Homework fight: Miami-Dade teachers and parents spar at a school board meeting over the amount of homework students are being given. Parents say too much is being assigned, cutting into family time. Teachers say the homework is needed because testing takes too much instruction time away from students. Miami Herald.
Testing transformation: Pinellas County school officials say younger students at struggling elementary schools are doing much better in new literacy tests than students in third, fourth and fifth grades. The differences are most apparent on language arts tests. Officials credit the use of biweekly tests, which are helping teachers see how well they've taught to the state standards and to catch students' weaknesses earlier. Tampa Bay Times.
Spending oversight: The Broward County School District is asking the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education to oversee the district's spending of $800 million it is receiving from a voter-approved bond to renovate schools. Sun-Sentinel.
Students from Cuba: The Miami-Dade County School District is preparing for a "potential influx of child and adult learners" emigrating from Cuba after the death of Fidel Castro on Friday, says Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. CNN.
Education secretary: Betsy DeVos, a strong advocate of school choice with deep Florida ties, is nominated to be President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of education. redefinED. News Talk Florida. Politico Florida. Education Week. Groups that oppose the Common Core school standards are unhappy with the selection of DeVos as education secretary, even though she is now saying she does not support the standards. Sunshine State News. What will education in Florida look like with Donald Trump as president? Tampa Bay Times.
Few promotions: Almost two months ago, a circuit judge ruled that the state wrongly retained third-graders who opted out of the Florida Standards Assessments testing. Today, just two of the 14 students named in that lawsuit have been promoted to fourth grade. Broward County twins were promoted earlier this month. But a Seminole County student is still in third grade, and the rest are in private schools or are being homeschooled. The ruling is being appealed by the state and several of the districts. Orlando Sentinel.
Education protest: A small group of people protest what they call the unequal distribution of funds in the Miami-Dade School District. The group, ICARE, accuses the district of not properly funding inner-city schools and their programs. The protest was held outside a hotel where Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was attending a national conference on urban education. Miami Herald.
Dress code warning: A call on Facebook to protest the Pasco County School District's dress code leads to a warning for a Ridgewood High School senior. Hunter Banaciski says he was told by school officials that his protest could incite a riot, which might result in his suspension or even his arrest. Banaciski says the protest, which simply calls for students to wear clothing that doesn't conform to the school dress code, will go on. Tampa Bay Times.
Prayer lawsuit: The Florida High School Athletic Association is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Tampa Christian school that alleges the organization violated its football players' religious freedom. Last December, the FHSAA denied a request from Cambridge Christian School to use a loudspeaker to broadcast a prayer before its state championship game against University Christian School of Jacksonville. In its filing, the FHSAA argued that the schools and players were free to pray - just not over the loudspeaker. News Service of Florida. (more…)
School violence: The Miami-Dade School District becomes the first in the country to implement the Sandy Hook Promise in all its schools. It's a violence-protection program started by parents who lost children in the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012. It emphasizes social inclusion by reaching out to isolated students, and trains students and staff to see warning signs. Miami Herald.
Superintendent's job: The chairwoman of the Duval County School Board member asks School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti to resign or face termination at a meeting Friday, according to Vitti. He says he won't quit. Chairwoman Ashley Smith Juarez has accused Vitti of not being truthful with the board. She also has criticized the district's performance on state exams, and says Vitti's goals for improving those scores are not aggressive enough. Florida Times-Union.
CPR training: Orange County students are now being required to take CPR training before graduating. The training will be provided during a physical education course or another required course. Orlando Sentinel.
Impact fees: A Lake County commissioner urges the school board to waive part of the school impact fees on builders. Leslie Campione wants the board to reduce the fees on homes built within two miles of existing schools in established neighborhoods. Doing so could cost the school district about $1 million a year. Orlando Sentinel. Daily Commercial. (more…)
Scholarship appeal: The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to step into the fight over the state's tax credit scholarship program. Several groups that think the program is unconstitutional are appealing an appeals court ruling that the groups do not have the legal standing to challenge the program. The state Supreme Court is not obligated to take on the case. The Florida Education Association, NAACP and other groups believe the program resembles a voucher program that the court declared unconstitutional in 2006. The scholarships are funded by tax credits that corporations can make in lieu of tax payments. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the scholarships. Gradebook. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Sunshine State News. Associated Press.
