Around the state: Florida's education commissioner urges superintendents to "work around" teacher unions during contract negotiations, Osceola and Seminole school teachers reach contract agreements with their districts while several others continue to talk, more student enrollment declines are reported in large counties and another is proposing to merge two schools, and the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee denies it's resumed discussions with New College about merging. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Hillsborough, Pinellas: Student enrollment has declined more than projected in Hillsborough and Pinellas schools. Hillsborough expected to lose about 7,000, but the actual count is about 10,000 fewer after two weeks of classes. Pinellas anticipated a drop of 3,400 students, but that number was 3,650 during the same period. The declines carry a financial penalty, and are forcing both districts to start reassessing their short- and long-term plans. Tampa Bay Times.
Central Florida: Teachers in Osceola and Seminole counties will get modest raises after reaching contract agreements with their districts, while Orange and Lake educators are continuing with negotiations. Teachers rated highly effective in Osceola will get a $500 raise and a 2% cost-of-living adjustment, which is just under $1,000 per teacher. Teachers rated as effective get $350 and the COLA. In Seminole, top-rated teachers will get 2.3% raises, and effective teachers will receive 1.36%. Teachers at low-income schools will also get a $100 bonus. Orlando Sentinel. WFTV. A former Orange County School District employee was sentenced last week to 14 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Terrell Myron Foy, 33, pleaded guilty in April for his sexual relationship with a Blankner School student in December 2023. WFTV.
Palm Beach: Enrollment in traditional district schools is down 3.4% from last year, from 164,614 students to 159,098 students this fall, and charter schools also lost 3.5%, from 21,527 to 20,773. District officials attribute the declines to the expansion of state scholarships allowing students to attend private or other non-district schools, demographic changes, a drop in the number of immigrant students, and the rising cost of living. WPEC. Sun Sentinel.
Duval: Today's scheduled school board vote on the $20 million sale of the district's headquarters and the $14 million purchase of property for a new one has been delayed. Instead, the board will vote whether to authorize Superintendent Christopher Bernier to negotiate contracts that will then be presented to the board for a vote Oct. 7. The district has received nine other offers for the headquarters, but has not released their details. Jacksonville Today. WJAX.
Polk: A lawsuit has been filed against the school district, the sheriff's department and the company that outfits school buses with cameras capturing images of cars illegally passing stopped school buses. Two Miami-based attorneys contend Polk's bus cameras are a money-making "scheme" that uses the cover of student safety. About 13,000 citations have been issued to Polk drivers since the cameras went active in the fall of 2024. WFTS.
Pasco: Two underenrolled schools could be merged under a proposal from district officials. Gulfside Elementary and Paul R. Smith Middle both have student declines this year and are under 65% of capacity. Gulfside students would move to Smith, getting it to 90% capacity. School board members will discuss the plan Sept. 9. Tampa Bay Times. A teacher at Wiregrass Ranch High School has been arrested in Tampa after a domestic disturbance and accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. Steven Long, 23, won't be allowed on campus during the investigation, said district officials. WFTS.
Brevard: Joe Lee Smith, a longtime teacher, assistant principal, dean and coach who was a provost of all four of Eastern Florida State College’s campuses and a Rockledge City Council member for 36 years, died Monday at the age of 89. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily.
Volusia: Four of the five school board members gave high marks to Superintendent Carmen Balgobin in her evaluation last week. Board member Donna Brosemer was the dissenter, giving Balgobin low ratings for communication and leadership style. Balgobin is one of five finalists for the national superintendent of the year award. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The district received its first A grade from the state since 2009, even though almost half of the district's high school students are below grade level in math and English. That's possible because Volusia high schools have high graduation rates, showed learning gains and still performed better than the state averages in math, science and social studies, even though it lagged behind the state in English. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
St. Johns: School board members will consider two calendar options for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years. More than 5,000 parents replied to a survey, with an overwhelming majority preferring an academic year that ends before Memorial Day. A board vote is expected Sept. 11. WJXT. A former 8th-grade teacher at Veritas Classical School in St. Augustine has pleaded guilty to trying to entice a 14-year-old to engage in sexually explicit conduct for video production in 2022. Matthew Yates, 30, faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison when he's sentenced Dec. 18. WJAX. WTLV.
