State responds in suit: Lawyers for the state are urging the Florida Supreme Court to dismiss a case challenging the constitutionality of the way Florida funds its education system instead of sending it back to a lower court for further review. Last December, an appeals court decided that a trial court correctly ruled that the state constitution's requirement for a "high quality" and "efficient" public school system was political, and not measurable. In April, the Supreme Court agreed to review the case. Gradebook.
Closed board meetings: Since last year, the Lee County School Board has been holding meetings the public is not invited to after its regular board meetings. The meetings are considered critique sessions, and board attorney Keith Martin says members carefully avoid discussing any issues that could later be voted on. "There have been a couple of occasions where they have gotten close to that type of issue, and I have had to say, 'No, Sunshine Law. Get back to the proper discussions,' " says Martin. Barbara Petersen, president of the nonprofit Florida First Amendment Foundation, says these meetings might not technically violate state law, but they could cause a public perception problem. Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)
Education lawsuit: The group suing the state over its funding of public education is asking the Florida Supreme Court to send the case back to lower courts for another review. Both a trial court and an appeals court have rejected the arguments made by the plaintiffs in the Citizens for Strong Schools v. Florida State Board of Education case, ruling that the language used in the constitutional standard for funding a high quality public education is not measurable. The plaintiffs disagree, saying the court's traditional duty has been to interpret constitutional terms and decide if the other branches of the government have acted constitutionally. Gradebook. redefinED.
School safety commissions: The federal school safety commission set up after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will not consider the role of guns in school violence, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tells a Senate subcommittee. “That is not part of the commission’s charge per se,” DeVos said. “We are actually studying school safety and how we can ensure our students are safe at school.” Associated Press. NBC News. Politico. Washington Post. Meanwhile, the chairman of the state commission looking into the shootings at Parkland acknowledges that its investigation and recommendations won't stop school shootings in Florida. "Nobody should be mistaken about this: It's not a question of if this is going to happen again," says Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. "The question is when and where, and most importantly, what has been done to put things in place to mitigate the impact." TCPalm. (more…)
Nation's report card: Florida is the only state that improved in the National Assessment of Educational Progress math exam, according the annual report from the National Center for Education Statistics. Florida is also just one of nine states showing improvement in the reading exam. Among the nation's larger districts, Hillsborough County was first in 4th-grade reading and math, and 8th-graders tied for first in reading and were tied for second in math. NAEP exam results are called the "nation's report card" because they are a common test that can compare student academic performance across the country. “Something very good is happening in Florida, obviously,” says Peggy Carr, associate commissioner of assessment at the NCES. “Florida needs to be commended.” Nationally, test results showed little or no gains. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. Chalkbeat. Hechinger Report. U.S. News & World Report. For the first time, a majority of U.S. students took the tests on computer tablets. Some educators are concerned that the change makes year-to-year score comparisons unreliable. Chalkbeat.
School security: The Jefferson County School Board votes against allowing school employees to carry concealed weapons in schools. School Superintendent Marianne Arbulu and Sheriff Mac McNeill agree that only deputies and resource officers should be armed on campus. WTXL. Manatee County School Superintendent Diana Greene says the district will need to find $1.8 million to put a resource officer in every school in August. The state is contributing $3.4 million to the district for the officers, but the total cost will be $5.2 million, Greene says. She also provided details of how the district will spend money from the voter-approved increase in property taxes for schools. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Citrus County commissioners are considering using law enforcement impact fees and the other drug seizure funds to pay for school resource officers. Citrus County Chronicle. Student leaders from Lake County high schools collaborate to create a survey on school safety for students. Daily Commercial. (more…)
Schools reopening: Some school districts around Florida have reopened or are reopening today, while others will delay a few more days or even until next Monday. Florida Department of Education. Tampa Bay Times. Gradebook. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. Florida Times-Union. Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Florida Today. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Bradenton Herald. Fort Myers News-Press. Pensacola News Journal. Ocala Star-Banner. Tallahassee Democrat. Citrus County Chronicle. Politico Florida. WFSU. WUSF. WFLA. WTSP. WJXT.
More on Irma: Here are some of the reasons why many schools are closed until next week. Gradebook. With school for many students closed until next week, parents are looking for safe activities to keep them busy. Sun-Sentinel. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have taken their toll on schoolchildren. Washington Post. In some schools, the cleanup will be a massive and costly efforts. Fort Myers News-Press. Bradenton Herald. A nun toting a chainsaw helps clear debris at her schools, Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School in West Kendall. "We teach our students: Do what you can to help other people, don't think of yourselves," Sister Margaret Ann said. "That's what I wanted to do." CNN. Students from the Manatee School for the Arts pitch in to help clean up storm debris at a neighborhood playground. Bradenton Herald.
School burns down: Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Tampa, which was built in 1906 and has been a magnet school for world studies and technology, is destroyed by a fire. Officials say the fire did not appear to be suspicious, but the investigation of the cause has not started. "I want to make something very, very clear — because I know that in our atmosphere this can be contentious — but indications now have nothing to do with the name of this school," says Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Penny. Some school board members have been trying to have the name of the school changed. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA.
