Around the state: State budget talks scheduled to resume this week have been put off by an increasingly bitter disagreement between the Senate and House over how to cut taxes, Broward’s school superintendent is proposing to trim $64.6 million from next year’s budget, the state is ordering Hillsborough’s superintendent to appear at a Florida Board of Education meeting June 4 to explain the continued presence of “pornographic and inappropriate” books at three high schools, the former lieutenant governor is chosen as the sole finalist for the Florida International University presidency, and a satirical website has been launched that lampoons the Brevard County School Board and superintendent. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Superintendent Howard Hepburn wants to cut $64.6 million from the school district’s budget for the next fiscal year, he’s told school board members in a memo. A sharp decline in enrollment — 30,000 students over the past decade with 8,800 more expected to leave this fall — is driving the decision. More than 100 campus monitor positions will be eliminated, as well as a handful of upper-level administrators and dozens of non-administrators. Most of the cuts will come through attrition and not filling currently open jobs. Sun Sentinel. District officials are adopting a new alert system that will notify school officials and first responders at the push of a button and “includes the site location, room number, and floor information as well as user’s name to 911 and first responders,” said Hepburn. WSVN.
Hillsborough: Three district high schools still have “pornographic” books on their shelves, the Florida Department of Education warned Superintendent Van Ayres in a letter sent May 9. It said Call Me by Your Name and Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts), which have been deemed “pornographic and inappropriate,” are still available. “Unfortunately, your lack of leadership regarding the selection, approval and maintenance of library media materials continues to put children at risk and undermines parental rights,” the letter states. Ayres has been ordered to appear at the June 4 state Board of Education meeting to explain “why you continue to allow pornographic materials in your school libraries.” WFTS. WFLA. Teachers at low-performing schools will again receive bonuses, the school board has decided. Teachers and assistant principals at those 39 schools receive $5,000 each, principals $7,500 and paraprofessionals $1,000. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: School board members say they back a state bill banning students’ use of cell phones in elementary and middle schools, and a majority say they are in favor of extending it to include high schools. Palm Beach Post. The administrative building at the private Benjamin School in North Palm Beach is being replaced. It’s expected to be open by the fall, the head of the school recently told the village council. Palm Beach Post. A 24-year-old man was arrested after police said he threatened a SLAM Boca Charter School student with a gun on campus earlier this month. WPBF.
Duval: Estelle Williams McKissick, a Duval County schools teacher, assistant principal and principal for 50 years, has died at the age of 96. Florida Times-Union.
Pinellas, Pasco: School lunch prices are going up next year in two Tampa Bay area counties. Pinellas is boosting the prices for an elementary school meal by 50 cents to $2.75, a middle school meal by 40 cents to $3.15, and a high school meal by $1 to $4.50. Costs in Pasco are going up 5%, or 10 to 15 cents. Spectrum News 9.
Brevard: A satirical website has been launched that lampoons the five school board members and Superintendent Mark Rendell for their recent decisions on such issues as book restrictions, LGBTQ rights and teacher dismissals. Former South Park and Mad TV writer Toby Morton created the site brevardschoolboard.com, saying, “I’ve been somewhat following the Brevard County school board, which is, I don’t know the nice way to say it … they’re just a (expletive) mess.” Florida Today. A substitute teacher who allegedly shared a nude photo of himself with a Palm Bay Magnet High student has been arrested. Police said Ajani J. McPherson, 27, is charged with transmitting information harmful to minors and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. Florida Today. WOFL.
Manatee: Construction has begun on the Rye Ranch Elementary School in Parrish. The $75 million school is being built to accommodate up to 969 K-5 students, and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026. Manatee County School District.
Marion: A substitute teacher for the district has been arrested and accused of exchanging nude photos with a student. Deputies said Dianely Torres, 24, has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse material and transmission of material harmful to minors. Torres worked for ESS, the company that supplies the district with substitutes. WKMG. Ocala Star-Banner.
Leon: A 17-year-old Rickards High School student has been arrested and accused of battery against a school official earlier this month. Deputies say an administrator who was intervening in a verbal dispute was punched repeatedly in the face by the student. WTXL. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Organizers of the drive to convert Newberry Elementary School into a charter school are urging the state Department of Education to dismiss the county school board’s appeal of the DOE’s approval. WCJB.
Holmes: Schools are in session today despite severe damage caused by a tornado that roared through the county Saturday. All schools have power and water, but school bus services will be limited. Students who are affected by the storm can be excused with a note from a parent. WMBB. WJHG.
Colleges and universities: Jeanette Nunez, the interim president of Florida International University since February and former lieutenant governor, has been chosen as the sole finalist to run FIU. Politico Florida. Miami Herald. Florida Phoenix. News Service of Florida. When an art history professor at New College of Florida died, she shared her life savings with 31 of her favorite students. New York Times.
Budget talks collapse: The outline of a budget deal that was agreed to in the legislative session last week has fallen apart. Senate President Ben Albritton backed off his support for a compromise sales tax cut after Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he’d veto it, and said the Senate will not convene this week. House Speaker Daniel Perez said he was not changing his mind on wanting to cut the sales tax, and that the chamber will meet Tuesday only to extend the potential end of the session until June 30. The new fiscal year begins July 1. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. USA Today Florida Network. Florida Politics. WFSU. A survey suggests that more Floridians support property tax cuts over lowering the sales tax. Forty-six percent prefer eliminating property taxes, while 32% favor a reduction in the sales tax. Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: Our low-performing systems in public education undermine the productivity of our teachers and students. The question is: how can we build higher-performing systems? Doug Tuthill, NextSteps. Microschools are giving educators the freedom to innovate. Regulators need to get out of the way. Michael Binda and Erica Smith Ewing, Reason. The University of Florida is already one of the nation’s premier public universities. But it has the potential to be the very best. That belief is what led me to pursue the extraordinary opportunity of the UF presidency. Santa J. Ono, Inside Higher Ed. The Community Partnership Schools model represents what’s possible when institutions work together with a common purpose and strong leadership. Andry Sweet, Tallahassee Democrat. State lawmakers should forgo passing any form of tax cut this year. Better to come up with a more prudent 2025-2026 spending plan that will put Florida in a better position to address the new budgetary realities that come with less federal largesse and a slowing economy. Palm Beach Post.
