Teacher pay proposal: Teachers could get multi-year contracts under a bill filed for the legislative session that would undo some provisions passed into law by Republicans in 2011 ending tenure and tying teacher pay in part to student performance on tests. The bill, proposed by state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral, also would allow local districts to implement their own performance-based salary increases. The proposal was welcomed by teacher union officials, with one saying, “We are in favor of anything that allows us to negotiate fair pay for all teachers at the local level.” Orlando Sentinel. Newsbreak. Florida Senate.
Testing, testing: Florida is just one of six states that still requires high school seniors to pass a test to graduate, but there’s speculation that could change when the Legislature gathers for its 60-day session March 4. A proposal to kill the requirement was stripped from a deregulation bill before it passed last spring. Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who is now the chair of the Rules Committee, says increased attention to remedial programs has changed the landscape since the tests became a requirement in 1976. “We are being really careful to make sure kids are not left behind,” she said. “You have to change with the times.” Tampa Bay Times.
Around the state: Broward’s $800 million bond referendum program to repair schools ends this year more noted for its failures than its successes, Duval’s school board is being asked to settle another lawsuit over teacher misconduct, microschools continue to grow in the Tampa Bay area, Florida has led the revival of the classical education model that could expand nationwide, and the Florida Board of Governors may call for a study of the return on investment of women and gender studies programs in state universities. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: The district’s 10-year, $800 million bond referendum to repair schools wraps up this year with a legacy of poor management, delays and cost overruns. “I think it’s pretty clear the program didn’t work the way it was supposed to,” said school board member Sarah Leonardi. “Obviously, it has done a severe amount of damage to public trust, and I think it’s going to take a long time to repair.” Sun Sentinel. A lawsuit filed by a minister in the Church of Satanology against the school board can move forward, a federal judge has ruled. The suit was filed after the board refused to allow banners saying “Satan loves the First Amendment” to be placed at two schools. News Service of Florida. A Broward student’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state law banning transgender female students from playing on girls school sports teams has been rejected by a federal judge who said the teen did not show that the Legislature had a discriminatory purpose in passing the law. News Service of Florida.
Tampa Bay area: The microschool movement is taking root in the Tampa Bay area. Angela Kral, a former teacher who said she sensed public schools weren’t working for her children, started the South Tampa Microschool pod that has grown from 10 students when it started five years ago to a private school of 100 today. “I think the moment (public school) wasn’t really working for my kids is when I was like, you have to put these ideals aside and do what’s best for your family,” she said. “And it turned out that what was best for my family was best for a lot of families and other teachers too.” Tampa Bay Times.
Orange: Public high school graduations begin May 20 and continue through May 31. All but one of the 25 ceremonies will be held at University of Central Florida, the Kia Center or the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Orlando Sentinel. A lawsuit to halt the school board’s sale of the historic Hungerford school property in Eatonville has been dismissed because there is no active effort to sell it. City leaders are negotiating with the school district to buy what they call “sacred land.” Orlando Sentinel.
Palm Beach: Health-care premiums will go up for teachers in each of the next three years under a tentative deal reached recently with the district. Teachers will pay $18 more per pay period during the 2025-2026 school year, another $18 per pay period the following year and $6 more the third year. Members of the union and school board members have to approve the deal. WPTV. Jordan Hernandez, a former English teacher at Boca Raton High School, is suing the school board for not removing a student from his class who made allegations of inappropriate conduct with students that were judged by the principal to be unfounded. Hernandez later resigned. WPTV.
Duval: School board members will vote Tuesday whether to pay another $365,000 to a settle a lawsuit brought against a former Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teacher for allegations of sexual misconduct. The board has already paid $1.45 million to settle three other suits against Jeffrey Clayton, a 65-year-old vocal teacher at the Jacksonville school who pleaded guilty last summer to sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old student and is now serving 10 years in prison. Florida Times-Union. Florida Department of Education officials have placed an administrative flag on another former Douglas Anderson teacher’s license. The alert will follow Corey Thayer, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a former student but has not been charged with a crime. Jacksonville Today. WJAX.
Lee: Students at Franklin Park Elementary School in Fort Myers now have access to health care after Lee Health opened a clinic on the school campus. The Golisano Pediatric clinic is a collaboration between the district and United Way and is open Monday through Friday offering sick visits, well-being checks, physicals, immunizations and more. Fort Myers News-Press.
Pasco: Newly elected Superintendent John Legg, a former legislator and charter school founder who has never worked for the school district, has been cautious in moving toward his goals of “safer, smarter, stronger schools” since he assumed the office Nov. 19. “I have to earn trust and earn respect,” he says. “I can’t demand it.” So he’s listening to the opinions of parents and community leaders, spending time in schools, taking training and getting involved in the community. Tampa Bay Times.