Education budget debate: Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, says he wants additional property tax money to provide two-thirds of the extra $215 million Gov. Rick Scott has proposed for K-12 schools. The proposal is opposed by the House, which has been adamantly against higher local property taxes for education. Negron has several other items on his agenda for the session that appear to be outside of the agreement reportedly reached Friday among him, Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach Post. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Senators have been assured that there will be a "full and open" discussion about the proposed education bill during the Legislature's special session today through Friday, says Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, who is chairman of the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. Simmons, who voted against H.B. 7069, says improving the bill would be better than killing it, though he also says "it's got to be gotten rid of unless we can improve it." Gradebook. Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, says he's "not comfortable supporting any compromise" on boosting K-12 funding for 2017-18 that fails "to address the erosion of Florida's commitment to public education that is contained in H.B. 7069." Garcia joined Simmons and Sen. Denise Grimsley of Sebring as the only Republicans voting against the bill. Miami Herald.
Charter schools: Sarasota County School Board members heatedly debate the charter school provisions in the state education budget. It began when one member asked others to sign a letter to Gov. Scott asking him to veto H.B. 7069, which drew objections from other board members and finally provoked this comment from board chair Caroline Zucker: "If you can’t sit here and vote for public school children, then you don’t belong on this board. Because this is what we are — public school advocates.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Duval County School Board approves two charter schools, renews contracts for three others and approves the merger of two charter schools into one. One of the new schools was approved despite concerns from some board members. "It is very frustrating having to sit here and approve a charter school ... when the (district) schools around them are not failing; they are performing well," said board member Warren Jones. Florida Times-Union. The Atlanta School Board rejects an application from the SLAM Academy of Miami to open a charter school. The board cited the school's over-reliance on an outside management company. SLAM (short for Sports Leadership and Management) is known for its connection to Miami rapper Pitbull. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Money for Jewish schools: Among the bills Gov. Scott has signed is one that provides $654,000 to boost security at Jewish schools. The schools and community centers were the target of threats earlier this year. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
Recess bill advances: A bill requiring mandatory daily recess of at least 20 minutes for all Florida K-5 students passes the state Senate Education Committee. Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said the bill showed “the power of advocacy, of parents” who pushed legislators to act when local school boards would not. The bill now goes to the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Committee for consideration. Miami Herald. Associated Press. Florida Politics.
Charter facilities funding: The Senate Education Committee approves a bill that would send a proportional share of a district's property tax revenue to charter schools based on enrollment, with more money attached for those schools that have large low-income or special needs populations. But a second bill that would have increase districts' local tax authority is delayed. Supporters say the measures need to move forward together to allow districts to catch up on construction that's been backlogged since the recession. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
Hidden dropouts: Alternative schools increasingly are being used by public schools as places to hide struggling, problem students who might otherwise drag down a school's graduation rate, test scores and grade, according to an investigation by ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism website. The Orange County School District is one of 83 U.S. school districts that bumped its graduate rate by at least a percentage point between 2010 and 2014 by sending an increasing number of students into alternative schools. ProPublica.
Florida 4th in AP: Florida ranks fourth in the nation in the percentage of students taking and passing at least one Advanced Placement course, according to the College Board, the organization that runs the AP program. In Florida's class of 2016, 29.5 percent passed at least one AP exam. That's over the national average of 21.9 percent and 11 percentage points better than 10 years ago. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
School construction: K-12 schools and colleges and universities will be competing for school construction money during the next legislative session, which begins in March. Florida Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, says higher education is a top priority, but it's unclear how much money will be available and how it will be shared. Orlando Sentinel.
Principal program: The Florida Board of Education expects to detail the rules outlining the autonomy principals will be given in turning around struggling schools. The pilot project could be rolled out in seven districts: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Duval, Jefferson, Madison and Seminole counties. The board meets Jan. 17. Gradebook.
Gifted programs expand: In the past three years, the Seminole County School District has doubled the number of black, Hispanic, English-learning and low-income youngsters in its gifted program. Orlando Sentinel.
Middling grades: Florida is given a C grade, slightly below the U.S. average, in the annual Quality Counts report from Education Week's Research Center. Florida's score was 72.5, while the U.S. average was 74.2. The grades are calculated from a success index, spending on education, spending equity across state districts and an achievement index. Massachusetts is the top state with a score of 86.5 and a grade of B. Education Week. (more…)
Bright Futures: The number of Florida students claiming Bright Futures scholarships continues to decline, according to the Department of Education. The total number of Bright Futures scholarships is expected to decline 20 percent this year, to 102,000 compared with 128,545 in the 2014-2015 school year. At its peak, about 179,000 students had the scholarships. But there are some projections, now being reviewed by the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, that suggest the number may be improving. Incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Palm Coast, hopes to restore the scholarships to cover full tuition and fees. Florida Politics.
Retention fight: The Opt Out Florida Network is raising money through gofundme.com to support a lawsuit that would challenge Florida's retention of third-graders who don't pass a state reading test. The group has raised about $2,500 of the $17,000 it estimates it will need. Gradebook.
Funding problems: School superintendents in Escambia and Okaloosa counties warn that future school budgets are going to be squeezed drastically, and both are starting the search for cutbacks. Florida spends about $7,100 per student, 42nd among the states and well below the national average of almost $9,800. WUWF.
School tax rate: The Miami-Dade County School Board is considering setting a lower tax rate. For many homeowners, the decline would probably offset the forecast increase in property values. First the first time since the real estate crash, the school budget is likely to exceed $5 billion. Miami Herald. (more…)
