Around the state: Florida argues that a federal lawsuit challenging its law allowing school districts to remove hundreds of books should be thrown out, Orange’s teachers union sues the school district for not negotiating the teacher evaluations process as part of contract talks, Broward’s school board considers a policy change to ban religious-related sponsorship signs from schools, Sarasota names three finalists for its teacher of the year award, New College President Richard Corcoran writes a book about the conservative takeover of the Sarasota school, and two college students from Florida are among 32 chosen nationally as Rhodes scholars. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Some churches are protesting a district decision to remove signs sponsored by churches from schools as a way to keep out any church representing satanists. The “Church of Satanology,” a satirical group, recently filed a federal lawsuit against the district that contends it was discriminated against when its request to put a sign at a school was rejected after banners from other churches were allowed. So the district began removing all the religion-related signs. That led to a complaint from the Cooper City Pentecostal church, which bought a one-year sponsorship at Cooper City High in February 2023 for about $1,200 but had its banner on a school fence removed in December. School board members will consider a policy banning religion-related signs at their Dec. 10 meeting. Sun Sentinel.
Tampa Bay area: Four school districts in the Tampa Bay area removed books from schools during the 2023-2024 school year, according to a list recently released by the Florida Department of Education. Manatee took out the most, 46, while Hernando removed 39, Polk 6 and Pinellas 1. Clay County schools led the state with 287. WFLA. A Hillsborough County school resource officer was arrested last weekend and accused of driving under the influence. David Cruzado, 57, showed signs of impairment when stopped and exceeded the legal limit in a breath test, deputies said. WTSP.
Orange: Teachers union officials have filed a lawsuit alleging the school district and Superintendent Maria Vazquez violated state law by not negotiating the teacher evaluation process during collective bargaining last summer. The district says changes in state law specify that evaluations are no longer subject to collective bargaining. Union officials say the district has improperly interpreted the law and wants a judge to rule that evaluations must be part of negotiations. Orlando Sentinel.
Duval: School food service union workers have ratified a contract with the company that runs the district’s cafeterias. The agreement gives Chartwells K12 workers a starting pay raise to $14 an hour, which increases to $15 in October 2025 and $15.30 the following October. It also provides longevity pay for senior workers and recognizes Juneteenth as a paid holiday for administrative building and summer employees. WJAX. School board members meet today to swear in new members and elect a chair and vice chair. Florida Times-Union.
Pasco: Bexley Elementary School principal Michele Boylan has been chosen to lead the district’s newest K-8 school, Skybrooke, when it opens in the fall of 2025. The school will offer aerospace/aviation/robotics classes that will prepare students for Sunlake High’s Aerospace Academy. Tampa Beacon.
Volusia: School officials are considering a proposal to rezone 122 students to Pine Ridge High School in the fall of 2025 to alleviate overcrowding at University High. Previously, the district agreed to move 1,700 students to new schools to balance enrollments, including sending 207 students from Freedom and Woodward elementaries to the new Edith I. Starke Elementary, which is also scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Parents of special education students are pressing the school district to improve its plan to help transition individuals with disabilities to life after school. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Sarasota: Three finalists have been named for the school district’s teacher of the year award. They are: Rebekah Zech, a 2nd-grade teacher at Taylor Ranch Elementary School in Venice; Maggie Higgins, a foreign language teacher at Pine View Middle in Osprey; and Kelly Rozelle, a social studies teacher at Venice High. The winner will be announced Dec. 12. Charlotte Sun. Sarasota County School District.
Alachua: Newberry city commissioners are asking the state for a $2.2 million loan to cover Newberry Community School Inc.’s planning and startup costs if its application to convert Newberry Elementary School into a charter school is approved by the Florida Charter School Review Board. The city has already loaned the organization $120,000 for legal fees, but that money is figured into the $2.2 million. City officials say they will file the application next week and expect a decision from the state by February. If it’s approved, the conversion would take effect in August 2026. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: Two students from Florida are among the 32 Americans chosen as Rhodes scholars and will go to Oxford University in England in October 2025 to pursue graduate studies. They are Sofia Corona of Delray Beach, who attends Harvard University, and Angelin Mathew of Davie, who attends Yale University. Rhodes Trust. New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran’s new book, Storming the Ivory Tower, details the conservative overhaul at the liberal arts college in Sarasota and how he became the president. Politico Florida. The number of international students in U.S. colleges hit an all-time high of 1,126,690 during the 2023-2024 academic year. Chronicle of Higher Education. The University of South Florida has received a gift of $6.5 million from an anonymous benefactor that will support the research at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute. WWSB. Florida Polytechnic University’s faculty members recently voted 49-2 to recertify their union. Lakeland Ledger. Northwest Florida State College won the second annual cybersecurity competition among state colleges last weekend. Palm Beach State College was second and Daytona State College third. WJXT.
State fights book challenge: A federal lawsuit challenging the state law allowing school districts to remove hundreds of books should be thrown out, Attorney General Ashley Moody argued in a court filing last week. “The First Amendment does not require the government to provide access to particular materials in public school libraries or to have school libraries at all,” she wrote. “And Florida’s restriction of school library books containing pornographic content or describing sexual conduct is rationally related to the state’s interest in protect(ing) the welfare of children.” A pretrial conference is scheduled Dec. 10 in Orlando. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. USA Today Florida Network.
Around the nation: National teachers union presidents are trying to figure out how Democrats went wrong in the Nov. 5 election, and what needs to be done to regain the ground they lost. “One of the things we have to caution against is only looking at fighting back,” said National Education Association president Becky Pringle. “We have to fight for what we want. We have to have a vision of what that is, too.” Politico.
Opinions on schools: Americans tend to react to school closure proposals with an irrational romanticism, which is to say, we hate them, and we are not overly concerned about practical considerations. It won’t be long until opponents of private school choice attempt to blame these closures on education savings accounts programs, but choosing other public school options have played the primary role. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. Educators in Florida’s public K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions, parents of Florida students and the state’s educational policymakers should react with more urgency to students’ declining SAT math scores. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. If Florida cares about good teachers and solid public education, it should invest in both. Instead, it keeps waging culture wars, keeps piling on teachers and then, when its SAT scores predictably plummet, makes excuses. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel. Policymakers should take the lessons from this election and recognize that families are sending a clear message: They want the freedom to choose an education that works for their child. Jeb Bush, The 74.
