Around the state: A new state law paves the way for more small charter or private schools to open in existing facilities without having to cut through additional local government red tape. WLRN. The same law also streamlines educator certification for classical schools. Florida Phoenix.
Law enforcement agencies statewide will soon be urged to apply for a slice of a $5 million grant to figure out how to make their private schools safer. The Private School Security Assessment Grant Program was announced Tuesday at the first of a two-day Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Commission meeting, where officials said the school security for private schools throughout Florida has not “kept pace” with improvements made at public schools. The grant program would reimburse law enforcement agencies for conducting physical site security assessments, developing active assailant response protocols and training, implementing active assailant response drills for students and school personnel and providing guidance for private schools to implement a threat management program similar to the one required by public schools. Sun-Sentinel.
Broward: District Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the safety commission that in the years since the tragic shooting, the district has stepped up its security measures. It’ s more metal detectors, overhauled its approach to threat assessments, and scrapped a controversial diversion program. “Today we’re smarter and more efficient and work closer with law enforcement. We remain deeply committed to creating a safer and more secure learning environment,” he said. Sun-Sentinel.
Palm Beach: A flood of new residents from the Northeast has fueled a private school boom in South Florida, creating a surge of demand that has led to long waiting lists. Business leaders view the appeal of local private schools as a critical asset in their economic development strategy as they pitch executives on relocations. Even the elite private schools in Florida seem highly affordable compared to upper-crust options in other states. Palm Beach Post.
Tampa Bay area: A judge has promised a quick turnaround for those waiting to see whether the Hillsborough school board can put a proposed property tax on the Aug. 20 ballot to raise teachers’ salaries. County attorney Christine Beck told commissioners that Circuit Judge Emily Peacock sent her office an email “advising that (the judge) would not be setting a hearing and that she will issue a ruling by Monday, August 5, 2024.” That came as welcome news to school advocates who argued that delaying the vote could deprive the district of two years’ worth of additional property tax revenue.
The school boards in Pasco and Pinellas counties gave initial approval Tuesday to lower tax rates for local property owners when bills come out in November. Each district adopted rates slightly above the “rollback” amount that would keep tax revenue flat from year to year, meaning taxes and total school district funding would increase. Tampa Bay Times.
A text message from a parent, teacher and school board candidate who is suing the Pasco County school district over a 2022 playground incident in which her son suffered a head injury riled up a school board meeting. District leaders say there is a settlement pending in the lawsuit and the political rhetoric from Jessica Wright, who is running to oust longtime incumbent Allison Crumbley, reflects a misunderstanding about how the school district handles legal matter. Tampa Bay Times.
Central Florida: The rising cost of school supplies is making them inaccessible to about a third of families, according to a new survey by LendingTree, affecting Central Florida parents and teachers. The average parent said they are at risk of going into about $800 dollars of debt just during school shopping season alone. Rollins education professor Angela Griner said, as a result, many teachers are having to outfit their own classrooms, putting an even greater burden on them. Central Florida Public Media.
Brevard: After 15 years of community input, planning and building, a celebrated ribbon-cutting was held Tuesday to welcome the opening of Viera Middle School. Dozens of district, school and community leaders were on hand to officially open the state-of-the art new school. It will welcome roughly 700 students when classes begin Aug. 12. Located immediately north of Viera High School, the new middle school can accommodate 900 students. It cost an estimated $52 million to $55 million to construct. Funds came mainly through educational impact fees, according to the school board. Florida Today.
Sarasota: Sarasota County’s School Board unanimously approved its $1.35 billion budget and an increased property tax at a meeting Tuesday evening. The tentative budget and tax increase come as the district braces for losing about $19 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds used for some instructional positions and programs. With the budget, the district faces a spike in private school choice scholarship use, which pulls about $46.8 million in per-student funding from the district and to tuition for private and homeschool students. The board will have a final vote on the budget in September. Herald-Tribune.
Seminole: Five parents are vying for two seats on the Seminole County School Board this year, looking to address students’ mental health, absenteeism and teacher pay, among other issues. Abby Sanchez, 57, a former elementary school teacher, was first elected in 2016 and is the board’s current chair. She faces two challengers this year: Stephanie Arguello, 38, a consultant for nonprofits, and Kelly Critz, 39, a stay-at-home mom and former children’s gymnastics coach. Robin Dehlinger, 69, is a longtime Seminole school administrator, having served as an assistant superintendent and also principal of Lawton Chiles Middle School and South Seminole Middle School. Carl Tipton, 56, is a school resource deputy at Lake Mary High School. He was previously a teacher and coach at Lake Mary and Seminole High School. Both are vying to succeed incumbent Amy Pennock, who is running for county supervisor of elections. The non-partisan election is Aug. 20. Orlando Sentinel.
