Around the state: Broward County's public school enrollment is down by another 9,500 students in the first week of this school year, Duval school board members are considering a proposal to sell the administration headquarters and buy a new home, three Duval students have been struck by cars since schools opened last week, and Miami-Dade schools strike a deal with Adidas for naming rights of a stadium and more. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Adidas will pay the school district $13.5 million over the next five years for the right to add its name to Traz Powell Stadium, school officials announced Monday. The company will also provide uniforms for every athlete in the 40 high schools that make up the Greater Miami Athletic Conference. WTVJ.
Broward: Enrollment in the public school system is down 9,498 students, according to the district's first-week count, from 249,563 to 240,065. During the same period a year ago, enrollment was down 2,337. Most of the decline, 8,733 students, came from traditional district schools, but charter school population also dipped 765 after being up last year. An official count will be conducted next month. "When we have all the data, it will be analyzed to see what we can glean from the numbers," said district spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion. "Until then, it would be speculation." Sun Sentinel.
Duval: A proposal to sell the school district's headquarters and move to a property in southeast Jacksonville is on the school board's Sept. 2 agenda. Selling the current headquarters could bring in $20 million, and the district expects to spend $14 million on the new Baymeadows property, which is a four-story building owned by a company controlled by Dream Finders Home LLC. Board members meet today and could discuss the proposal. Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville Today. WJAX. WJXT. Three district students have been by cars in the first six days of school. Monday, a car hit a student walking to First Coast High. That student was not seriously injured, but a middle-schooler was struck and killed last Thursday and another student was also hit last week. "We need to do better, Duval," said school board member Cindy Pearson. Jacksonville Today. WJAX.
Lee: District officials and the teachers union are squabbling over the state of the teaching force after a week of classes. Superintendent Denise Carlin says the district has a certified teacher in every classroom, but union president Kevin Daly disputes that, contending that employees are teaching classes without the appropriate certification for the subject or grade level, that classrooms are being combined and are overcrowded, and teachers have lost planning periods. If what the district says is true, Daly says, "you would think that we would be entertaining superintendents from across the nation to learn what our great secret is to go from 200 and some openings last year to none this year." Fort Myers News-Press.
Osceola: A new alternative charter high school has opened in Kissimmee that gives students a variety of ways to qualify for graduation. Vineland Lakes High School offers flexible schedules and individualized courses in core subjects like math, science, English and social studies as well as career and technical education options for students who have fallen behind. WKMG.
Manatee, Sarasota: A pastor's lawsuit against former Manatee school superintendent Cynthia Saunders was reinstated last week by a federal appeals court. In 2019, Arthur Huggins was removed from a school board meeting after complaining about a police officer and a board member. He sued the district and the superintendent, alleging a violation of his First Amendment rights. The suit against the district was dismissed, but the court wrote that Saunders was not entitled to qualified immunity because "she has not shown that directing the removal of a community member from a board meeting falls within the scope of her discretionary authority." Florida Phoenix. USA Today Florida Network. School grades recently issued by the state showed mixed results in Manatee and Sarasota counties, but district administrators say the grades don't fully reflect school performance. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Leon: About a third of the school district's funding for after-school programs won't be delivered to Leon and 26 other districts, the Florida Department of Education said recently. Children’s Services Council executive director Cecka Rose Green says the council will help fill the gap. WFSU.
Alachua: School board member Sarah Rockwell will appear before the Florida Board of Education on Wednesday to explain a public statement she made when Hulk Hogan died: "Oh did Hulk die? I didn't even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world." She was quickly rebuked by Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas for what he called "disparaging comments about the death of a conservative figure." The appearance comes a day after the board's new public comments policy goes into effect. USA Today Florida Network.
Santa Rosa: An information technology specialist for the school district has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that he's had "inappropriate communications" with female students at Central School. Keith Elliott, 43, is the son of school board member Charles Elliott. Pensacola News Journal.
Monroe: School board members are expected to give final approval today to a 7.3% increase in the property tax millage rate that will boost district revenue by nearly $12 million. Key West Citizen.
Gadsden: A pedestrian was killed Monday morning after being struck by two school buses and a police car in Gretna. No students were on the buses at the time, said Superintendent Elijah Key. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. WCTV.
Colleges and universities: University of Florida trustees said Monday they do not yet have a candidate to consider as interim president to replace Kent Fuchs, who extended his contract Aug. 1 to remain in the role for another month. Gainesville Sun. News Service of Florida. Florida Politics. Santa Ono, whose hiring as UF's president was rejected by the Florida Board of Governors, has been hired as global president of the Ellison Institute of Technology research institute founded by software mogul Larry Ellison. Detroit Free Press. Tampa Bay Times.
State budget issues: Even as Gov. Ron DeSantis has criticized local governments for approving large increases in property taxes and has proposed cutting those taxes, he has signed state budgets boosted by rising property values. Property taxes are a key component of school funding. USA Today Florida Network. State economists forecast that the budget will be boosted by an extra $500 million in revenues over the next two years, but are advising fiscal caution because of "a less certain economic environment" nationally. Politico Florida.
Around the nation: The explosive growth of microschools across the country is happening with inconsistent rules and regulations because there is no agreed-upon federal definition of what they are. Tribune News Service.
Opinions on schools: Asking your child’s teacher what the best book your child will read this year won’t tell you everything about a school's priorities, but it will reveal a lot about the school’s approach to education. James V. Shuls, Orlando Sentinel. Florida is saving students from woke indoctrination through right-wing indoctrination. Diane Roberts, Florida Phoenix. Immigration raids at schools will have long-term implications on learning outcomes, mental health and even school funding for children enrolled in public schools nationwide. Sonia Banker, Sun Sentinel.
