Around the state: Senate and House officials still haven’t reached an agreement on a state budget and aren’t expected to end the legislative session as scheduled Friday, the House approves a bill forbidding school districts to consider literary value when deciding whether books challenged for sexual content should be removed, a proposal to allow exemptions to the minimum wage law appears to be dead in the Senate, a bill changing the process for converting public schools into charters was approved by the Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints a Broward school board member, and a Sarasota County high school student died Friday after a medical emergency at the school. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A Coral Gables lawyer has been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the final two years of District 6 school board member Brenda Fam, who resigned her seat last week with about 18 months left in her term after complaining about “personal attacks” and “unprofessional behavior” by her colleagues. Adam Cervera will be sworn in Thursday. Sun Sentinel. Florida Politics.
Hillsborough: By next fall, all school district classrooms will have artificial intelligence technology that will translate foreign languages in real time for students. About 75% already have access to headsets that can translate about 170 languages and write out the words on a tablet. Most of the project will be paid for with federal funds awarded during the pandemic. Tampa Bay Times.
Lee: Parents and directors of after-school programs say new school start and finish times that begin this fall will have an impact on them. Elementary students who are now dismissed at 2 p.m. will now be out at 3:15 p.m., and middle-schoolers who are now out at 3 p.m. will be pushed back to 4:15, affecting after-school programs. Later start times could also pose a challenge for parents who will now need before-school child care. WBBH.
Brevard: A 17-year-old Satellite High School student who protested the contract termination of a teacher who called a student by their chosen name without parental consent was suspended for a day for the profane e-mail she sent to school board member Megan Wright. The suspension was removed from Savanna Pollitt’s record after she fought it, contending it was a freedom of speech issue because she used her personal e-mail from over on a weekend. Florida Today. The first of the school district’s 18 high school graduations is May 21, and the ceremonies continue through May 27. Space Coast Daily.
Manatee: A Bradenton charter school teacher has been arrested and accused of molesting and inappropriately touching his students. Deputies said Richard Silberman, 72, is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and battery. He no longer works at Team Success A School of Excellence. Bradenton Herald. WFLA. WFTS.
St. Johns: Four finalists have been chosen by the school board for the soon-to-be-open school superintendent’s job. Two still in the running to replace the retiring Tim Forson are administrators in the district: deputy superintendent Brennan Asplen and Kyle Dresback, regional superintendent for secondary and alternative schools. Interviews are May 13 and 14 and open to the public, and the school board is expected to choose May 20. Jacksonville Today. WJXT.
Marion: High school graduation season begins May 15 at St. John Lutheran School, and ends May 31 with ceremonies for West Port High and Dunnellon High at the Ocala World Equestrian Center. Ocala Star-Banner.
Sarasota: A student at Booker High School in Sarasota died during school hours Friday after experiencing a medical emergency. Superintendent Terry Connor did not provide details, but did say grief counselors would be on campus today to support students and staff. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB.
Clay: The school district could lose $3.9 million in state funding if the Legislature follows through with a proposal to cut bonuses for schools based on the number of students who excel in advanced classes and earn certifications in career and technical education classes. Clay Today.
Alachua: A contract agreement between the teachers union and the district was approved last week by the school board. The deal gives teachers a 1.3% raise, and it was previously approved by union members. It also reinstates early release Wednesdays at elementary and K-8 schools. Mainstreet Daily News. Gainesville Sun.
Bay, Walton: Projects in Bay and Walton counties were among those awarded grants from the Triumph Gulf Coast board, which distributes money to communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Bay schools will receive $8.075 million to expand career and technical training at five high schools. In Walton, Seaside Schools Inc. will receive $9.557 million to expand industry certification and dual-enrollment programs at the Seaside Collegiate High School charter school. Florida Politics.
Colleges and universities: The University of Florida was ordered by the DeSantis administration to halt its search for a new College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean after a report on a conservative social account charged that the four finalists were opposed to the governor’s higher education agenda. Miami Herald. Fresh Take Florida.
Session overtime likely: Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said last week that philosophical differences over tax cut plans in the Senate’s and House’s proposed state budgets will likely lead to the legislative session going beyond its scheduled Friday close. Because there’s a 72-hour “cooling off” period required between the time a budget is agreed to and voted on, a deal would have to be reached by Tuesday. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said the Senate favors “pathological overspending.” The budgets differ by $4.4 billion. Politico Florida. USA Today Florida Network. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics.
Book restrictions: Members of the House voted 81-29 for a proposal that would forbid school districts from considering the literary value of a book challenged for removal because of content “harmful to minors.” A similar bill has stalled in the Senate. Critics worry that the bill would eliminate classic books that have sexual content, such as Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Politico Florida. WUSF. Florida Politics.
Charter conversions: Converting public schools into charters would be decided by parents under a bill that was approved by senators last week. SB 140 also would remove school boards and school officials from the process of applying for a charter conversion, and teachers from approving it. As of February 2024, Florida has had 23 charter conversions, and most were poorly performing schools that both teachers and parents agreed to convert. Florida Politics.
Also in the Legislature: A bill that would allow exemptions in the minimum wage isn’t likely to get passed, Senate President Albritton said last week. “I don’t love it, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I think if somebody works, whether they’re being an apprentice or whatever, the minimum wage is in the (state) constitution for a reason.” News Service of Florida. Florida Politics. An Albritton priority, a rural renaissance bill, has been rewritten by the House and sent back to the Senate. It would allocate $200 million to rural counties to recruit and retain teachers, improve infrastructure and more. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Senators approved a bill requiring that public school staff be trained to deal with anaphylaxis emergencies, and it now heads to the House. WKMG. Also winning approval last week in the House was a bill requiring schools to teach students at all grade levels about disabilities. Florida Politics.
Around the nation: A federal court has blocked the Trump administration’s plans to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The judge said the administration does not define what a DEI program is, and its actions violate teachers’ free speech rights. Associated Press. The 74. Education Week.
Opinions on schools: Taking away someone’s livelihood because they called a 17-year-old student by their preferred name seems draconian, especially when the 2023 law doesn’t say what consequences a teacher faces for committing such a violation. John A. Torres, Florida Today. Why are we arming students with surveillance tools — and permanent platforms for public shame — during the school day? Jill Coleman, Palm Beach Post. What is the real lesson that the federal government is teaching students at the Palm Beach County School District when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion? Money talks and policy, no matter how much needed, just walks? Palm Beach Post.