Palm Beach: At least 14 public schools in Palm Beach County and a 15th under construction will have fresh faces at the helm when the new school year begins Aug. 12. The school board has named new principals at Palm Beach Gardens and Royal Palm Beach high schools along with new leaders for 10 elementary schools and two middle schools. One principal, Dwan Moore Ross, has been named to lead the district’s new elementary school near Arden and Westlake when it opens in 2025. Palm Beach Post.
Delray Beach police said the anti-pedophilia organization 561 Predator Catcher set up a sting that landed a Palm Beach County elementary school teacher behind bars after he tried to meet up with a 14-year-old boy off-campus for sex. Joshua Hablo, 34, was arrested on July 24 on a charge of traveling to meet a minor after using a computer to lure. The School District of Palm Beach County confirmed Hablo was an instructional staff member at Barton Elementary School in Lake Worth Beach. However, in a message to parents, guardians, and staff members, the district said Hablo is no longer employed by the school system. WPTV. 12News.
Volusia: Random searches will be possible at all Volusia County middle and high schools beginning this year. The school board passed the policy on Tuesday night. The change comes after more than 80 incidents of weapons on campuses were reported last year. District Spokesperson Danielle Johnson explains moving metal detectors will be brought to middle and high school campuses beginning this academic year. Students will then be picked at random through a computer program and they’ll only be searched if the detector goes off when they pass through. WFTV.
Courts: Hours after a U.S. district judge ruled against them, Florida and three other states late Tuesday asked an appeals court to temporarily halt a new federal rule about gender identity in education programs. Attorneys for Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and other plaintiffs scrambled after U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon on Tuesday issued a 122-page decision that rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against the rule, which deals with Title IX, a landmark 1972 law that bars discrimination in education programs based on sex. The court fight focuses heavily on a change that would extend Title IX regulations to apply to discrimination based on gender identity. The rule, finalized in April, is slated to take effect Thursday, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in the late-Tuesday filing at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. News Service of Florida.
Commentary on education: District numbers show 1,250 Flagler County students receive state-funded school choice scholarships, with funding flowing the district budget. Flagler Live. Orange County Public Schools has terminated its calculus project program. Now we’ll find out if the program was effective in broadening access to the STEM pipeline. Bridge to Tomorrow.
Colleges and universities: Another Florida Polytechnic University trustee who voted against the hiring of President Devin Stephenson has left the board. Laine Powell, whose term expired July 15, did not seek an additional term on the board of trustees. With Powell’s departure, only one trustee who voted against Stephenson remains on the board — Lyn Stanfield. One trustee, David Williams, resigned hours after the vote on April 15. Another trustee, Mark Bostick, resigned on June 30. The terms of faculty representative Ajeet Kaushik and student representative Melia Rodriguez ended not long after the June meeting. The Ledger. Southeastern University in Lakeland has promoted Michael Steiner to senior vice president of advancement and innovation. Steiner most recently served as the university’s vice president for innovation and as chief of staff. Patrick Fitzgerald will now be serving as SEU’s chief of staff. Leading up to this point, he has held the role of deputy chief of staff where he oversaw special projects and worked closely with the Office of the President. The Ledger.
Warner University’s board of trustees has appointed the Rev. G. Craig Williford as interim president, effective Thursday. Warner President David Hoag is leaving after eight years to become president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington D.C. He starts the new position on Sept. 1. Williford will lead the Lake Wales school until a national search is concluded to select its fourth president, Warner said in a news release. The Ledger.
Stanley Graham Tate, who founded Florida’s Prepaid College Plan, died at his Bal Harbour home on July 26 at age 96. Tate, who grew up in a tiny Brooklyn apartment and waited tables while a student at the University of Florida, became a Miami real estate mogul. Tate started the college savings plan with $600,000 of his own money to help make higher education affordable. Florida parents can pay in advance to lock in tuition rates from the time of their child’s birth to the point when they need the funds to pay for a state university or community college after their child’s high school graduation. Miami Herald.