Around the state: Three Broward school board members are cleared by an independent investigation of ethical violations, Pasco’s sheriff settles a lawsuit over a program that included using student school records to determine if they were potential criminals, Florida A&M trustees delay picking a firm to help them search for a new president over DEI concerns, Jewish schools experiencing growth in Tampa Bay area and state, and the Suwannee, Madison and Dixie school districts honor employees of the year. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: School board members Jeff Holness, Sarah Leonardi and Allen Zeman have been cleared of ethical breaches in a independent review by a lawyer hired by the district on an order from the Florida Department of Education. The three were accused by longtime district volunteer Nathalie Lynch-Walsh of having improper relationships with vendors and improperly using federal COVID dollars to pay for teacher raises. A Coral Gables law firm reviewed the complaints and recommended they be dismissed. Its findings were submitted to the state this week. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: A lack of schooling choices for Jewish children in the Tampa Bay area prompted some parents to lobby the New York City-based Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America, for help. In 2022, Rabbi Jeremy Rubenstein, his wife, their kids and eight other families moved to the Tampa Bay area to start an Orthodox school, the Tampa Torah Academy. It opened to 33 students in preK-7. An 8th grade was added two years later, and the school now has 80 students and is part of the rebirth of Jewish-based education in the state. NextSteps.
Duval: A sworn statement from a young woman last year alleges that Corey Thayer, then a teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, forced her to have sex with him in 2015. She was 14 at the time. Thayer was taken out of the classroom in September 2023, one of six teachers at the school removed over allegations of inappropriate behavior with students. Jacksonville Today.
Pasco: The Sheriff’s Office has agreed to pay $105,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by four people who said they were subjected to unconstitutional monitoring and harassment by deputies. The four were targeted through the department’s “predictive policing” program that used data to determine likely criminals who would then be monitored. That included the department using school district data to label some students as potential criminals. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Matt Susin, a school board member re-elected Nov. 5 but now running for the Florida House District 32 seat, can continue serving until a date for the special election is set. At that point, Susin will have to submit his resignation, and Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint a replacement who will hold the seat until an election is held in 2026 to fill the remaining two years of Susin’s term. Florida Today.
Alachua: Newberry Community School is projecting enrollment of 694, revenues of $5,448,401 and expenses of $5,420,703 in the first year of operating Newberry Elementary School as a charter school. By Year 5, the organization estimates the school will have 946 students, revenues of $7,350,900 and expenses of $7,312,4678. Mainstreet Daily News.
Suwannee: Marsha Tedder from Riverside Elementary School was recently named the school district’s principal of the year, and Adrienne Taylor from Suwannee High is the assistant principal of the year. Suwannee County School District.
Madison: Sheila Thompkins, a kindergarten teaching assistant at Madison Creative Arts Academy, has been chosen as the school district’s school-related employee of the year. She is now eligible for the statewide award. Madison County School District. Greene Publishing.
Dixie: Tracy Locke of Anderson Elementary School in Cross City was recently named the school district’s teacher of the year. Jodi Spurlin, also of Anderson Elementary, was chosen as the school-related employee of the year. Both are now eligible for state awards. Dixie County School District.
Colleges and universities: Florida A&M University trustees have again delayed making a decision to hire a search firm to help them find a new president because they fear the firms that bid won’t be able to comply with the state’s law barring consideration of diversity, equity and inclusion. Tallahassee Democrat. Politico Florida. Florida Phoenix. WTXL. University of Central Florida trustees have raised the pay of President Alexander Cartwright to $1.2 million a year, awarded him a $270,000 bonus and extended his contract a year to April 2026. Orlando Sentinel. Florida State University is attempting to buy the Regal Governor’s Square movie theater for use by students in the film school. It went on the market last summer with an asking price of $4.6 million. Tallahassee Democrat.
Winter holidays for districts: Most of the state’s 67 county school districts will begin the winter holiday Monday, Dec. 23 and resume classes Jan. 6 or 7. Four districts will start Dec. 20, and some will make up days lost to hurricanes Helene and Milton with days that had been scheduled off. USA Today Florida Network. Palm Beach Post.
Districts hurricane grants: State grants totaling $500,000 are being made to school district foundations to help teachers and school employees recover from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Foundations in Charlotte, Citrus, Hernando and Polk counties will each receive $100,000, and those organizations in Lafayette and Hamilton counties will get $50,000 each. Office of the Governor. WCTV.
Opinions on schools: Amid the numerical murk of state students’ low SAT scores, there is a bottom line: The single most important determinant of a good education is a good teacher. This is a lesson Florida is failing because it may be the least attractive state for teaching in America. Orlando Sentinel.
