Redirection of funds rejected: Incoming legislative leaders reject Gov. Rick Scott’s call to allow school districts to use $58 million in unspent funds for school security. Scott proposed uncommitted money from the armed guardian fund be divided up among the state’s districts to hire more officers or use on other security measures. But House Speaker-elect… Read more »
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Florida schools roundup: Amendment 8 appeal, use of security funds and more
Amendment 8 appeal: The state’s Office of the Attorney General announces it plans to appeal a Leon County judge’s decision to remove proposed constitutional Amendment 8 from the November ballot. Judge John Cooper ruled that the amendment, which would allow the Legislature to create an organization to authorize charter schools, set term limits for school board members… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Amendment 8 off ballot, education lawsuit and more
Amendment 8 off ballot: A Leon County judge rules that proposed constitutional Amendment 8 should be removed from the November ballot because it “fails to inform voters of the chief purpose and effect.” The amendment would allow the Legislature to create an entity to authorize charter schools. It would also set term limits for school board… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Extended-day benefits, teacher shortages and more
Expanded-day benefits: Students at the state’s 300 lowest-performing elementary schools benefit from the extra hour of daily reading instruction the state requires, according to new research from the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. The extra time requirement began in 2012 at the 100 lowest-performing schools, and two years later was expanded… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Return to Parkland, security problems and more
Return to Stoneman Douglas: The first day of school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland was bittersweet for students who lived through the massacre Feb. 14, with student emotions mixed with hope for the future but weighted by the grief of the past. “That’s something I’ve been wrestling with,” said 14-year-old sophomore Alexa… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: More disaster funding, metal detectors and more
More disaster funding: The U.S. Education Department is giving Florida another $95.8 million in disaster assistance, even though the state has yet to spend any of the $84.5 million it received from the federal Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations program to help schools, colleges and universities recover from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The new funding… Read more »
The biggest school choice myth that just won’t die
Myths about school choice are like zombies. You can land a blow here and there, and sometimes knock one down for a spell. But they always come back, ugly as ever. The most persistent and pernicious myth about school choice is that it drains/diverts/siphons funding from traditional public schools. In Florida, where education spending is… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Storm aid for schools unspent, opening day and more
Storm funds unspent: Florida received $84.5 million from the federal government to assist in the recovery of schools affected by the 2017 hurricanes, but hasn’t spent any of it, according to Jason Botel, principal deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. The grants were made through the Immediate Aid… Read more »
Florida schools roundup: Lead in schools’ water, Broward issues and more
Lead in schools’ water: The Hillsborough County School District knew for 16 months that there were high levels of lead in the water at many schools before it informed parents. Deputy superintendent for operations Chris Farkas and communications chief Grayson Kamm acknowledge the district should have told parents sooner. The district still hasn’t released the results… Read more »
Leon County’s rejection of new charter school overturned
Florida’s Charter School Appeal Commission voted unanimously Thursday to support a new charter school whose application had been rejected by the Leon County School Board. That recommendation now heads to the Florida Board of Education, which will decide whether Tallahassee Classical School should be allowed to open in the 2019-2020 school year. Jana Sayler, co-founder… Read more »
