Around the state: New College of Florida is offering a one-month course on the ‘woke’ movement that labels it “kind of a cult,” Clay County led the state in the number of books removed from schools last year, Palm Beach County’s school police union didn’t get the raise it wanted because the school board didn’t think it would be fair to other workers, starting pay for Bay County teachers is bumped to $50,000 a year, enrollment growth will be the big issue for the next superintendent in St. Johns County, and the names of two Floridians are being mentioned as candidates to become the next U.S. secretary of education. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Palm Beach: Giving school police officers significantly higher raises than other district unions received would not be fair, school board members decided in lowering the police union’s demand of a 7.5 percent pay hikes to 5 percent. Teachers previously received a 4 percent increase and administrators got 4.1 percent. “(If) we do this, all the other unions are going to come forward and say, ‘Well, what about us?’ Last year we were generous with the police. This year was for the teachers,” said board member Frank Barbieri. Palm Beach Post.
Pinellas: School board members this week approved the appointments of new principals at two schools: Seymour Brown, the district’s director of strategic partnerships, will lead Brooker Creek Elementary School in Tarpon Springs, and Jason Shedrick, an administrator on special assignment to the transportation department, was named the leader of Pinellas Technical College. Tampa Bay Times. Three district facilities were given new names by the board: A leadership center in Largo has been named after former superintendent Michael Grego, the merged Walsingham and Southern Oak elementaries in Largo will be named Walsingham Oaks K-8, and a new early learning and child-care center in Pinellas Park is being named for Bette Ra Ivey, a retired educator who served as a principal and area superintendent. Tampa Bay Times.
St. Johns: Student enrollment in the district has doubled since the 2002-2003 school year, and dealing with projected future growth will be one of the top priorities for the next leader of the district, says Superintendent Tim Forson, who is retiring next June. Another challenge facing his replacement will be boosting teacher salaries to keep pace with neighboring counties. Average teacher pay in St, Johns is $53,484, which lags Flagler’s $58,369, Duval’s $55,282 and Nassau’s $55,000. WJAX. Seven St. Augustine High School students have been suspended for their roles in a “brutal attack” and “full-out brawl” at the school’s bus loop in September. WJAX.
Clay: District officials removed 287 books from K-12 school libraries during the 2023-2024 school year, the most in the state according to figures compiled by the Florida Department of Education. The books were “removed or discontinued” after they were challenged by parents, but about 94 percent were flagged by Bruce Friedman, a representative of the No Left Turn in Education organization. Statewide, about 700 books were removed. Jacksonville Today.
Leon: The Rickards High School community is mourning the deaths of 17-year-old marching band drum major Gavin Witmer and his band booster mother in an auto accident as they were driving to the Veterans Day parade Monday in downtown Tallahassee. Grief counselors will be at the school to offer support to students and staff. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. WTXL.
Bay: School board members have approved a contract agreement between the district and its teachers that calls for a starting salary of $50,000 and a raise of $1,750 for all instructional personnel. Members of the teachers union still must ratify the contract. WJHG. The board also approved the 2025-2026 academic calendar that includes a four-day fall break over the Columbus Day weekend and the winter holiday break beginning Dec. 19. Also approved was a draft of the 2026-2027 calendar, which will be posted later this week on the district’s website. WJHG.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida is offering a one-month, independent study course in January called The Woke Movement. It calls the “woke” movement “a kind of cult” with “essentially illiberal” methods and has members who “are capable of the most dehumanizing behavior,” according to the course description. It will be led by comedian and conservative commentator Andrew Doyle. Tampa Bay Times. Officials at Santa Fe College in Gainesville are reviewing at least 100 general education courses to comply with new state general education core requirements that do away with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Independent Florida Alligator. Florida is one of 10 states that will receive a share of a $9 million federal grant to improve services for student veterans and their families on college campuses. Central Florida Public Media. WCTV. Seven state colleges are receiving grants from the state to improve or create no-cost teacher apprenticeship programs. WFOR.
Around the nation: President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for the secretary of education could potentially be the last one to hold the job if Trump follows through with his promise to eliminate the department. Among the people being talked about for the position are Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice, a former school board member in Indian River County. The Hill. Education Week. Florida Politics. Nearly one in five public schools are not fully staffed in special-needs classrooms, according to a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics. Cox Media Group. WFTV. U.S. 8th-graders’ average scores in computational thinking and computer and information literacy declined between 2018 and 2023, according to the global international computer and information literacy study. The National Center for Education Statistics said average scores in both subjects dropped 37 points in that period. K-12 Dive.
Opinions on schools: The election results showed the parent power is real, so much so that both parties might want to think about competing for the votes of families with school-age children. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. Exotic doctrines dominant in schools of education and across the broad swath of K–12 associations, advocates, activists and funders are received very differently by many outside the charmed circle. Donald Trump’s win Nov. 5 is a chance to re-examine the decisions made about those doctrines with fresh eyes and proceed accordingly. Rick Hess, Education Week.
