Around the state: Florida's Department of Education is asking lawmakers to approve a $30.3 billion budget in the next legislative session, Broward's school board will consider the future of 34 more schools in the second phase of the district's initiative to address declining enrollment, an Alachua teacher has been placed on leave after allegedly calling a student "the most likely to become a dictator," and a former Sarasota school board member who lost her seat last year has been appointed to an empty seat on the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Three high schools, 15 middle schools and 16 elementary schools are recommended "to be addressed" in the next phase of the district's initiative to deal with dwindling enrollment. Tuesday, the school board begins the discussion about the future of those schools, which could range from expansion to closure. In the first phase of the review, an elementary school was closed, four others became K-8 schools and a middle school was turned into a grade 6-12 school. Sun Sentinel.
Palm Beach: School board members will consider a proposal to place sex trafficking fliers in middle and high schools. The fliers would warn students about the dangers of human trafficking and provide a number to call with information about potential victims. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: Brianna Patterson, a counselor at Ribault High School in Jacksonville, has been chosen as the Florida school counselor of the year by the Florida School Counselor Association. WJAX.
Pinellas: Local fees on traffic tickets will be increased from $3 to $5 to help support the school district’s driver education program, county commissioners decided last week. The increase could generate about $96,000 in additional funds to support programs at 14 high schools. Tampa Bay Times. Seminole High School and Bauder Elementary recently became film sets for What We Hide, a movie about two sisters who hide their mother when they find her dead from a drug overdose because they don't want to be separated in foster care. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Pineapple Cove Classical Academy's West Melbourne campus is expanding. The charter school will add new classrooms, a larger cafeteria, arts center, athletic fields and a performing arts center. Florida Today.
Manatee: A school district program specialist who was accused of putting a student into a chokehold in 2024 is keeping his job despite recommendations from the state’s Division of Administrative Hearings and former superintendent Jason Wysong to fire him. Verlin Wilhoit, 57, was seen on a video putting his hands on a student during an altercation in the lunchroom, though he denied putting the boy in a chokehold. Wysong was fired in May, but the school board voted 3-2 to give Wilhoit another chance. Bradenton Herald.
St. Lucie: Eleven metal detectors have been installed in district schools, at a cost of $66,000. Parents now receive notice when the equipment will be used, but beginning in October the locations will be unannounced, irregular and random. TCPalm.
Marion: A former Anthony Elementary School teacher was recently arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a student in 2015. Michael Allard, 63, was arrested on two counts of sex battery on a victim under the age of 12. The boy reported the crime in January, and Allard was placed on administrative leave. WCJB. The school board is being sued by a parent who claims his daughter was molested by another student two years ago at the Fordham Early Learning Academy. WCJB.
Sarasota: The district's school budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is $1.355 billion, which is about $345 million less than last year's. Superintendent Terry Connor says the district was able to avoid layoffs by reassigning existing workers as needed and eliminating some open positions. Also straining the budget is a $600,000 bill from the tax collector for tax collection costs this year to correct a long-running mistake. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB. A former school board member who lost her election last November has been appointed to an empty seat on the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Karen Rose, who served one term on the board before losing to Liz Barker last year, replaces Tim Enos, who resigned to become the chief of the school district's police department. Charlotte Sun. Florida Politics. WWSB.
Leon: Two district students were arrested Friday for having weapons on campus. A 15-year-old Godby High School student was found with a gun, and a 17-year-old who attends Rickards High was carrying a taser and pepper spray, according to authorities. WCTV. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: A Gainesville High School history teacher has been placed on administrative leave after she was accused by a parent of giving her son a superlative "as the most likely to become a dictator." Crystal Marull said Lauren Watts also "allowed students to label him a Naziphile, simply for his interest in World War II history and participation in ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps)." Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas filed a formal complaint against Watts with the state's Education Practices Commission, and Attorney General James Uthmeier said Watts should be fired and lose her teaching certificate if the accusations are true. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB. USA Today Florida Network. Union officials are cautioning district teachers to delete social media posts because "your employer can limit your First Amendment rights of freedom of speech if you are not furthering the mission of the school district." WCJB.
Colleges and universities: Seven Florida Memorial University trustees are contesting last week's appointment of William McCormick Jr. as president, saying a faction of the board took the illegal action at a "rogue" meeting. Miami Herald. Florida Politics. A University of Florida professor who sued the school after he was disciplined for emailing his complaints about having to teach in-person during the pandemic lost his case because he missed the filing deadline. USA Today Florida Network. Polk State College's Haines City-Davenport campus won't open as scheduled in the fall of 2026 because of financial issues, officials announced last week. Lakeland Ledger. Students with disabilities can now use the state's Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities to enroll in Beacon College's pre-college programs. Central Florida Public Media.
FDOE budget request: Florida's Department of Education is asking lawmakers to approve a $30.3 billion budget in the legislative session that begins Jan. 13. Among the requests are $145 million in new money for raising teacher salaries, a 10 percent increase, $10 million more for school safety and student mental health services, and $20 million for the Schools of Hope charter school program, a $14 million increase. Politico Florida.
School ticket appeals: Drivers who contest the tickets they received from speed detection cameras in school zones finally have an appeals process. A new law has gone into effect to give school districts the authority to set the appeals process instead of ceding it to the courts. Since last year, $40 million in fines have been paid across the state. WFTS.
Around the nation: A 2015 letter from the government to colleges outlining the rights of English language learners has been rescinded. U.S. Education Department officials said the change was made because the previous guidance "is not aligned with administration priorities." Education Week. National chronic K-12 absenteeism rates have declined slightly since 2022's record high but remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the most recent data. The 74.
Opinions on schools: We fund schools first for the benefit of children, not the adults working in the schools. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. It’s worth examining the extent to which heavy regulation stunts charter schools’ success and their capacity for growth. By keeping the destination in sight, policymakers can distinguish between measures that guide charters forward and the anchors that hold them back. Thibaut Delloue, Thomas Fordham Institute. The explanation for Florida’s stellar performance in college rankings is the way the state has traditionally governed its public higher education system. Florida has a long history of centralized state control of its public colleges and universities and an abiding commitment to keeping tuition low, especially for in-state students of modest means. Christopher M. Mullin, Washington Monthly.
