Around the state: A suggestion to relax the cell phone ban on Broward students during lunch draws a mixed reaction from the school board, a federal judge rules that teachers unions in two districts can continue paying dues through payroll deductions because they are part of collective bargaining agreements, Duval school officials consider more options to cut the $100 million budget deficit after deciding to close six schools over the next two years, a proposal to standardize how the Sarasota school district makes up days lost to storms will be reworked after questions from school board members, a Santa Rosa school administrator resigns after being accused of stealing from the district, and what kind of changes in educational policies can be expected under President-elect Donald Trump. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: School board members began their reconsideration of banning most cell phone use on campuses Wednesday by debating the merits of allowing students to use them during study halls and lunch. Four board members said they do not favor making that change, while three supported the idea and two gave no indication what they thought. An online survey taken by 27,800 middle and high school students, 39,400 parents and 6,000 staff members prompted the review, and revealed that students and their parents were particularly critical of restricting phone use during lunch. No changes were made Wednesday, but the discussion will continue. Miami Herald. WPLG. Associated Press.
Hillsborough: A 15-year-old student at Armwood High School in Seffner was arrested Wednesday after a school resource officer reported finding an unloaded handgun in her book bag. WFLA. WTSP. WTVT.
Duval: This week’s decision to close three underenrolled schools this year and three more next year is intended to save money for the financially stressed district. But the actual savings this year are only about $3.3 million, and the budget deficit is $100 million. Superintendent Christopher Bernier hasn’t been specific about other cuts he’s considering, though likely targets include school support workers, student transportation, teacher supplies and materials, and after-school programs. Jacksonville Today. Four new members of the school board will be sworn in Nov. 19, and will be asked to quickly make decisions on school closings, the district’s financial crisis, teacher and student misconduct, and more. Florida Times-Union.
Polk: Seven finalists have been chosen for each of the school district’s teacher of the year and school-related employee of the year awards. Winners will be announced Friday. Lakeland Ledger. Twenty-three graduation ceremonies will be held between May 10 and 23, district officials have announced. Fourteen will be at the RP Funding Center. The ceremonies will be live-streamed. Polk County School District.
Lee: Newly elected superintendent Denise Carlin said Wednesday that the first issue she will address is “is filling the 180 teacher vacancies that currently exist in the district. If we want to improve student achievement, we must have a high-quality teacher in every classroom with teachers receiving pay that is competitive with neighboring districts.” Other top priorities include improving student achievement and addressing concerns that black students are disproportionately disciplined. Carlin is the district’s first elected superintendent since 1974. Fort Myers News-Press. Students could return to the Sanibel School as early as Monday, school officials said this week. Damage from Hurricane Milton has been repaired, and air quality tests are being conducted this week. WINK. WFTX.
St. Johns: School Superintendent Tim Forson called voters’ support for two school tax measures “humbling.” A 1-mill property tax will boost teacher pay for the next five years and a half-cent sales tax will support school construction for the next 10 years. “I believe that the quality of life in a community is often measured by the quality of the school, so when voters in St. Johns County say yes, I’m willing to invest, I’m willing to commit, that’s a huge directive,” Forson said. St. Augustine Record. WJXT.
Sarasota: A district calendar committee’s proposal to standardize the way to make up days missed to storms and other emergencies drew a mixed response from school board members this week. The committee is suggesting eliminating student half-days in December, using professional days as student instructional days, pushing the end of the second quarter to after winter break, and extending the 2024-25 school year to the last week of May if necessary. The proposal will be posted this month for further input before the committee makes its final recommendation to the board. Charlotte Sun.
Leon: Newly re-elected Superintendent Rocky Hanna says he’ll push to improve school security and teacher pay in his third and what he calls his final term, and continue to work on reducing capital debt. But he also challenged the Legislature to “step up and fund public education in the state of Florida like so many other states do across the country. It is completely unacceptable that our state, the state of Florida, ranks 49th or 50th when it comes to per-pupil funding. And now we have enough money to fund vouchers to go to private schools but we don’t have enough money to increase what we’re doing for our teachers. That’s absurd.” WFSU.
Santa Rosa: A high-ranking school administrator has been accused of stealing from the district for at least two years, according to an investigation carried out by the school system and an outside agency. Kelly Short, the district’s director of in-service and instructional technology and treasurer of the Santa Rosa County Association of School Administrators, resigned the same day she was placed on unpaid suspension by Superintendent Karen Barber. Short’s actions are also being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Pensacola News Journal.
Colleges and universities: Mel Ponder, an Okaloosa County commissioner who was formerly a member of the Florida House, is the choice to become the next president of Northwest Florida State College. Interviews were Monday and Tuesday. School trustees are expected to discuss a contract with Ponder at their next meeting Nov. 19. News Service of Florida. WEAR. Northwest Florida Daily News. Angel Nater, Seminole State College’s program manager and professor of emergency medical services, has been named the Florida Department of Health’s EMS educator of the year. Seminole State College.
Payroll deduction suit: A federal judge has ruled that a state law banning payroll deduction of public union dues for members of two teachers unions violates existing collective bargaining agreements. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued an injunction Wednesday to prevent the ban from applying to teachers unions in Pinellas and Hernando counties as long as their bargaining agreements are in effect. News Service of Florida.
School board endorsements: The final count on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 23 school board election endorsements for the primary and general elections was 10 wins and 13 losses. Tuesday, four of the six board candidates he endorsed won. Democrat party officials endorsed 11 candidates and seven won, though the only two who were in the runoffs Tuesday both lost. Florida Phoenix.
Trump and education: If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his campaign promises, he’s expected to expand school choice, overturn a Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ students, ban transgender women from school sports, push to eliminate K-12 teacher tenure, punish universities that don’t crack down on pro-Palestinians protesters and deport international students who take part in them, and possibly kill the Department of Education. K-12 Dive. Chalkbeat. Inside Higher Ed. Education Week.
Opinions on schools: How government transfers decision-making authority to families and holds them accountable for their decisions will be state-by-state political decisions that unfold over the next several years. Trust but verify is key to family empowerment and to customized instruction succeeding in public education. Doug Tuthill, NextSteps. Florida’s legislators need to create more options for students to be able to qualify for Pell grants. Doing so would preserve access to financial aid for students pursuing careers in massage therapy, cosmetology and other health and wellness fields. Shirley Carbajal-Tran, Orlando Sentinel.
