Around the state: Public universities are seeking agreements with the federal government to carry out immigration enforcement, the Senate Pre K-12 budget may challenge public schools, a bill in the Florida Senate examines how college and university leadership is selected, “Gulf of America” could soon make an appearance in Florida’s classrooms and Gov. DeSantis’ office asked colleges and universities across the state of Florida to hand over detailed information on grants received by faculty and research. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Pinellas: Teachers and school support staff should see their paychecks grow next year thanks to the district’s expanded property tax referendum, approved by voters in November. For the first time, the referendum will extend to teacher’s aides, nurses and other workers who are non-instructional. “I love the fact that the support people are included … They get paid so little,” said Lee Bryant, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. Tampa Bay Times. Mary Brown, the first Black person elected to the Pinellas County school board, died recently in Pinellas Park. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: A teacher’s contract in this county wasn’t renewed after using a student’s preferred name, instead of legal name, without parental consent, citing state law. The Brevard County School District decided not to renew the contract of Satellite High School teacher Melissa Calhoun, whose supporters started a petition asking the Brevard County School Board to reinstate her. As of Sunday afternoon, it had garnered more than 39,000 signatures. NBC News. Yahoo News. USA Today.
Alachua: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Janine Plavac to the Alachua County School Board. The appointment of Plavac fills the latest vacancy on the five-member board. Plavac is director of the Health Sciences Institute at St. Francis Catholic High School in Gainesville. Previously, she was chair of the Gainesville High School Advisory Council and was a member of the Alachua County Superintendent Search Committee. It took nearly four months to fill the empty seat. Independent Florida Alligator. Gainesville Sun. Main Street Daily News.
Colleges and universities: The police departments of some public universities in Florida are seeking agreements with the federal government to carry out immigration enforcement on campuses. The change comes as federal officials are revoking the visas of international students and using what critics say are new tactics to push some students out of the country. Florida Atlantic University, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida are all seeking to deputize their campus police for immigration enforcement, representatives for the schools confirmed to The Associated Press. Joshua Glanzer, a spokesperson for FAU, said “all state schools” in Florida are expected to pursue the expanded immigration enforcement authority. In addition, Florida International University confirmed on Friday that it has enrolled in the program known as 287(g) that will allow campus police to stop, question and in some cases detain people who they suspect are in the country illegally. ABC News. CNN. WUSF. Miami Herald. CBS News. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, public and private universities are reporting students have had their visas revoked. At University of Florida, eight students had their visas revoked. At Florida International University, a spokesperson said 18 foreign students have had their F-1 student visas revoked. NBC News. WCJB. Also, Gov. DeSantis’ office has asked colleges and universities across the state of Florida to hand over detailed information on grants received by faculty and research over the last six years. Colleges last week began the process of asking professors for the information, which would be supplied for Florida’s newly formed cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, initiative. Tampa Bay Times.
In the Legislature: A bill in the Florida Senate is examining how college and university leadership is selected. The legislation has advanced through the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education and is one step away from the Senate floor. SB 1726 focuses on filling top roles within Florida’s higher education system and mandates that search committees present at least three finalists for any open president position. It also establishes a residency or alumni status requirement for candidates seeking leadership roles in Florida’s colleges and universities. Sen. Alexis Calatayud emphasized the importance of transparency. “I feel that it is incredibly important that we have an opportunity to understand who some of those individuals are,” she said. News4Jax. Meanwhile, some say the Senate Pre K-12 budget will challenge public schools in the state of Florida. As more families take advantage of the state’s school choice programs, traditional public schools are seeing fewer dollars. “The reflection of the budget is a reflection of the fact that there is, in fact, a reduction in enrollment in the districts based upon the growing number of students and families that are choosing universal school choice,” said Zephyrhills Danny Burgess, who is in charge of the section of the Senate’s budget on PreK-12 schools. Central Florida Public Media. School districts are begging state lawmakers not to slash bonuses for accelerated students. WUWF. Finding out whether a local school board member lives in the district they represent could soon become harder. A measure that is moving through the Florida Legislature would make the addresses and phone numbers of elected officials secret, including school board members. The exemption would only last as long as the official holds office. Tampa Bay Times.
Gulf of America: The “Gulf of America” could make an appearance soon in Florida’s classrooms. The state Senate approved a measure (HB 549) that would require school districts and charter schools to ensure that any materials they purchase after June 30 refer to the Gulf of America — rather than the Gulf of Mexico. The legislation will now head to the governor’s desk to be considered. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Phoenix.
