Around the state: The House approves an education bill that includes changes in college presidential searches opposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Hillsborough school officials blame an $18 million budget deficit largely on declining enrollment and the state Department of Education's overspending, Orange schools will pay a consultant to lure former public school students back, Palm Beach's school board ends the district's DEI policies, and a member of the state Board of Education says students and professors should be allowed to carry guns on campuses. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Hillsborough: Declining enrollment and overspending by the state Department of Education has contributed to an $18 million school district budget shortfall, says chief financial officer Jamie Lewis. About half of the deficit was attributed to the drop in the number of students. Another $4.1 million was the result of the DOE overspending its budget by $231 million, he said, a cost that was split among the state's districts. "That’s unavoidable," Lewis said. "There’s nothing we could’ve done to stop that. All districts were impacted, we did confirm that." Tampa Bay Times.
Orange: School board members approved a proposal to pay $935 to a consultant "for each formerly enrolled (district) student who re-enrolls ... and attends a district-operated school for 30 days." Caissa Public Strategy LLC, a Tennessee-based public relations firm, started work Wednesday and will continue through Dec. 31. Enrollment is expected to decline by 3,100 in the fall, which also means a decline of $27.8 million in state funding that will be made up through a 2% budget cut for all district departments. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG.
Palm Beach: Diversity, equity and inclusion policies were terminated Wednesday by the school board, which was facing the possible loss of $300 million in federal funding if the district didn't comply with the new rules. Among the 10 policy changes were the removal of language promoting diversity hiring and scrapping advantages given to minority- and woman-owned businesses with ties to the district. WPEC. WPBF. WPTV. A SouthTech Academy English teacher who was arrested and accused of unlawful sexual activity with a child is also being charged with attempting to assist in self-murder. Deputies say Damian Conti, 36, made a suicide pact with the 16-year-old girl and accompanied her to a store to buy rope. She then tried to hang herself, but was unsuccessful. Palm Beach Post.
Polk: School board members voted this week to offer the general counsel job to James Greene, who is currently the general counsel for the Pasco County School District. Board chair William Allen and interim counsel Frederick Murphy will negotiate a contract with Greene, with the expectation that an agreement will be reached before the May 6 board meeting. Greene would replace Wes Bridges, who retired in September after 26 years representing the district. Lakeland Ledger.
Brevard: District officials are considering ways to ease overcrowding concerns at Bayside High School, and Westside and Sunrise elementaries, all in Palm Bay. A two-story addition that can accommodate 700 students is proposed for Bayside, while Sunrise could become a K-8 and Westside would get 12 portable classrooms. The cost of the projects is $47 million. Spectrum News 13.
Volusia: School board members approved a proposal to spend $8.4 million on two properties as future sites for schools. Legal complications are expected, since the DeBary City Council said plans for a school are incompatible with the city’s comprehensive plan. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Marion: Parents of a 10-year-old Legacy Elementary School student who committed suicide two years ago are suing the school district, saying a teacher bullied the boy. A district investigation concluded that the teacher called Louis Johnson stupid, yelled at him and ridiculed him in front of other students, leading him to become depressed and anxious and take his life, according to the lawsuit. The teacher's contract was not renewed after the results of the investigation were reported. WCJB.
Alachua: A new contract calling for 1.3% raises was approved Wednesday by 88% of the teachers who voted on the deal with the district. The agreement also reinstated early-release Wednesdays, which the union said teachers needed for planning. School board members have to approve the agreement, and meet today for that vote. WCJB.
Citrus: A new "one-stop" communications platform was approved by the school board this week. It's meant to replace several other apps parents have been using, and will cost the district $88,580. It's expected to be ready for use by September. Citrus County Chronicle.
Monroe: Four school superintendent semifinalists have been chosen by the school board, including two who live in the Keys. Thirty-two people applied to replace the retiring Theresa Axford, and the list had been culled to 11 before this week's further narrowing to four. Public interviews of the semifinalists will be held May 1. Key West Citizen.
Colleges and universities: Students and professors should be allowed to carry guns on the state's college campuses, Florida Board of Education member Daniel Foganholi argued Wednesday in an op-ed piece in a British magazine. "Gun-free zones do not protect our students – they turn them into defenseless, easy targets," he wrote. "When sick individuals like the shooter at FSU attempt to terrorize campuses, they deserve swift and decisive confrontation by anyone capable of stopping them. In other words, they deserve to be shot dead on the spot." Miami Herald. Sun Sentinel.
College presidential searches: Members of the House decisively passed an expansive education bill Wednesday that includes the repeal of a law that shields university presidential searches from public disclosure. HB 1267 started as a charter school authorization bill, but has been broadened to include presidential searches, changing the K-12 school grading system, and more. Gov. DeSantis has labeled the bill "Make Universities Woke Again." Politico Florida.
In God We Trust signs: The House also overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require schools to prominently post the slogan "In God We Trust" in a "clearly visible location and public area of the school which is readily accessible to and widely used by students and in a clearly visible location and public area of each building used by the district school board." A companion bill in the Senate has made no progress since being introduced March 10. Florida Politics.
Also in the Legislature: All public schools would be required to have automated external defibrillators for emergency cardiac events under a bill unanimously approved by the House on Wednesday. An identical measure was temporarily postponed in the Senate. Florida Politics. A new House bill would amend a law governing appeals by drivers who are issued tickets after a camera catches them illegally passing stopped school buses. Those appeals now go to a clerk of courts and drivers would then appear before a judge. Under the change, the appeals responsibility would fall to school districts. Miami Herald. A bill that would give parents the right to opt out their children from required instruction on human embryologic development, expands school access to opioid antagonists and more won the approval of the full House on Wednesday. Florida's Voice.
Opinions on schools: The Florida House recently committed the legislative equivalent of an unforced error in tennis or an own goal in soccer when it set aside a pot of money for K-12 scholarships based on estimates of student enrollment but provided no backup funding plan if applications for scholarships exceed these estimates. William Mattox, Florida Politics. Rather than forcing every student into a pre-set model, à la carte education draws inspiration from how we already customize other aspects of our lives. This could lead to schools that are more agile and responsive, and students who receive services that more closely match their needs. David Marshall, Florida Politics. State tests should be replaced with a single, national assessment annually for all 4th- and 8th-graders. Goldy Brown and Christos A. Makridis, The 74.
