. Both counties will continue to enforce the statewide cellphone ban. High schoolers in Broward will also be required to go through metal detectors. Miami Herald.
As a new school year gets underway, private school owners are wary of funding delays, and hopeful that issues that snagged scholarship funding last school year have been resolved. (Step Up For Students, which publishes the roundup, helps administer the scholarships.) WSVN.
The nonprofit Palm Beach County Caucus of Black Elected Officials gives out $1,000 college scholarships to 27 talented young people. Palm Beach Post.
Central Florida: With the school year beginning, some Central Florida school districts are urgently trying to fill their vacant school bus driver positions. Orange and Marion counties appear to be facing the biggest challenges. Brevard and Osceola counties have managed to fill all of their positions. Click Orlando.
Orange: Two Orange County schools that were in danger of not being able to welcome students on the first day of school because they had not secured certificates of occupancy due to construction delays will be able to open on time. Howard Middle and Luminary Middle had up to this point not received certification of occupancy, what proved to be a leering issue leading up to the start of classes looming today. The Howard Middle campus is in the middle of a $36 million renovation project while Luminary Middle is a new school built in Lake Nona. Orange County Public Schools has since said in a statement that both schools received occupancy certificates Sunday morning, allowing all 213 district schools to open on Monday as originally planned. Click Orlando.
Manatee. An appeals court Friday ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis can appoint a successor for a Manatee County School Board member who is running for a state House seat. A three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by would-be candidate James Golden that an election should be held in November for the school-board seat that will be vacated by Rich Tatem. News Service of Florida.
Broward: A mother of a student at Monarch High School was arrested Thursday after a gun fell out of her purse during the school’s “freshman invasion” event, officials say. Christina Yvonne Wilkes, 45, of Margate, now faces charges of felony possession of a firearm on school grounds. Florida law prohibits bringing a firearm onto a school campus. The mother had accidentally brought the gun onto school grounds when she arrived late to the freshman orientation event, according to Sgt. Scotty Leamon, a spokesperson for Coconut Creek Police. He did not know Friday afternoon whether the gun was loaded, but it did not go off. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Hernando: Despite objections from one board member, the Hernando County School Board on July 30 voted to continue on with the i-Ready progress monitoring program. In a 3-2 vote, the board approved as much as $1,409,930 to be paid to Curriculum Associates, the company that provides i-Ready. Hernando Sun.
Alachua: An innovative high school model with a track record of accelerating student engagement and academic outcomes in traditional public high schools will launch at Gainesville’s Eastside High School this school year. The 3DE by Junior Achievement model is committed to expanding economic opportunity and mobility by re-engineering high school education. The program integrates real-world experiences with academic learning through partnerships between school districts, Junior Achievement and the broader business community. Gainesville Sun.
After students spent two years in modular buildings on a “swing” campus, Westwood Middle School announces completion of a $29 million renovation project. Gainesville Sun.
Colleges and universities: The University of South Florida has a new dean of the College of Public Health. Tampa Bay Times.
A University of Florida materials science researcher who grew up obsessed with LEGOs is contributing to NASA’s quest to send a crewed mission to Mars. Gainesville Sun.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Denise Grimsley and Alison Hancock to the South Florida State College District Board of Trustees. Office of the Governor.
Around the nation: North Carolina parents rallied on Wednesday to urge the legislature to pass House Bill 823. The bill, which passed the Senate earlier this year, would provide $248 million nonrecurring for the upcoming school year and $215.5 million recurring to support scholarships in the 2025-26 school year. The House and the Senate adjourned without passing a budget for this year. The two chambers have not been able to agree about investments in both the expansion of voucher and public schools. About 55,000 students are on a waitlist to receive Opportunity Scholarships, North Carolina’s private school choice scholarship program.
“Parents watched in utter frustration on July 4 when legislature left town without solving this problem. So parents woke up and said, ‘We are not going to take this lying down,’” Rachel Bray, an organizer of the rally, said. Ednc.org.
Thirteen popular books have been banned from all public schools in Utah in the first wave of bans expected under a new law that prohibits books when at least three of the state’s 41 school district boards claim they contain pornographic material. The state education board released its first list of banned books this month, which includes a popular young adult novel series by author Sarah J. Maas called “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and books by Judy Blume and Margaret Atwood. Associated Press.