Leon: District officials are offering just $1 million provided from the state for teacher raises, half of what it gave last year. "As it's been communicated widely, this is a very poor year for fiscal circumstances in the district," human resources director Brett Shively told the teachers union at a bargaining session last week. Union officials say teachers would take home less pay under this offer because of increases in health insurance premiums. Tallahassee Democrat. Godby High School resource officer Saul Garcia has been arrested and fired for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, according to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Tallahassee Democrat. WTXL. An employee in the after-school program at W. T. Moore Elementary School has been arrested and accused of lewd and lascivious battery and molestation on children between the ages of 12 and 16. Terrance Booker, 40, has been placed on leave. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: An appeal by the school board to overturn the conversion of Newberry Elementary School was denied last week by the Charter School Appeal Commission, according to district officials. A recommendation that the application to convert the school be approved was sent by the commission to the state Board of Education, which votes on the issue Sept. 24. Mainstreet Daily News.
Martin: A 43-year-old charter school teacher has been arrested and accused of soliciting a romantic relationship with a 16-year-old student. Addam Timothy LeClair, a soccer coach and teacher at Tradition Preparatory High School in Port St. Lucie, was fired Aug. 22, five days before his arrest. TCPalm. WPTV. WPEC.
Flagler: District officials are implementing a new communications system that will allow parents to track their child's school bus and are also switching to fixed bus routes so students can get familiar with their drivers and stops. The changes are being made after parents complained about the stops and the busing process, saying they created dangerous situations for students. WKMG.
Indian River: Enrollment is up at four elementary schools that became K-8 schools this year, said district officials. The expansion to eight grades at those schools convinced 165 6th-graders to stay instead of moving to a new middle school. Superintendent David Moore said "the strategy was to offset the reduction of the overall 6th-grade class. We were able to do that," and plans are now being made to consider converting more elementary schools to K-8. TCPalm.
Washington: Two district teachers have been arrested and accused of having sex with students. Deputies say Joshua Donald Myers, 31, had sex with two students at Vernon High School between December 2021 and December 2022. He's been placed on administrative leave. George Michael Fisher, 31, allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old Vernon Middle School student. School officials said Fisher resigned in 2023. WMBB. WJHG.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida president Richard Corcoran said last week that the school's proposed takeover of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is back on and "everybody's on board again," but USF officials deny any talks are ongoing. WUSF. Another political ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis has been appointed to a college presidency. John Temple, a former Sumter County school administrator who now represents Florida House District 52, was chosen to lead Lake-Sumter State College by school trustees. News Service of Florida. Daily Commercial. Florida Politics. Jennifer Page, vice president of academic and student affairs and chief academic officer at North Florida College in Madison, has been named the school's new president. WCTV. Citrus County Chronicle. A judge is expected to decide this week whether William McCormick was legitimately appointed as president of Florida Memorial University. Miami Herald.
State strikes at union: Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas is urging school superintendents to bypass collective bargaining with unions and offer high-performing teachers more money to teach at struggling schools, "even when met with pushback from union bosses." State law allows districts to offer salary incentives to improve schools rated D or F without participating in collective bargaining. Lee and Manatee were cited by Kamoutsas as districts already taking that step, and Pasco recently announced it would as well. Tampa Bay Times.
Around the nation: Almost 70% of the nation's school districts have experienced declining enrollments between the 2019-2020 and 2023-2024 school years, and charter school enrollment also is declining slightly. The nonprofit organization Bellwether warns those declines will lead to school closures and consolidations. K-12 Dive.
Opinions on schools: At pivotal moments, the Rev. H.K. Matthews lent his unwavering moral compass to the cause of educational choice. Ron Matus, Pensacola News Herald. If charter schools are to be part of the future as public schools, they must have a core curriculum identical to the public schools. The teachers must have the same educational qualifications as the public schools. The teachers and other staff must be on the same pay scale as the public schools. Michael F. Finkel, Fort Myers News-Press.
