Around the state: Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $576 million in proposed spending from the state budget, Duval’s school board is expected to vote today on a facilities plan, a report from a Florida business organization calls for better math education, and the Madison County School Board has backed out of a proposal to share three administrators with Jefferson’s school district. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Palm Beach: A former AP English teacher at SouthTech Academy in Boynton Beach was convicted Monday of sexually abusing a 16-year-old student during the 2023-24 school year but acquitted him of aiding in her suicide attempt. Damian Conti, 37, had denied the relationship was sexual, and had turned down plea deal offers for prison terms of 25 years or less. He could get a maximum of 120 years in prison when he’s sentenced Aug. 15. Palm Beach Post. WPTV. WPEC.
Duval: A school board vote is expected today on a new facilities plan that ties school closings to new construction. New versions of Jean Ribault High and Southside Estates Elementary open this fall, while three schools are closing, and four more new schools are expected to be ready by the fall of 2027. Enrollment is expected to rise only slightly over the next nine years, according to the report. Florida Times-Union. WJXT.
Madison, Jefferson: Less than a week after the Jefferson County School Board approved a proposal to share three school administrators with the Madison County School District, Madison’s school board has pulled out of the deal over changes Jefferson made in the job descriptions for transportation, human relations and special education directors. “Shared roles dilute accountability, hinder responsiveness, threaten staff retention and may not yield the financial savings that we expect,” said Madison school board member Devin Thompson. Madison plans to hire its own directors. WCTV. WTXL.
Colleges and universities: A plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit is appealing a circuit judge’s ruling that the University of South Florida did not need to refund money collected for services that weren’t rendered while the school campus was closed during the pandemic in 2020. A similar case involving the University of Florida is being considered by the Florida Supreme Court. News Service of Florida.
Budget vetoes: About $576 million in spending has been vetoed from the 2025-2026 fiscal year state budget by Gov. Ron DeSantis. “I think what you see in the budget is an example of a very fiscally responsible state,” he said. The vetoes take the final budget down to about $115.1 billion, which is more than $2 billion less than last year’s spending. Among the items vetoed were $1 million for a study on how to cut state property taxes, $360,000 for a pilot program studying the effect of banning cellphone in six school districts, and dozens of projects at schools and universities and cities and counties. The $25.9 billion K-12 education budget includes about $4 billion in state scholarships for education choice, a boost of $100 million to raise teacher pay, and a 2% increase in per-student spending. The budget takes effect today. Politico Florida. USA Today Florida Network. Florida Phoenix. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics. WFSU. WTVT. Office of the Governor. The budget’s $1.6 billion in tax cuts includes a back-to-school tax holiday throughout August on clothing, school supplies and computers. News Service of Florida. USA Today Florida Network.
New laws begin today: New education laws going into effect today include a ban on cell phone use in K-8 schools, a change that allows districts to opt out of a 2023 law requiring later start times for middle and high school students, a requirement that all high school students get electrocardiograms before they can play school sports, a bill giving charter schools the authority to increase enrollment beyond the original agreement and creating their own student code of conduct, a measure allowing online students to participate in sports at public or private schools, and more. Central Florida Public Media. USA Today Florida Network. Charlotte Sun. WESH. Spectrum News 13. WUFT. WJAX.
A call for better math: A report from the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation calls for better K-12 math education. What students get now and what employers are looking for aren’t the same thing, according to the report. The business group says such skills as critical thinking, data analysis and problem solving, basic accounting, budgeting and financial literacy that go beyond traditional STEM fields are necessary, and would require adjusting curriculum. WUSF.
Around the nation: Billions of federal dollars school districts were expecting to receive this month to use for after-school programs, teacher training and educating for migrant students is being withheld, Trump administration officials say. Federal officials said they are still reviewing the spending, and won’t release any of the money before the review is completed. Politico. Education Week.
Opinions on schools: Closing low-performing, underenrolled schools and expanding high-performing, in-demand schools is a formula with tremendous upside for educational improvement. Chad Aldeman, The 74.
