Around the state: Senate and House leaders announce that the framework for a state budget deal is in place and will be the focus when the paused legislative session resumes May 12, a bill banning cell phones from being used by elementary and middle school students during the school day is now on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, the governor signed another bill adding restrictions to the process for citizens to put constitutional amendments before voters, the University of Florida search committee puts forward a single finalist for the school presidency, and Broward school officials say for the first time since the pandemic every district student will be issued a laptop next fall. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Deputies said a teacher at J.C. Bermudez Doral Senior High School was arrested Thursday after a witness saw him having sex in his classroom with a 17-year-old student. The girl told police she had multiple sexual encounters during the school year with Edian Villar, 28. District officials said they have initiated termination proceedings against him. Miami Herald. WTVJ. WPLG.
Broward: For the first time since the 2020-2021 school year, every district student will be issued a laptop when schools reopen in August, school officials have decided. About 247,000 devices are already owned by the district, which would be enough to cover all students. But it’s estimated by chief information officer Trey Davis that about 58,000 are no longer under warranty and thousands more are outdated. He said a proposal to buy 50,000 new devices from HP and Lenovo will soon be presented to the school board. Sun Sentinel.
Orange, central Florida: Orange County isn’t the only school district losing enrollment, with a projection of 3,100 students leaving public schools when schools resume in the fall. Osceola expects to lose 2,600 and Lake 1,500, and Seminole is advertising that it has space in schools for students who don’t live in the county. Statewide public school enrollment is expected to decline by 70,000 in August, and the state projects the use of vouchers to grow 32% by 2030. Orlando Sentinel.
Lee: Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, which was closed in 2022 after being severely damaged by Hurricane Ian and further affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall, will not reopen next August, district officials announced last week. Since last October, students have been attending San Carlos Elementary, which is 15 miles away. No timeline for the school’s reopening has been set. WINK.
Pinellas: Some progress has been made in narrowing the achievement gap between black and other students, according to a recent report, but black community leaders say there’s more work to be done. Access to advanced courses has improved for black students, and their graduation rate is also up. But gaps remain in test scores and black students continue to be disproportionately disciplined. Tampa Bay Times. A 3rd-grade teacher at the Pinellas Preparatory Academy charter school in Largo has been arrested and accused of trying to transfer an obscene image to a student under the age of 16. Lee Hughes, 45, has been fired, according to school officials. WFLA. WTVT.
Brevard: A former member of the school board said last week that two teachers have been reprimanded for using students’ preferred names without permission from their parents. Last month, another teacher’s contract was not renewed for next year after she acknowledged deliberately ignoring district policy in not using a student’s given name. Jennifer Jenkins said teachers have told her that the district is “curating a list” of other offenders. Florida Today. WKMG.
Volusia: DeBary officials have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the school district in an attempt to discourage it from trying to build a school on land it recently decided to buy. City council members have declared the property unsuitable for a school because it’s incompatible with the city’s comprehensive plan. Daytona Beach News-Journal. WKMG.
St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River: High school graduation ceremonies in the three Treasure Coast counties start May 15 and run through May 24. TCPalm.
Alachua: Constellation Charter School of Waldo has been closed by the school board for a “pattern of serious safety and leadership failures that has compromised the well-being of students and staff.” Students will return to their zoned schools for the rest of the year, said board member Tina Certain. Constellation Charter, which opened in August 2023, has 60 days to appeal the decision. Gainesville Sun. WCJB. Mainstreet Daily News. Alachua Chronicle.
Santa Rosa: Several teachers have announced they will open Primer Microschool, a K-8 educational institution in Milton, next fall. Children will learn in mixed-age classrooms and receive personalized instruction, according to the school founders. WKRG.
Hernando: School board members were unanimous in praising Superintendent Ray Pinder during his recent evaluation after a year on the job. They will now move ahead of a contract extension. “There isn’t anything that I ask you to attend that you say no. You’re there. That means a lot also to our constituents and to everybody in the community,” said board member Shannon Rodriguez, who voted against Pinder’s hiring last June. Hernando Sun.
Colleges and universities: The president of the University of Michigan has been recommended by the University of Florida presidential search committee as the sole finalist to lead the Gainesville college. If the recommendation is approved by trustees and the Florida Board of Governors, Dr. Santa J. Ono will succeed Ben Sasse to become UF’s 14th president. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Independent Florida Alligator. Gainesville Sun. Florida Politics. Associated Press. Pasco-Hernando State College President Jesse Pisors resigned last week, a day before a planned trustees meeting where a state DOGE analysis detailing the school’s declining enrollment was going to be discussed. Pisors had been on the job for less than 18 months. Tampa Bay Times. WUSF.
Budget deal reached: Leaders in the Senate and House announced late Friday that a preliminary agreement has been reach on a state budget, but it wasn’t in time to keep the legislative session from being extended past its scheduled May 2 end. When the Legislature reconvenes May 12, it will finalize details of the budget and consider other bills before its next scheduled finish June 6. Taxes were the biggest hurdle in the budget impasse. A compromise calls for $2.8 billion in tax cuts, much of it by reducing the sales tax, and would bring the budget in below the $115.6 billion Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed. News Service of Florida. Tallahassee Democrat. News Service of Florida. Florida Phoenix. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Orlando Sentinel. USA Today Florida Network. Tampa Bay Times. Here’s a look at some notable bills that passed, and some that didn’t. Florida Daily. Tallahassee Democrat. Florida Politics. Florida Politics. WUSF. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Phoenix.
Cell phone clampdown: A sweeping education bill that includes a ban on elementary and middle school students using cell phones during the school day and authorizes a pilot program in high schools in six counties to evaluate a full-day ban has cleared the Legislature and is now on the governor’s desk. The bill would also make it easier to convert public schools into charters, among other things. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Florida Politics.
Voter initiatives: Gov. DeSantis signed a bill into law Friday putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026 that critics say will make it more difficult to get citizen initiatives before voters. The law adds restrictions and increases potential penalties on citizens groups trying to get amendments on the ballot, shortens the time organizers have to get the required number of signatures, and forces organizers to collect more detailed data about people who sign the petitions. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. The Capitolist. WPLG. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. USA Today Florida Network.
Also in the Legislature: An updated school safety bill that includes new rules on when school doors and gates have to be locked is now on the governor’s desk. Florida Politics. An appeals process for drivers who receive tickets from cameras for illegally passing stopped school buses would be established under another bill. WPTV.
Around the nation: President Trump’s budget proposes drastic cuts in K-12 education funding that would remove about 30% of the federal money sent to some school districts in Florida. Gadsden County would be the most affected, according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, followed by Madison, Highlands, Putnam and DeSoto. Florida gets about 17% of its education dollars from federal funding. WUSF. Twenty-eight of the 35 Advanced Placement tests administered this month will be done digitally instead of on paper, the College Board has announced. K-12 Dive.
Opinions on schools: There wasn’t any significant action taken by the Florida Legislature during the session now grinding to a halt (if not to a conclusion) to improve the teaching and learning of math in the state’s public schools. Furthermore, at least one of the actions that is almost certain to be taken could remove opportunities to learn math, at least for the segment of the public high school population that is bound for four-year colleges. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. Because of the massive expansion of vouchers in 2023, Florida has a looming budget deficit, which is impacting K-12 education and left unaddressed will ultimately affect all public services like criminal justice, health care and transportation. Pinellas County School Board member Laura Hine, Tampa Bay Times.
