Around the state: Indian River County’s school superintendent is named the state superintendent of the year, Hillsborough’s school board votes to replace a glitchy student information software system, 17 Duval high schools are receiving ECG machines to screen student-athletes for heart problems, an impasse is declared in contract negotiations between Leon County schools and the teachers union, a Brevard County school board member will resign to run for a Florida House seat, some parents in Pinellas County are pushing to have a book removed from schools for being too political, and Florida is one of just seven states that still require high school seniors to pass a test to graduate. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Hillsborough: A software system that has caused technical problems for district officials this school year will be replaced next year, school board members have decided. They approved spending $600,000 for new software, called Focus, and $750,000 for a consultant to help them with the rollout to replace Synergy, the student information system that tracks attendance, transcripts, reports for students with special needs and more. Tampa Bay Times. A lawsuit has been filed against the school district for suspending a high school student who is accused of bringing three spent shell casings to school on Nov. 21. Florida Carry Inc. claims in the suit that the students was suspended for five days by Superintendent Van Ayres even after a deputy sheriff told school officials the students had not violated any laws. District policy prohibits ammunition and clothing and jewelry that refer to imply to weapons or ammunition on school property. The Gun Writer.
Orange: School district contract negotiations with several cities about supplying school resource officers for the 2025-2026 school year have broken down. The district proposed a three-year deal with a 20 percent increase in fees, but city officials in Apopka, Windermere, Winter Park, Winter Garden and Ocoee have yet to sign. If no agreement is reached, the district said it may consider armed guardians who are not sworn law enforcement officers. Spectrum News 13.
Duval: Seventeen public high schools now have access to screening machines that evaluate student-athletes for heart problems. The initiative led by Who We Play For and supported by Simply Healthcare Plans is providing the $100,000 needed to buy 17 electrocardiogram machines. Florida Politics.
Pinellas: Some parents are urging the school district to remove a 41-page illustrated book that encourages students to fight for justice for all. The Artivist, by Nikkolas Smith, is too political because it supports transgender children and touches on police violence and voting rights, they argue. It’s available in libraries at Curtis, North Shore and Seventy-Fourth Street elementary schools. A school spokeswoman said the books will remain on library shelves unless a review committee made up of parents and educators decides otherwise. It meets Tuesday. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Matt Susin, a member of the school board since 2016 who was re-elected last month, has announced he will resign to run for the Florida House District 32 seat soon to be vacated by Debbie Mayfield, who is seeking a Florida Senate seat. Susin joins Brian Hodgers and Bob White as Republican candidates for the House position. A date for the special election has not yet been set. Florida Today.
St. Johns: Betty Stansel, a star athlete at Flagler College who coached and taught for 36 years in the county school district, died Dec. 1 at the age of 70. She was a charter member of the Flagler College Athletic Hall of Fame, and started girls volleyball programs at Nease and Menendez high schools. St. Augustine Record.
St. Lucie: The arrest last week of a teacher from Somerset College Preparatory Academy for lewd behavior, battery on an officer, burglary and drug possession is just the latest incident with educators at the Port St. Lucie charter school. Somerset officials say all their teachers are vetted by St. Lucie school officials, who acknowledge they do background reviews but don’t check references or make hiring decisions. WPEC.
Leon: For the first time in 22 years, an impasse has been declared in contract negotiations between the school district and the union representing its teachers. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said the district could not improve the $4 million package it had been offering without “jeopardizing the future financial health of the district.” Union officials originally asked for $6 million in compensation, then cut it to $5.5 million. The declaration means a special magistrate will be appointed to intervene and make a recommendation that the school board can accept or reject. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. WTXL.
Bay: Patronis Elementary School language assistant Eduardo Anastacio has been chosen as the school district’s support employee of the year, the school district announced Wednesday. He’s now eligible for the statewide award. WMBB.
Indian River: School Superintendent David Moore has been selected as the superintendent of the year at Wednesday’s Joint Florida Association of District State Superintendents and Florida School Board Association conference. It was the first time an Indian River superintendent has won the award. Moore has led the 17,000-student district for the past five years, and this year the system improved from 38th in the state to 9th in test scores and student achievement. TCPalm. WPTV. WPBF.
Colleges and universities: More than 600 University of Florida faculty and staff positions are currently open or being filled on an interim basis, according to openings listed on the UF career portal. School officials say the faculty turnover rate dipped during the pandemic, but is back up to the pre-pandemic level of 8.9 percent. Independent Florida Alligator. A spokesperson for UF trustees said future private board retreats will be open to the public after legal experts contended those meetings between 2018 and 2023 broke the state’s Sunshine Law because the locations were not disclosed. WUFT. A 15-member committee has been named to search for a new Florida A&M University president. Five of the members are current trustees and three are FAMU professors. WTXL. WCTV.
Around the nation: Average math scores for U.S. 4th- and 8th-graders plummeted between 2019 and 2023, according to data released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics shows. The results put 4th-graders 22nd of 63 among world education systems, and 8th-graders 20th of 45. K-12 Dive. Chalkbeat. Education Week. Only seven states still require high school seniors to pass an exit exam to graduate, according to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Florida is one of the seven. Studies have found that exams aren’t always a good predictor of success in careers or higher education, and are a barrier for students with learning disabilities and English language learners. Stateline.
Opinions on schools: Many of the choice laws passed in recent years have been funded based upon a state appropriation. In essence, this equates to many of these laws being funded by state surpluses made possible by pandemic-era spending. That’s why states should be embedding their choice programs in their funding formula. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. Florida is now the national leader in school book censorship and 47th in SAT scores. What a completely unsurprising combination. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel.
