Around the state: The state approves the conversion of an Alachua County public elementary school into a charter school by next fall, Manatee’s school district announces it intends to add five new schools by the fall of 2027, Duval is changing class schedules in the fall for middle and high school students, Martin County school officials credit a cell phone ban in schools to a decline in bullying and improvements in academic achievement, and two south Florida students qualify for the national spelling bee. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami, south Florida: Two south Florida students have qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee scheduled May 22-27 in National Harbor, Md. Hadi Abbasi, a 6th-grader from Franklin Academy Pembroke Pines Middle School, won the Broward bee, and 7th-grader Nikhil Sha of Palmetto Middle School won the Miami-Dade and Monroe County bee. Miami Herald. Miami-Dade is one of three U.S. school districts cited in a case study by the National Math Improvement Project on how to improve access and achievement in algebra. K-12 Dive.
Duval: District scheduling changes for the 2025-2026 school year include middle school students following a seven-period schedule while most high school students will have a 3×3 block schedule with three 100-minute courses every other day and one 50-minute course every day. Superintendent Christopher Bernier said the change will save up to $10 million a year. WJXT. WJAX. A proposed policy that sets rules on how school employees conduct themselves on social media should also apply to school board members, some parents argued at a school board workshop meeting this week. The policy instructs workers to avoid posts that harm their reputations or the district’s, to clearly state that opinions are personal and not the district’s, and to not send private messages to students. WJXT.
Manatee: Superintendent Jason Wysong announced this week that five new schools are planned to be built by the fall of 2027 to relieve overcrowding and keep up with expected enrollment growth. The plan is to open a K-8 and a middle school in August, two elementary schools in August 2026 and a high school in the fall of 2027. School boundaries will be rezoned for the 2026-2027 school year, Wysong said. Bradenton Herald.
Leon: A plan to rezone Riley Elementary School in Tallahassee has been approved by the school board. About 200 students will be sent to three nearby schools to relieve overcrowding at Riley, which is at 102% capacity. WCTV. An armed guardian at Hawks Rise Elementary School in Tallahassee has been placed on leave and is facing termination after being arrested on a charge of soliciting or procuring another to commit prostitution. Tallahassee Democrat. WFSU.
Alachua: Newberry Elementary School’s application to become a charter school in the fall of 2026 was approved Wednesday by the Florida Charter School Review Commission. Newberry parents and teachers narrowly approved a plan to convert the school into a charter, while deciding against converting two other city schools. Its name will be changed to Newberry Community School. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. Alachua Chronicle. WCJB. WUFT.
Martin: Superintendent Michael Maine said the district’s decision to ban students’ use of cell phones during the school day and its progressive discipline for violations is working. He said there are fewer reports of bullying and a reduction in the number of student failures. Referrals are down too, from 540 in August to 150 in December, as students get comfortable with the rules. WPEC.
Levy: A 14-year-old Williston Middle-High School student was arrested and accused of having a knife on campus. A school resource officer said the boy had the knife in his sock. WCJB.
Around the nation: Only 56% of U.S. K-2 students are considered ready to read, according to an analysis from the curriculum and assessment company Amplify. That’s up slightly from last year, but remains below pre-pandemic levels. K-12 Dive. Citing poor results on the NAEP tests despite increased U.S. Department of Education spending, U.S. House appropriators are calling for a reassessment of how much federal funding goes to K-12 schools. Politico. A Trump administration policy to withhold federal funding from requiring K-12 schools and colleges that don’t eliminate race-based programming and education is being challenged in court by a national teachers union and a group of sociologists. They contend the policy “is an unlawful attempt by the (Education) Department to impose this administration’s particular views of how schools should operate as if it were the law.” Associated Press. The 74. Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: There was no reason at all for the Legislature to end in-state tuition waivers for undocumented students who were, for the most part, minding their own business and contributing billions of dollars in labor and spending to the state’s economy. Orlando Sentinel. Without any constraints imposed by state laws or any professional standards that govern admissions processes, magnet schools could be considered the Wild West of public school admissions. Tim DeRoche, Education Next.
