Around the state: The House and Senate have reached a consensus on a $29.5 billion K-12 education budget, a teacher initiative plan was approved in Lee, a teacher was arrested in Manatee, budget woes in Gilchrist and a win for the state teacher’s union. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A new initiative in this school district is bringing artificial intelligence into the classroom. Broward schools announced a collaboration with Microsoft that brings the company’s AI platform, Copilot, to teachers across grade levels. WLRN. As Broward braces for state budget decisions and declining enrollment, district leaders say they are working to preserve the arts. “We totally understand the thoughts of the parents,” said Angela Fulton, Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning.” WPLG.
Orange: Cypress Creek High School students and alumni rallied outside of the Orange County School Board meeting earlier this week, urging district leaders to save the college-level International Baccalaureate magnet program, which is set to be cut. Orlando Sentinel. Meanwhile, Orange County Public Schools say they hope to expand on an initiative that will give eligible school district employees access to affordable housing units. Spectrum News.
Lee: The school board in Lee approved a teacher incentive plan offering bonuses of up to $9,000 for teachers in high-need schools or in critical subject areas. The plan, called Honoring our Educations: Teacher Incentive Initiative, is designed to attract and retain teachers and to ensure that every classroom is staffed on the first day of school. But the move has drawn criticism from the district’s teacher’s union who says the board bypassed collective bargaining. Fort Myers News-Press.
Manatee: A teacher was fired a week after her arrest for sending a lewd photo to a middle school student. On Tuesday, the School Board of Manatee County voted unanimously to terminate the teacher from her position as an ESE teacher, calling the details of the case “alarming and contemptible for anyone serving as a school teacher.” WTSP. WWSB.
Gilchrist: Officials in Gilchrist County schools say they are facing financial challenges in the district, facing a shortfall of about $1.6 million. School leaders say they are looking at their budget to make adjustments. WCJB.
Legislative update: The House and Senate have reached a consensus on a $29.5 billion K-12 education budget — a 3% increase from the current fiscal year. The budget will fund $9,130 per student. Lawmakers are also using property taxes to help fund the K-12 budget. The budget fully funds accelerated courses, such as Advanced Placement, that help high school students get college credit. The program is funded with about $597 million. “This Legislature has shown a deep commitment, not only to public education, but education as a whole,” said House Appropriations Chair Lawrence McClure. Meanwhile, districts like Pinellas unexpectedly had to spend more than $50 million this school year because of hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the Legislature did not provide relief, putting additional financial pressure on the district. “If it wasn’t for the referendum, it would be a really difficult year,” Hendrick said, referring to the district’s voter-approved property tax increase in support of added teacher pay and arts initiatives. Pinellas’ school board is scheduled to unveil its preliminary budget at a June 24 workshop. Public hearings are set for July 29 and Sept. 9. Florida Politics. Yahoo News. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher’s unions: The Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union, announced earlier this week that 100 of its local unions throughout the state had successfully re-certified. That means teachers represented by those unions had voted to keep their existing union alive. Under Senate Bill 256, most public sector unions in the state must hold annual recertification elections if less than 60% of the workers they represent are full, dues-paying members. State records show that so far, more than 69,000 public employees in Florida — including blue-collar workers such as school bus drivers and state-employed nurses — have seen their unions decertified and their union contracts nullified as a result of unions failing to petition for recertification. Orlando Weekly. Creative Loafing.
Homeless students: A federal law that helps homeless students get an education could be in jeopardy. NPR.
Opinions on schools: As educators, it’s our job to provide that education — to inspire students, support their growth and give them our very best. But that doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and it doesn’t happen through educators alone. It takes communities that support children and families, schools that are properly funded, and classrooms led by highly trained professionals. Rob Kriete, Tampa Bay Times. School attendance is critical for success in the classroom, and success in school is core to health across a lifespan. Children who attend school regularly are far more likely to achieve academically and graduate from high school than those who are chronically absent. Joshua Sharfstein and Bechara Choucair, The 74th. Education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, vouchers, charter schools, hybrid home-schooling, tutoring, course choice, dual degrees, and microschools are transforming K–12 in profound ways. Rick Hess, Education Week.
