Around the state: Leon County's school district is facing a $12.5 million budget deficit, Florida parents must now give consent for corporal punishment to be used on their children, a new college accreditation agency could be up and running by mid-2028, several schools are appealing their grade from the state even as some districts are celebrating their successes, and Flagler's school board has reservations about higher costs for school resource officers. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: School officials are collaborating with Microsoft to use that company's chatbot into the district's teaching, learning and operations. Two years ago the district banned the use of artificial intelligence on district-owned devices, but last November it created a task force to develop a plan to incorporate AI. "As educators, we can't be afraid of the pace of technology," said IT director Manuel Castañeda. "We have to embrace it and we have to ensure that our students are prepared to embrace it as well." WLRN.
Orange: Two of the three district schools that received F grades from the state this week are appealing. The BETA alternative school for teen moms and UCP of Central Florida Downtown Charter School, which are located in the same building, say the grades are errors. UCP officials say the Florida Department of Education mistakenly combined the schools and "mistakenly gave both a school grade." WTVT.
Palm Beach: For the second straight year and fifth in the past six years, the school district received an A grade from the state. Ninety-four schools were awarded an A and 47 a B. A chart follows the progress of the district and its schools since the 2013-2014 school year. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: For the first time since the state has been handing out district grades, Duval schools received an A. Superintendent Christopher Bernier said the improvement reflected "vision, leadership, and relentless effort at the school level." The number of A and B schools grew from 46% last year to 64%, schools receiving D and F grades dropped from 12 to 2 and 10 schools improved by two letter grades. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. WJAX.
Polk: Three straight years of C grades from the state ended this week when Polk's school district was awarded a B. Superintendent Frederick Heid said, "We're going to celebrate for a few minutes, and then we're going to get right back to work because we're not done yet." Eighteen elementary schools got a C, up from 13 a year ago, and the district ranks just 55th of 67 in the state. Lakeland Now. WFLA.
Pasco: Cox Elementary School in Dade City improved its state grade from a D to a B, a jump that takes the school off the watch list. Cox was on the list of persistently struggling schools by receiving D grades for four years, putting it in jeopardy of falling under the state plan that could to being turned into a charter school or being closed. Tampa Bay Times. District officials weren't surprised when the school grades were released, because their technology team had put together a computerized model to predict what they'd be. "Our predictions were pretty close to what we thought they would be," said Superintendent John Legg. They were off for just six of the district's 95 schools, and only by a few points. Tampa Bay Times.
Collier: The school district moved up a notch to sixth place among the state's 67 school districts by earning its eighth straight A grade this week. Fifty-six of the district's 59 schools received either an A or B, with 44 given an A, and just three were given C grades. Naples Daily News.
Marion: Stanton-Weirsdale, Legacy, Fessenden, Oakcrest and Wyomina Park elementary schools received D grades from the state this year, and will get additional help from teachers and paraprofessionals in the fall, said school district spokesman Kevin Christian. WCJB. School district starting and closing times have been set for the upcoming school year. Changes were made for Liberty Middle, Osceola Middle and Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks Middle to accommodate new bus routes and give teachers more time to plan. WCJB.
Sarasota: For the 22nd straight year, Sarasota's school district was awarded an A grade from the state Department of Education. Thirty-seven of the 39 traditional schools received a grade of A or B, with one school improving by two letter grades and six others by one. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Escambia: County commissioners are expected Thursday to schedule a public hearing in August on a school board-requested referendum in 2026 asking voters if the school superintendent should be appointed or elected. That hearing would be Aug. 7, when commissioners will consider whether to put the measure on the general election ballot Nov. 3, on the statewide primary ballot Aug. 18, or in a special election. Pensacola News Journal. Charter Schools USA is appealing the D grade issued by the state to the Warrington Preparatory Academy. WEAR.
Okaloosa, Santa Rosa: Another year, another A grade from the state for the school district for Okaloosa's school district, which is one of just three in Florida to receive the top grade in every year since they were first issued in 2014. The other two are St. Johns and Sarasota. Northwest Florida Daily News. Okaloosa and Santa Rosa school officials are working on policies to implement a ban on student cell phone use during the day in elementary and middle schools. WEAR.
Leon: Frozen federal funds, increasing costs of services and another 375 students leaving the district with state scholarships adds up to a $12.5 million budget deficit this year, Superintendent Rocky Hanna told the school board Tuesday. "This budget situation is going to present to us the greatest challenge that we have had together since COVID-19," he said. The first cuts are expected to be in support staff and before- and after-school programs. WTXL. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: The district fell 2 points short of receiving an A grade from the state. It's the fourth straight B. Grades for Stephen Foster, Shell and Williams elementaries all fell to a D, which places them in the state's School Improvement program and, without improvement next year, will be run by an outside organization. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. Alachua school officials are reaching out to provide parents with alternatives to sending their children to the Newberry Community School, which is being converted to an elementary charter school. Six other district elementary schools are being offered as options. Mainstreet Daily News.
Bay: A $13 million upgrade at Mowat Middle School in Lynn Haven has been approved by the school board. Construction on a new cafeteria and a hurricane-safe room is expected to start within 30 days and be completed in about eight months. WMBB.
Martin: Some school board members expressed reservations about joining a national lawsuit that contends social media companies are harming the mental health of students. Board chair Amy Pritchett said signing on the suit would "send a message," while Marsha Powers called it a "money grab" by attorneys. The district has until September to decide whether to join 46 other Florida districts in the suit. TCPalm.
Flagler: Questions were raised this week about the school district's contract with the sheriff to provide resource officers for schools. An increase of 10% is being proposed, but that doesn't include overtime, and the proposed addition of a 13th deputy would boost the final cost to $1.65 million. The board is expected to vote on the contract at its July 22 meeting. Flagler Live. Another 400 students are expected to leave the public school district in the fall by using a state scholarship to attend private school or be home-schooled, according to school officials. That pushes the number of scholarship students from Flagler to just over 1,600. Flagler Live.
Nassau: All 14 schools in the district received an A grade from the state for the first time, propelling the district to its eighth straight A and the top ranking among Florida's 67 districts for the first time. WJXT. WJAX.
Colleges and universities: A new college accreditation organization being formed by Florida and five other southern states could be up and running by the middle of 2028, according to Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of Florida’s university system. "It’s a significant effort by real heavyweight state public university systems," he said. The Commission for Public Higher Education will be launched Friday when the Board of Governors, which is taking charge of the project and fronting $4 million for the launch, incorporates it as a nonprofit in the state and names a six-member board of directors with a representative from each of the states. Politico Florida.
Florida education laws: Starting in the fall, schools will be required to get parental permission to use corporal punishment on students. More than 500 cases of corporal punishment were reported during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education. "It’s quite honestly amazing that this hasn’t previously been in place in Florida, in a state that really prides itself for its work protecting parental rights," said Jacob Kaplan, president of the Florida Student Policy Forum based at the University of Florida. Florida Phoenix. WINK. Public hearings were held Tuesday to get feedback on draft rules for three new education laws: requiring schools to train an "adequate" number of employees to deal with students' allergic reactions, eliminating certifications of completion for students who don't qualify for high school graduation, and making a slight change to the community service requirement for students to be eligible for Bright Futures Scholarships. Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: This year’s expansion of Florida's Schools of Hope program opens the door to new charter operators and builds on the success stories already unfolding in other cities and states. Jeb Bush, Miami Herald. Florida schools don’t need the $396 million in federal grants frozen by the Trump administration, for it is a truth universally acknowledged that public education is rolling in money. Stephanie Hayes, Tampa Bay Times.
