Around the state: Many Florida students who have state scholarships will be eligible for more money under a new federal school choice program, Orange school officials say most of the books the state is demanding be removed from libraries have never been checked out, year-round schools in Brevard and Marion counties resume classes, and mold is discovered in two Madison County schools. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Orange: More than half of the 41 books in district high school school libraries that the state calls "pornographic" have never been checked out, according to library records. The other 19 have been checked out fewer than 10 times each. Critics of book removals, such as Orange school board member Melissa Byrd, call removals a "non-issue that was made an issue because it’s political," but state Department of Education spokeswoman Sydney Booker said, "Minor children should not have access to pornographic materials, let alone have access to those materials in publicly funded schools." Orlando Sentinel.
Duval: Superintendent Christopher Bernier was rated as highly effective in his first evaluation by school board members. He received an overall score of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. His highest rating was in curriculum and instruction, at 3.67, and his lowest was 3.51 in finance. WJXT. The school district's 2024 teacher of the year was arrested last week and accused of felony domestic battery by strangulation. Gustavo Guzman, 26, is a biology teacher at Terry Parker High School and site director for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence program. District officials said "appropriate actions will take place following the outcome of the investigations." WTLV. WJAX.
Brevard: Students at Challenger 7 Elementary School in Port St. John resumed classes Monday as they begin the second year of a state year-round schooling pilot program. The rest of the county's schools begin Aug. 11. Like traditional public schools, year-round schools have 180 days of classes but with a shorter summer and additional breaks from classes at other times of the year. WKMG.
St. Johns: New Superintendent Brennan Asplen, who began his job July 1, says he has eliminated two administrative positions and wants to advance accelerated learning and improve communications with the public. "We need to continue to make sure that our folks really understand what the vision is, where we’re going, what are the gaps that we need to fill to help our students be successful, and if we do that, we’re going to be in great shape," he said. WJXT.
Marion: Another school in the state's year-round schooling pilot test program begins classes today. Wyomina Park Elementary School in Ocala is also in the second year of a five-year test to measure the benefits of a shorter summer and more frequent breaks during the year. While the school's academic performance didn't improve in the first year, principal Victoria Hunt says student behavior did. "We’ve been able to reduce our referral rate in our school suspension rates, and we’re really excited about that," she said. WKMG.
Madison: District administrators and the school board are being criticized for a lack of transparency after the district acknowledged that "microbial growths" discovered at Madison County High School and Madison Central School on July 8 are mold. which formed because of high humidity in the schools. A mold assessor says about 60% of the cleanup is finished and retesting will begin soon. WCTV.
Colleges and universities: A teacher apprenticeship program is being launched at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. Starting in August, three local paraprofessionals will serve as teaching apprentices alongside veteran teachers at the Imagine School at North Port while they work toward earning a teaching degree at no cost. FSW received a $500,000 state grant to start the program. WFTX.
More funds for choice: Many parents of children already receiving scholarships from the state to attend private schools or be home-schooled could get even more money from the newly approved federal program that will award vouchers for tuition and other expenses. The program will be funded by allowing people to contribute to nonprofit scholarship funding organizations and then subtracting the value of their donations from their tax bills. Orlando Sentinel.
Around the nation: Florida has the 21st-best school system in the United States, according to the personal finance website WalletHub. States were rated in 32 metrics for quality and safety. Florida earned high grades for its digital learning plan and a low bullying incidence rate, with its weaknesses being low standardized test scores and pupil-teacher ratio. USA Today Florida Network.
Opinions on schools: The state says high school graduation rates have gone from 59.2% in 2003-2004 to 89.7% in 2023-2024. This seems great, but the gains are hollow because 60% of students entering college as freshmen still require remediation, and half of those getting remediation drop out. Christopher Adams, Florida Today. The new reality of school choice in Florida is anything but a threat to charter schools or public education. The growth of ESAs in Florida represents an opportunity for both charter schools and district schools to reshape public education. Thibaut Delloue, Orlando Sentinel. School choice is great, but the churn it allows comes at a cost. We can do better. Ronak Shah, The 74.
