Around the state: Both the House and Senate have now approved a repeal of a 2023 law requiring later school start times for middle and high school students, the House speaker has offered a property tax reduction proposal that he hopes to put on the 2026 ballot, Florida again ranks 50th in the nation for average teacher pay, a Broward high school reports a student has been confirmed to have tuberculosis, and a Tampa Christian school is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court over a lower court’s decision that its free speech rights were not violated when a state agency refused to allow it to broadcast a pregame prayer over a stadium loudspeaker. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A case of tuberculosis has been discovered at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. Everyone who has had contact with the infected student is being notified to be tested. TB is caused by the germ Mycobacterium tuberculosis and primarily affects the lungs. It is spread when someone with active TB talks or coughs. Sun Sentinel. WSVN. WPLG. WFOR. WTVJ. For the second consecutive day, a handgun was discovered by authorities at Miramar High School. Tuesday, the loaded weapon was found wrapped in a shirt in an unlocked locker in the boys locker room. Monday, a 17-year-old student was arrested after a gun was found in his backpack. Sun Sentinel. WPLG. Two students at Renaissance Charter School in Pembroke Pines were taken into custody Tuesday and accused of having weapons on campus. Police said the items appeared to be part of a self-defense kit that’s available online. WSVN. WTVJ. WFOR.
Hillsborough: A Tampa Christian school is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine if the Florida High School Athletic Association violated its First Amendment rights by denying its use of a stadium loudspeaker to broadcast a prayer before a state championship football game in 2015. Cambridge Christian School lost its case at the district court level, and its appeal was rejected last year by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. News Service of Florida. Amid the rush to deport undocumented immigrants and the threats of significant funding cuts to education programs, 85 students in the district’s Migrant Education Program remain on track to graduate from high school this spring. Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco: A 100-year-old school faces being taken over by the state if it can’t raise its grade this year. Cox Elementary in Dade City has been issued a D grade from the state in every year since 2019. If it doesn’t improve, it will be turned into a charter school company, handed over to an education management company or closed. Tampa Bay Times.
Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto: Even with the state’s spending on mental health services for students increasing by 157% since the Parkland school tragedy in 2018, school officials in Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties say it’s still not enough. “Right now, we’re at the point where there are so many students who are having so many difficulties that we’re reacting to those to provide them the support,” said Manatee mental health coordinator Sara Sanders. “And then we’re utilizing all of our resources to provide the reactive support that we don’t have the time to do the proactive thing.” Suncoast Searchlight.
Lake: An administrator has been removed from Eustis Middle School after a district investigation concluded she inappropriately grabbed a 7th-grader while trying to confiscate his phone. No criminal charges were filed, but district officials reassigned her to a position outside any school. WOFL.
Escambia: A tip led Warrington Preparatory Academy resource officers to find a firearm in the possession of a student on Tuesday. No one was injured, and charges are pending. Pensacola News Journal. WEAR.
Colleges and universities: University of South Florida trustees have unanimously approved spending $407 million to build an on-campus football stadium. It’s expected to be ready for the 2027 season opener. Tampa Bay Times.
Later start times reversed: A 2023 law requiring later start times for the state’s middle and high schools has been undone even before it took effect. Members of the House voted Tuesday to join senators in repealing the law and allowing districts to set their own times. The push to repeal was prompted by complaints from districts about the costs and the upheaval associated with adopting later times. The bill now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times.
New property tax plan: House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, is proposing a property tax cut that he hopes to get on the 2026 ballot. A committee would be formed to offer proposals for the next legislative session in January that, if approved, would then go on the November 2026 ballot as a constitutional amendment. Politico Florida. USA Today Florida Network. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics. Senators formally proposed to extend the legislative session into next week to come to agreement on a state budget. The chambers are still $4 billion apart on spending, mostly because of differences over the size of a tax cut. “We’re not going to be done by Friday, but hopefully we’ll have a good solution by Friday,” said Senate Appropriations Committee chair Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor. WCTV.
Also in the Legislature: A man who suffered catastrophic injuries in a 2006 crash with a Pasco County school bus, Marcus Button, will receive a $1.2 million settlement if a bill approved by both the Senate and House is signed by Gov. DeSantis. Tampa Bay Times. Florida remains undecided if it wants to further restrict students’ use of cell phones during the school day. Fresh Take Florida. DeSantis also has received a bill approved by both chambers that would require school districts to promptly remove teachers accused of certain criminal offenses. Florida Politics. The House and the Senate have both passed a measure declaring Jan. 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Florida Politics.
Average teacher pay 50th: Average teacher pay in Florida ranks 50th among the states for the second year in a row, according to data announced Tuesday by the National Education Association teachers union. The average teacher made $54,875 during the 2023-2024 school year, which was higher than only Mississippi’s $53,704. Starting teachers in Florida make an average of $48,639, which ranks 17th. WEAR. Florida Education Association.
Office of Parental Rights: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced the formation of a team to enforcing parents-rights laws on such issues as gender transition, library materials, school surveys and more. The Office of Parental Rights will be “fighting the fights that parents bring to us,” he said. Florida Phoenix. Florida Times-Union.
Around the nation: As part of a budget bill, U.S. House Republicans have proposed an overhaul of the student loans process and would raise the requirements to qualify for Pell Grants. Pensacola News Journal. Inside Higher Ed.
Opinions on schools: Yes, many math classes in Florida middle and high schools are being taught by uncertified educators. But the problem is even worse in special education and English. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
