Around the state: Hillsborough is the last state school district that is still closed today, districts across the state are discussing how to make up time lost to the recent hurricanes, Alachua’s school board votes narrowly to fire Superintendent Shane Andrew, a Florida Board of Education member suggests that the Legislature consider civil penalties for parents whose children make school threats, and school board races in several counties are previewed. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Superintendent Howard Hepburn said Tuesday he’ll present a plan to the school board Oct. 22 on how the district will make up a lost day of instructional time during Hurricane Helene and two days when Milton crossed the state. “We must make up missed instructional minutes for the first semester, which includes both the first and second quarters,” he said at a board meeting this week. “Our staff is working on options to ensure we meet the instructional time requirements while minimizing the disruption to our families and staff.” Sun Sentinel. WSVN.
Hillsborough: Schools won’t reopen before Thursday, district officials said Tuesday. About 35 schools still didn’t have power as of Tuesday, said district spokeswoman Tanya Arja, who added that Tampa Electric expects to restore power to all schools by tonight. Schools were closed 11 days for Helene and Milton. Some of the lost instructional time is being recovered by converting early-release days into full days, but more is needed. Arja says the district is considering all options except adding school days during Thanksgiving week. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics. WTVT. WFLA. The Tampa charter school Walton Academy for the Performing Arts is asking for the community’s help in recovering after Hurricane Milton flooded the school so it can reopen Monday. WFLA.
Polk: Schools will reopen today, district officials confirmed Tuesday. The district will then follow its already set schedule for the rest of the week, which calls for an early dismissal day Thursday and no school for students Friday while teachers have a staff development day. Polk County School District. WFLA.
Pinellas: All district schools now have power and are reopening today, Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said Tuesday. “Our No. 1 goal is to make sure students can return, and to get a sense of normalcy for our community,” he said. School bus drivers will pick up students at any stop, though he said the district understands not all students will be able to get in. The next issue is deciding how to make up the lost instructional time. Students have missed 10 days of school between hurricanes Helene late last month and Milton last week. Tampa Bay Times. WTVT. Spectrum News 9.
Pasco: Schools will “definitely” reopen today, Superintendent Kurt Browning said Tuesday. Final obstacles include getting power to San Antonio Elementary School and East Pasco Education Academy in Dade City, restoring water and sewer service to Zephyrhills High, and repairing ripped up roofing at Pasco High. About 100 bus stops will have to be relocated because of blocked roads. The district was closed for seven days for Hurricane Milton, and Browning said all options are being considered to meet the state requirements for classroom instructional time. Tampa Bay Times.
Manatee: District 1 school board candidates Heather Felton and Mark Stanoch outline their positions on the renewal of the 1-mill property tax referendum, partisan school board elections, removing and restricting books in school libraries, and parental rights. On Nov. 5, voters will select a successor for the departing Gina Messenger, who was on the board for eight years. Your Observer.
St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River: Indian River school officials are converting Dec. 19 and 20 from early-release days to full days of school to make up classroom time lost to hurricanes Helene and Milton. St. Lucie schools already exceed the minimum amount of instructional time required by the state and won’t need makeup days. officials say, and Martin officials are still considering their options. Schools in Indian River and St. Lucie counties have been closed five days for hurricanes, and Martin schools were shuttered for four. TCPalm.
Marion: Students will make up one day of school lost to the storm, on Monday, Nov. 25, which had been scheduled as the first day of vacation for Thanksgiving week. Central Florida Public Media.
Sarasota: A special education instruction facilitator for Garden Elementary School in Venice died Oct. 5 after voluntarily jumping out of a boat on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, according to that state’s highway patrol. The body of Kendra Potter, 42, was recovered two days later. She was on vacation with her husband Jason Potter. Charlotte Sun.
Escambia: Teacher of the year candidates from each of the county’s schools have been announced by district officials. WKRG.
Alachua: Superintendent Shane Andrew was fired without cause Tuesday in a 3-2 vote by the school board, effective Nov. 15. During a discussion of board members’ evaluations of Andrew, Kay Abbitt made a motion to terminate his contract, which ran through June 30, 2026. Supporting the motion were Diyonne McGraw and Leanetta McNealy, while Sarah Rockwell and Tina Certain voted against it. The board will meet Oct. 21 to appoint an interim superintendent and set the parameters for a national search to replace Andrew, who became superintendent in the spring of 2022 after the board fired Carlee Simon. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB. Students will attend classes on Dec. 20, Jan. 6 and Feb. 14 to make up instructional time lost when schools were closed for hurricanes Helene and Milton, district officials have announced. Alachua County School District.
Bay: A. Crawford Mosley High School, J.R. Arnold High, Deane Bozeman School and North Bay Haven Charter Academy have been named to the Advanced Placement honor roll by the College Board. Schools are chosen for expanding access to AP tests and the test results. Panama City News Herald.
Hernando: Former substitute teacher Michelle Bonczek and retired Air Force veteran Mark Cioffi are competing Nov. 5 to succeed the retiring Gus Guadagnino in the District 4 seat on the school board. Bonczek, 53, says she wants to improve the bus situation, exceptional student services and school safety. Cioffi, 68, says he favors removing cell phones from schools, building more schools and improving leadership. WUFT.
Suwannee: Pest company owner Adam Hitt and tutoring company owner Lesly Fry are competing in the general election Nov. 5 to succeed the retiring Jerry Taylor as the District 1 member of the school board. Hitt, 43, says he’ll be open to hear from county residents and will bring practical business experience to the board. Fry, 58, says she’s interested in improving after-school care for students, recruiting high-quality teachers, expanding career technical education and improving the graduation rate. WUFT.
Colleges and universities: A $1.6 million donation to the University of Central Florida will be used to help students from low-income families offset the costs of housing, books and other items. Graduates from Colonial, Evans, Jones, Oak Ridge and Wekiva high schools will benefit from the money that was donated by the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, a Pompano Beach-based nonprofit. Orlando Sentinel.
Parental penalties for threats: A Florida Board of Education member suggested at Tuesday’s meeting that the Legislature consider civil penalties for parents whose children make school threats. Ryan Petty, whose daughter was among 17 killed in the 2018 shooting at a Broward high school, says threats are no joke and that too many parents don’t take the costs of such threats seriously. He believes making parents liable for threats made by their children could convince them to more closely track what their child is doing online. Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: If someone purposely designed an education system to generate inequality, they would have some difficulty exceeding the ZIP code assignment plus tutoring for those who can afford it status quo. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. There is an urgent need for a campaign to advocate for a more balanced and comprehensive direction in sex education, driven by the voices of parents and concerned citizens. Florida’s approach to sex ed is disastrous for girls and women. Debbie Deland, Orlando Sentinel.