Ethics issues: Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho may have broken state law by accepting gifts worth more than $100 and not reporting them, the Florida Commission on Ethics rules. The commission decided not to pursue the case after Carvalho accepted responsibility and later filed the proper forms. Miami Herald. The ethics commission also found probable cause that State Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, misused his position by implying he would help the Okeechobee County School District only if it retaliated against a district employee. The employee was suspended. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. TCPalm. The ethics case against Flagler County School Board chairwoman Colleen Conklin has been closed, according to the ethics commission. Her 2014 financial disclosure form was filed a year late. Conklin says it was misplaced, and paid a $1,500 fine. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
School spending: The St. Johns County School Board approves a $641.2 million budget that school officials call very tight. St. Augustine Record. The Hernando County School Board approves a $173 million budget that, for the first time since 2008, does not include cutbacks of employees or programs. Tampa Bay Times. The Citrus County School Board approves a $215.4 million budget. Citrus County Chronicle.
Teacher shortage: The national teacher shortage is affecting the United States and Florida and will continue to do so unless steps are taken to address attrition, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute. Florida data show that almost 50 percent of teachers hired in the past 10 years have left the profession. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
School suspensions: Before this past school year started, Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced that the district would eliminate out-of-school suspensions. It hasn't yet, but it has made significant headway, cutting those suspensions by 80 percent with a plan that includes in-class interventions focusing on at-risk students, changing the penalties for some infractions and training principals to change their approach to discipline. Miami Herald.
Charter schools: Parents of two charter schools facing termination reach out to Pinellas County School Superintendent Mike Grego with a proposal that Grego calls "reasonable." The deal would turn Windsor Preparatory Academy and East Windsor Middle Academy into magnet schools run by the district. The schools' board suggests staying in the current building, giving existing students a spot in the reconfigured schools, giving teachers first preference to be hired and keeping the board as advisers. The schools, which were run by the troubled Newpoint Education Partners, were given a notice of termination effective June 30. Gradebook.
Teacher bonuses: An administrative law judge rules that a Sarasota County school speech pathologist is eligible for the state's Best and Brightest teacher bonuses program. J. Bruce Culpepper says Cordelia Brown is an instructor at Brentwood Elementary School, and he interprets the state law to mean that all teachers are eligible. The district did not consider Brown to be a teacher. The recommendation now goes back to the Sarasota County School Board for a final decision. News Service of Florida. (more…)
Scott signs budget: Gov. Rick Scott signs the $82.3 billion state budget. He vetoes projects totaling $256.1 million, including a few education items. Here's the full list of items Scott vetoed. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics.
After-school programs: The Florida Senate's early proposal to open up after-school funding to competitive bidding did not survive the legislative process. That leaves the current system in place, and groups such as Big Brother Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls Clubs are relieved. Miami Herald.
Act goes awry: A fire-breather's face caught fire during a pep rally at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach Thursday. The fire-breather, Ricky Charles, and seven students were taken to a hospital for treatment. Charles was hired to perform at the rally for Florida Standards Assessments testing. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Free school store: The Hernando County Education Foundation has started a free store for teachers at Springstead High School. The Tools 4 Schools store provides school material for teachers who otherwise would have spent their own money. Tampa Bay Times.
Open enrollment concerns: St. Johns County school officials voice concerns over the details of open enrollment, and how it might affect their highly rated school district. St. Augustine Record.
Suit against board dismissed: The U.S. Middle District Court of Florida rules that the Seminole County School Board is not a person that can be sued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The suit was brought by a man who received 537 calls from the school district shortly after he received a reassigned cell phone number. National Law Review. (more…)
Testing routine: What is Florida Standards Assessments testing like for students? Here's a typical day during testing season for a P.K. Yonge student. Gainesville Sun. Nearly a week into testing, Polk County officials say things are going smoothly. Lakeland Ledger.
Charter problems: The latest problems at Windsor Prep Academy in St. Petersburg and two other charter schools in Clearwater are putting greater scrutiny on their management company, Newpoint Education Partners. This isn't the first time Newpoint has had problems with financial issues and failing schools. WFLA. Tampa Bay Times. Tim Kitts resigns as CEO of the Bay Haven Charter Academy in Panama City. He says organizational changes stripping him of his authority leave him unable to lead. He also was the subject of complaints from two administrators. Panama City News Herald.
Campaign lessons: Anti-bullying campaigns have been in most U.S. schools for years, so this presidential campaign has been confusing for some schoolchildren. “If students are following this election – and they should be – we have a lot of re-educating to do,” Buffalo school administrator Will Keresztes said. Associated Press.
