Teacher bonuses program: The chairman of the Florida Senate K-12 education appropriations subcommittee says he wants to rewrite the bill authorizing teacher bonuses. Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, would remove the use of teachers' SAT or ACT scores from the formula for granting bonuses and replace it with a different measure of performance. He also said principals could get more authority in parceling out bonuses, and bonuses could be used to get better teachers to work in poorer schools. Officials hope these and other reforms will help recruit and retain teachers. Orlando Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel. Gradebook. Politico Florida. WFSU.
Achievement gap: Two Polk County legislators file bills that would approve a study to find out why the state's middle schools are performing significantly worse than elementary schools in reading and math. The bills are S.B. 360, filed by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and H.B. 293, filed by Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland. Bridge to Tomorrow.
School arrests: Nearly 70,000 U.S. students were arrested in the 2013-2014 school year, and in 43 states and the District of Columbia black students were arrested at disproportionately high levels, according to an Education Week analysis of federal data. Florida was 11th in the number of arrests, with 1,768. About 39 percent of the arrests were of black students, who made up just under 23 percent of the student population. Education Week.
Unequal treatment? An assistant principal who was demoted when she became pregnant in 2010, then won a $350,000 settlement against the Palm Beach County School District, questions why the man who demoted her was never disciplined, reprimanded or even investigated by the school district. Anne Williams Dorsey says the continued employment of Darren Edgecomb, now principal of Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, "raises eyebrows, to put it politely.” Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Education spending: The chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee is anticipating cuts in education spending this year and next. Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, says with revenues expected to be flat, his committee is looking into two levels of spending based on expected revenues. The "easy" one would trim $164.8 million from recurring PreK-12 spending and $68 million in nonrecurring expenses. The aggressive one would more than double those cuts. Gradebook. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
Scott on education: Gov. Rick Scott made a pitch Tuesday for affordable college degrees and a quicker path to graduation. Part of the plan includes broadening the allowable use of Bright Futures scholarships, and capping college fees. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. News Service of Florida. Sunshine State News.
Teacher pay: Several Duval County School Board members say paying teachers and principals extra to work in struggling schools is producing mixed results, and they question Superintendent Nikolai Vitti's plan to expand the program. Twenty-one of the schools in the program have shown improvement in school grades, while 11 have stayed at the same level and three have declined. Vitti's plan lowers the incentive pay in order to expand the program. Florida Times-Union. Some Lee County teachers will get a pay raise at the end of the month after the school board approves a plan to spend $9.73 million for performance pay and as a market adjustment for veteran teachers. Fort Myers News-Press.
Substitute banned: A New York writing professor working as a substitute teacher at Venice High School has been banned because she assigned her senior Advanced Placement students to read a short story with sexual situations, explicit language and discussions of race and relationships. Lisa del Rosso had students read Alma, a short story written by Pulitzer-prize winning writer Junot Diaz that appeared in The New Yorker. A parent called the school office to complain, and del Rosso was banned from the district. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)