Collier, Sarasota: Collier’s Leslie Ricciardelli and Sarasota’s Terry Connor are two of 25 U.S. school superintendents honored as school leaders to watch by the National School Public Relations Association for their communication efforts. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Brevard: Former school board member Jennifer Jenkins is threatening to sue the district after it declined to hire her for a speech/language pathologist position at Sea Park Elementary School in Satellite. Jenkins attributes the district’s decision to her political affiliation and frequent dissent on the board. Superintendent Mark Rendell said she wasn’t hired because of her limited availability. Florida Today. Florida Politics. The district’s first A grade from the state since 2019, an expansion of the armed guardian program, the beginning of a year-round program at one school and the election of a new school board member were among the 2024 highlights for the school system. Florida Today.
Escambia: Laura Dortch Edler, a member of the school board from 2018 to 2022 and a former assistant professor at the University of West Florida, has died at the age of 85. Pensacola News Journal.
Indian River: School officials are hoping that 2025 is the year the district gets out from under a federal desegregation order that’s been in place since 1964. The order requires the district to improve student performance, provide equal opportunities for advanced courses, have a balance of black and white students in line with the county’s demographics, and maintain a diverse faculty. In 2018 the court judged that the district met the goals for facilities and staff and granted partial unitary status. The last hurdles are creating a plan for student achievement, teacher retention, extracurricular activities and transportation. TCPalm.
Highlands: A lawsuit has been filed against the school board by a parent who charges that her autistic son has not been provided with appropriate educational services. The boy entered the school system at 3 years old and is now 11, and his mother says the district has not adopted recommended therapies and services he’s needed but not gotten during his seven years in classes for students in the “significant cognitive impairment range.” Highlands News-Sun.
Hendry: District officials have begun work on installing a fiber Internet network to all schools to improve reliability and data transfer speeds. A federal grant will pay for the nearly $5 million project, which is expected to be complete by the fall of 2026. That’s also when a new $1.5 million generator is scheduled to be installed at LaBelle Middle School, which will make the school the county’s primary emergency center. WFTX.
Colleges and universities: Florida’s Board of Governors is considering commissioning a study on the return on investment of women and gender studies programs in state universities. Florida Phoenix. The BOG also set a goal of having eight of the state’s 12 universities ranked among the top 100 public U.S. universities in the country by 2030. News Service of Florida. Central Florida Public Media. The University of Florida is hiring the same firm for its presidential search that helped it choose Ben Sasse in 2022. Tampa Bay Times. Why are so many Florida universities hiring politicians as presidents? Tampa Bay Times. UF researchers say more professional development for math teachers and home-based math literacy are needed to improve math education. Central Florida Public Media.
Education year in review: Book restrictions, increasingly partisan participation in school board elections and the churn of university presidents were among the top education stories in Florida in 2024. Florida Phoenix. News Service of Florida. The Hill. Lafayette, St. Johns, Nassau, Walton and Sarasota were ranked as the top five county school districts in 2024 on the Florida Department of Education’s new grading scale of 0-1,200 that uses student performance in core subjects, learning gains between years, graduation rates, college readiness and eight other components. WKMG. WTSP. WJXT. Jacksonville Today.
Classical education: Schools with a classical education curriculum are growing in popularity in the state with the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The movement is starting to expand into other states, a trend that could accelerate under the administration of Donald Trump. “Florida is such a frontrunner on these education reforms, like they’ve been on so many other ones,” said Keri Ingraham, who directs the American Center for Transforming Education at the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank. “It’s going to be not that far off for other states that are conservative-minded to adopt policies like this.” Politico Florida.
Black history instruction: As Florida has placed restrictions on how black history is taught in schools, black churches and community centers are taking on the responsibility of offering weekend classes for students who want to know more about the African-American experience in the United States. Associated Press.
Book bans in court: Publishing companies and authors are urging a federal court to reject the state’s contention that school library books are part of “government speech” and not subject to First Amendment protections. News Service of Florida.
Opinions on schools: Providing each child with a high-quality customized education through a more effective and efficient public education market will require public education’s stakeholders to rethink all aspects of how it operates. Doug Tuthill, NextSteps. Opponents of education savings accounts have cited misuse of funds as a rationale for eliminating ESAs, but this appears to be a highly selective form of fiscal conservatism. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. Once again, a bill has been filed to feed public school children. Once again, it is likely to be ignored. Douglas C. Lyons, Palm Beach Post. Yes, reducing public meetings raises questions. But this choice is not about avoiding accountability. It’s about improving efficiency, increasing meaningful engagement and better serving our students and families. Superintendent Terry Connor, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. We owe it to our nation’s children to give them a transparent, empowering, education through social studies that prepares them for the future which seems to be filled with misinformation. Braden Pryor, Orlando Sentinel.
