Black suspensions: An investigation of more than 600,000 punishments in Pinellas County schools from 2010-2015 shows that black children are suspended at a much higher rate than in the other six large Florida districts, and four times the rate of other children based on their share of the school population. And more than half of those suspensions are for loosely defined offenses such as "not cooperating" and "class disruption." Tampa Bay Times.

Homeless students: More than 71,000 students in Florida public schools were homeless in the 2013-2014 school year, or 3.74 percent of the total. Orange County has about 7,000 homeless students, and Brevard, Seminole and Volusia each have about 2,000. Florida Today.

K-12 funding: State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, wants fellow legislators to consider other options to boost spending for K-12. Gaetz has been critical of Gov. Rick Scott's education budget, which puts most of the burden of raising additional dollars on Florida residents through property taxes. Miami Herald.

Vouchers in courts: Several school voucher advocate groups are lobbying the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a Colorado case to determine the constitutionality of spending public dollars for tuition at private, religious schools. Many states, including Florida, have so-called Blaine Amendment prohibitions in their constitutions against spending state tax revenue on religious institutions. Education Week. (more…)

Duval schools investigated: Do black and Hispanic students in Duval County have equal access to a quality education? That's what the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating, according to a letter the department sent to U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville. Florida Times-Union. The local NAACP office is offering alternatives to the school changes School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has proposed. Florida Times-Union.

Achievement by gender: A study of a million Florida children born between 1992 and 2002 who attended public schools shows that boys overwhelmingly fall behind girls in learning at an early age and never catch up, and the gap widens significantly when race and socioeconomic status are considered. Washington Post.

Testing costs: Hillsborough County's school district spent about $2.2 million on testing expenses in 2014-2015, according to a recent report by the Council of the Great City Schools. That's about one-tenth of 1 percent of the district's $2.2 billion annual budget. Philadelphia Public Schools Notebook.

Stadium deal: David Beckham's proposed deal with the Miami-Dade School Board to build a $200 million Major League Soccer stadium in Little Havana is on hold. Team officials say owners of some of the properties where the stadium would be built are asking too much for their land. Most of the land, next to Marlins Park baseball stadium, is owned by the city, which agreed to transfer ownership to the school board to shelter the team from property taxes. Miami Herald. (more…)

Education budget: Gov. Rick Scott's proposed $79.3 billion budget would boost spending for K-12 by $507.3 million, but only 15 percent would be provided by the state. The rest would come through higher property taxes on residents and businesses. Tampa Bay Times. Lake County school officials say the increase in education spending isn't enough. Daily Commercial.

Interpreter standards: Bills filed by State Rep. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, and State Sen. Thad Altman, R-Rockledge, would establish standards for interpreters for hearing-impaired students in grades K-12. Sunshine State News.

Stadium deal: Miami-Dade County Republican Party chairman Nelson Diaz says he's hearing grumblings about the proposed deal between the school system and David Beckham to build a Major League Soccer stadium. The partnership would give the stadium a break on property taxes by putting ownership in the hands of the school board. Miami Herald.

Opinions on schools: It's time voters correct a mistake, however well-intentioned, and return the education commissioner's job to an elected Cabinet position, columnist John Romano argues. Tampa Bay Times.

School plan flexible: Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says his plan to revamp the system will continue to change as he gets input from parents and working groups considering his proposals, which include boosting enrollment by winning students back from charter schools, expanding choice and building new schools. Florida Times-Union. One of the working groups is proposing a new site for a single-gender middle school. Florida Times-Union. (more…)

Schools spending: Some Republican legislators want Gov. Rick Scott to publicly acknowledge that increased spending on education in the next budget, which is being released today, will mean higher property taxes. Tampa Bay Times.

Education legislation: Two Republican legislators propose asking voters to make the education commissioner an elected Cabinet position. Another bill would give the state the power to approve charter schools. Palm Beach Post.

Common Core: The Common Core state standards, which came about when Massachusetts, Florida and a few other states collaborated on a national test that would allow better comparisons of state results, has been abandoned by Massachusetts on the recommendation of the man who helped develop them. New York Times. Sen. Marco Rubio has joined Sen. Ted Cruz in signing a pledge to end Common Core state standards if he's elected president. Sunshine State News.

No Child Left Behind: A conference committee has agreed to the first changes in 14 years to the No Child Left Behind law. The bill would allow states more latitude in dealing with schools that don't meet standards. New York Times.

School properties for sale: The Miami-Dade School System is aggressively marketing its downtown properties. It's been working with David Beckham on a soccer stadium, and now it's offering its headquarters to developers. School officials believe any deals will benefit the system's 350,000 students. Miami Herald.

Charters and urban areas: Multiple studies consistently show that charter schools are generally more successful in urban areas serving low-income students than in suburban areas. New York Times. (more…)

School grade concerns: The Seminole County School Board is urging Gov. Rick Scott to suspend the issuing of grades this school year due to concerns about the reliability of the Florida Standards Assessment tests. Superintendents around the state have been arguing that school grades issued using results from the new tests will be unfair and inaccurate. Orlando Sentinel.

Charters and grades: State Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, proposes a bill that would prohibit charter schools from denying admittance due to a student's previous academic performance. Gradebook.

Charter school query: Mason Classical Academy is being investigated by the Department of Children and Families for alleged "mental injury" and "inappropriate supervision." The Collier County charter school was founded by two school board members. Naples Daily News.

Unions and Supreme Court: The Florida Education Association could become a model for teachers unions if the U.S. Supreme Court ends the  collection of union agency fees in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case. A decision is expected in 2016. Education Intelligence Agency.

Education behind bars: States should do more to educate young people in jail, the Justice Center at the Council of State Government argues after surveying services in all 50 states. (more…)

Education foundation ratings: Twelve Florida county education foundations are among the nation's top 50 in the annual Stepping Up survey conducted by Dewey & Associates. Pinellas County is No. 1, Hillsborough 6th, Osceola 8th, Seminole 10th, Brevard 16th, Polk 17th, Lee 27th, Broward 28th, Jacksonville 34th, Pasco 38th, Volusia 46th and Palm Beach 60th. The survey rates foundations in eight categories: total revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, grant and program expenses, grant and program expenses per student, investment income and volunteers.

Teacher saves student: When a piece of candy got stuck in a student's throat during a social studies class at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, teacher Corey McCormack performs the Heimlich maneuver to save his life. Daytona Beach News-Herald.

School shooting: A 15-year-old Lecanto High School student shoots himself in the head in his English class Tuesday. He's in critical condition at a Tampa hospital. Citrus County Chronicle. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times.

Stadium negotiations: Miami-Dade school officials want benefits worth about $1.3 million for county schools in return for partnering with David Beckham to build a $200 million Major League Soccer stadium. A partnership would shield the team from paying taxes. Miami Herald.

Impact fees: Despite objections by developers, the Manatee County School Board unanimously approved a resolution asking county commissioners to reinstate school impact fees. Bradenton Herald. (more…)