Runcie holds onto job: In a 6-3 vote, the Broward County School Board decides not to fire Superintendent Robert Runcie. Runcie has been a lightning rod for criticism for his actions since the shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Board member Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa died in the shooting, pushed for the firing, saying “we are not under a grand jury investigation because the district is running so smoothly.” Runcie, who has been in the job since 2011, vowed to move the district forward, improve security in schools and help heal the community. Sun Sentinel. WPLG. Miami Herald. Associated Press. WLRN.
State of the State: Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterates his vow to end waiting lists for tax credit and Gardiner scholarships by expanding the state's school choice programs with general revenue funds. In his State of the State speech on the first day of the legislative session, DeSantis said, “Education opportunity shouldn’t be limited by parental income or ZIP code. ... We are a big, diverse state and one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to education." He also encouraged legislators to "be bold" on education, environmental, safety and other significant state issues. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the tax credit scholarship program and the Gardiner scholarship for special needs students. redefinED. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Tallahassee Democrat. GateHouse. Politico Florida. Capitol News Service. WUFT. Florida Phoenix. Democrats criticize DeSantis' speech and release their own agenda. Miami Herald. (more…)
Bullying scholarship verification: The Florida Department of Education is advising school districts not to verify students' bullying claims before deciding whether to award them Hope Scholarships to attend different public schools or private schools. Doing so would violate state law, the DOE told superintendents in a memo that also warned that "any district that is adding this requirement is in violation of statute and administrative rule and will be dealt with according to law.” The Pasco County School District, which had announced it was considering verifying incidents before offering the scholarship, has abandoned that idea. Gradebook.
Teachers protest: Teachers around the state rallied Monday for more financial support for schools from the Legislature. The “fund our future” events were organized by the Florida Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. The union wants a boost in per-student spending of $743, or about 10 percent, to better fund schools and would allow higher pay to combat the shortage of teachers statewide. The 60-day legislative session begins today, and Gov. Ron DeSantis will deliver his State of the State message at 11 a.m. Orlando Sentinel. Keynoter. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics. WKMG. WINK. Daytona Beach News-Journal. (more…)
