Around the state: Gov. Ron DeSantis rejects a call for a summit to discuss the sales tax cut stalemate in the Legislature, proposals for four-day school weeks are abandoned in Glades and Franklin counties after the state strongly discourages the switch, University of West Florida President Martha Saunders is resigning after criticism from the governor and trustees over DEI programs and events, 12 Florida students qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Flagler’s school board is considering how to close a $2.5 million budget deficit by the end of June, and a Liberty County 1st-grade teacher has been named a finalist for the state teacher of the year award. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Hillsborough: Hillsborough has been named the 2024-2025 school district of the year by Cambridge International for students’ performance on the group’s exams and its expansion of access to the curriculum. WTSP.
Palm Beach: Graduation ceremonies were held Monday at Palm Beach Gardens, Santaluces and Pahokee community high schools. Palm Beach Post.
Lee: A redesign of Bonita Springs Elementary School will incorporate historical elements of the school that was built in 1921. The entrance will include a 16-foot wall designed to resemble the original building, which will be torn down. Student capacity will increase from 600 to 679 when the project is complete in the fall of 2027. Until then, the part of the school that is open now will remain open. Fort Myers News-Press.
Pasco: Joseph Watson, a music teacher at Oakstead Elementary in Land O’ Lakes, was arrested Monday and accused of possession of child pornography. Principal Clare Ennis said the charges are not connected to the teacher’s role, and that he has been removed from the campus. Tampa Bay Times. WTSP.
Osceola: A long-term substitute teacher has been arrested and accused of throwing a student at Neptune Elementary School in St. Cloud into a classroom wall as punishment for dropping crayons on the floor. Police said Casmore Shaw, 71, has been charged with child abuse. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV. WESH.
Volusia: A recommended change of insurance providers for district employees will be considered by the school board at today’s meeting. Curative Insurance Co. was recommended by a committee to replace Florida Health Care Plan Inc. in a three-year deal that would cost the district no more than $153 million. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Sarasota: Mold was recently discovered during an inspection at Venice Elementary School. The mold was found in the walls, the air ducts and under some carpet, and the district has announced a seven-step remediation plan to take care of the problem. WWSB.
Alachua: Students from Oak Hall School and the Frazier School combined for six national championships at the recent U.S. Chess Federation’s SuperNationals VIII in Orlando. More than 4,600 students participated. Mainstreet Daily News.
Flagler: School officials have to erase a $2.5 million budget deficit by June 30, Superintendent LaShakia Moore has told school board members. Enrollment is projected to decline by 432 students in the fall, which has reduced funding from the state. Moore expects to make up the deficit through attrition, though the district could tap its reserves to balance the budget. Flagler Live.
Glades, Franklin: Schools officials in Glades and Franklin counties have abandoned their four-day school week proposals after receiving a letter from the Florida Department of Education strongly encouraging them to do so. In letters to the districts, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. wrote, “Not only am I concerned with the potentially detrimental impacts to student achievement as a result of a four-day school week, but I also have great concerns about how students will receive the services and support that they rely on at school such as meals and the structure of attending class. I strongly encourage you … to heed research that heavily disputes the decision to switch to a four-day school week.” Apalachicola Times. WBBH.
Liberty: Katy Jo Harrison, a 1st-grade teacher at Hosford Elementary and Junior High School, has been named one of the five finalists for the state’s 2026 teacher of the year award. The winner will be announced in July. WMBB. Florida Department of Education.
Colleges and universities: Martha Saunders, president of the University of West Florida in Pensacola since 2017, has announced she is resigning. “This is the right time — for me and for UWF,” she said. UWF has been under scrutiny lately from Gov. Ron DeSantis and his trustee appointees for its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and activities. Saunders vowed to work with trustees to ensure a smooth transition. Pensacola News Journal. Politico Florida. Florida Phoenix. News Service of Florida.
Budget summit rejected: Gov. DeSantis said Monday he won’t participate in a budget summit, proposed by the Republican Party, with leaders of the Senate and House over their disagreements about cutting taxes in the budget. “With all due respect though, that’s not the role of the Republican Party of Florida,” the governor said. “And so no, we’re not going to do a dog and pony show. That’s not the way this works. The way it works is people should do their jobs.” DeSantis wants to cut property taxes, while House Speaker Daniel Perez supports a reduction of the sales tax, and neither is budging. Senate President Ben Albritton tried to steer a compromise that reduced the proposed cut in the sales tax, but abandoned it when DeSantis said he would veto it. Florida Phoenix. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics.
In the Legislature: One of the bills that has been sent to Gov. DeSantis for consideration would give parents instead of school officials the authority to propose a conversion of a public school to a charter and allow municipalities to apply for a conversion of any public school that receives a state grade below an A for five straight years. Axios. Another bill on the governor’s desk would give members of a school’s marching band credit for physical education or performing arts. USA Today Florida Network.
Spelling bee contestants: Twelve Florida students between the ages of 10 and 14 have qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland between May 27 and May 29. State qualifiers are Hadi Abbasi, 12, of Miami; Louis Avetis, 12, of Orlando; Nicasio David, 14, of Fort Myers; Cecily Dean, 13, of Tallahassee; Diego Gallegos, 11, of Orlando; Elias Benjamin Javelona, 13, of Belleview; Vlada Kozhevnikova, 12, of St. Petersburg; Moksh Maru, 10, of Sanford; Nikhail Sha, 13, of Miami; Sophia Jolie Schoenrock, 13, of Naples; Sree Vidya Siliveri, 14, of Jacksonville; and Aiden Westover, 14, of Orlando. Students from Pinellas County have won the last two titles. USA Today Florida Network.
Around the nation: U.S. House Republicans are proposing to include up to $5 billion a year as part of their budget bill for scholarships to help families send their children to private schools. Only those families making three times the local median income would not be eligible for the funds. Associated Press. Even as student enrollment in public schools has declined and financial instability has grown in the past decade, the number of public school closures has declined, according to research from the Brookings Institution. Education experts say the paradox can be explained by community resistance and because districts “are so bad at this.” The 74.
Opinions on schools: Despite a non-stop agitation-propaganda effort by unions, most teachers support families having educational options. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. It was bad enough that a federal grant to the University of West Florida to train teachers was canceled because the program contained the words “social justice.” The worse news is that the grant supported only two students. The fact that this faculty couldn’t find more than two students to support with grant funds says something depressing about the future supply of math and science teachers. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. Allowing some trifling X account to dictate policy at Florida’s flagship university won’t exactly burnish UF’s reputation. Diane Roberts, Florida Phoenix.