School tax holiday: The back to school sales tax holiday will be cut down to three days this August. Last year it went for 10 days. Associated Press, via Naples Daily News.
School recess: State Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, is making one last pitch for mandatory recess every day in elementary schools. But his plan faces several procedural hurdles. Miami Herald. Is your elementary school child getting the 150 minutes of physical education every week as state law requires? Palm Beach Post. (more…)
K-12 spending: Legislators are touting the record spending on K-12 education in this year's budget. But Orange County school officials and the Florida Education Association say the increase of about 1 percent doesn't even cover inflation. Orlando Sentinel. News Service of Florida. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, says there are greater differences between the House and Senate on education spending than on any other budget issue. Politico Florida. Lawmakers defend their compromise agreement on education spending. Politico Florida.
Education bill: Amendments are being added to one of the two major education bills in the Legislature. Several involve the teacher bonus program. Among them: deleting it, allowing teachers to use LSAT scores to qualify in addition to ACT and SAT, allowing teachers to qualify if they graduated from a college or university ranked among the top 25 nationally by the Princeton Review or other national publication at the time of their graduation, and more. Politico Florida.
School testing: More than 200 Lee County students have opted out of the Florida Standards Assessments so far. WINK. A Pasco County School Board member agrees with parents who believe students ought to be able to read after finishing their Florida Standards Assessments tests. A few state districts allow it, but those in west-central Florida do not. Gradebook.
Recess benefits: Key lawmakers believe the decision to require daily recess for elementary students should be made at the local level. But advocates say the problem is local school boards won't commit, which is why the issue landed in the Legislature. The Senate bill won't be heard, but backers aren't quitting. They say the benefits of recess are too compelling. WTSP.
Workbook removed: A fifth-grade workbook is removed from the Walker Elementary School curriculum after a parent complained about the inclusion of the phrase "Muslims pray to Allah." The reference was in a lesson helping Okaloosa County students differentiate between the words pray and prey. Northwest Florida Daily News. (more…)
Education bills: The Florida Senate Budget Committee passes two broadly drawn Senate education bills. SB 524 deals with teacher bonuses, charter facilities financing, competency-based pilot programs and giving principals greater authority to make changes at struggling schools. SB 1166 would allow open enrollment for any student to attend any school with an opening, allow athletes to transfer and play immediately, and more closely define charter school accountability. An attempt to add an amendment requiring recess every day in elementary schools was withdrawn. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. WFSU.
Help for deaf: A Senate committee passes a bill that would help mainstream children who are deaf or hard of hearing into regular education. The bill would increase state funds for school programs that use hearing devices to aid spoken communication. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
District, police split: The Pasco County School District and the Zephyrhills Police Department are ending their contract for resource officers at two schools. The relationship deteriorated when Zephyrhills High School fired football coach Reggie Roberts, who is a police sergeant. Pasco County deputies will take over the contract. Tampa Tribune. Gradebook.
Success story: Lake Wales High School has doubled students' college acceptance rate in five years, cut chronic absenteeism and has the highest graduation rate in Polk County. Much of the credit goes to Principal Donna Dunson, who has instituted new rules since starting at the school in 2010. Among them: An 8:30 a.m. start time, extending lunches from 23 minutes to an hour, requiring teachers to let students retake tests, and more. Lakeland Ledger. (more…)
Teacher bonuses: State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, says the reason the Senate has allocated no money for teacher bonuses is that the program has not yet been fully vetted. Miami Herald.
Budget dissent: Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, adds his name to the list of legislators who oppose Gov. Rick Scott's plan to boost education spending largely through local property taxes. Scott's $507 million increase in K-12 spending is reached mostly by collecting $427.3 million more from Floridians through property taxes. Tampa Bay Times.
Sales tax hike: A majority of Palm Beach County School Board members want to join the county to ask voters to approve a 1-cent sales tax hike. A decision is expected Feb. 17. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
School scheduling: Martin County school officials are considering switching middle schools to a block schedule of three 85-minute periods and one of 45 minutes. The plan would save an estimated $800,000 by eliminating 15 teaching positions, officials say. TCPalm.
Safety and uniforms: If Alachua County wants a $180,000 grant from the state for school security cameras, it will have to conform to state rules and require solid-color collared shirts as part of school uniforms. Gainesville Sun.
Testing the disabled: A woman whose 15-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy tells the Sarasota County School Board that she has concerns over state and local testing requirements for disabled children. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)
