Recruiting teachers: Hillsborough County school officials will attack their teacher shortage by offering bonuses ranging from $3,600 to $7,500 to teachers who take jobs at 50 low-performing schools next fall. The bonuses also could be boosted by another $4,500 for teachers who are nationally certified. Each of the low-performing schools -- called Achievement Schools -- will get a full time psychologist, social worker, guidance counselor and nurse, and get help from subject area specialists and coaches. The $17 million plan was approved by the school board, and Superintendent Jeff Eakins says negotiations are ongoing with the teachers union. Gradebook. WUSF.
New scholarship: Gov. Ron DeSantis' proposed Equal Opportunity Scholarship would be open to a broader category of students than the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship is, according to details of the plan recently released. The maximum household income of eligible families would be 265 percent of the federal poverty level, compared with 200 percent for the FTC. Money for the new scholarship for students to attend private schools would come from general state revenues, and could grow annually. The proposal would also require private schools to test students in grades 3-10 and report the results. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the tax credit scholarship program Florida Phoenix. (more…)
Funding fears: While school officials applaud voters for approving 18 ballot measures in August and November to help pay for expenses at schools, some fear that those approvals will embolden the Legislature to cut back funding and lean more on local tax efforts. That could lead to funding disparities based on where students live. "It's a grave concern," says Andrea Messina, head of the Florida School Boards Association. "The more we rely on local dollars to provide for educational needs, the greater the disparity could be." Gradebook.
School board elections: When the Florida Constitution Revision Commission proposed an amendment that would have imposed term limits on school board members, critics said it was unnecessary because of natural turnover. The Florida Supreme Court removed the amendment from the budget to make the argument moot. So how did the elections turn out? Across the state, 290 school board seats were open. Fifty-nine incumbents chose not to seek re-election. Eighteen incumbents who did run lost in the August primary, and seven more lost in the general election. Meanwhile, 73 incumbents and 53 newcomers were elected to boards without drawing opponents. Gradebook. (more…)
Schools of excellence: Eighty-eight more Florida schools may be added to the 630 already designated as "school of excellence" by the state Board of Education at its meeting Thursday. Those schools earn the label by being in the 80th percentile or higher in points for Florida's school grading system, then maintain it by getting an A or B grade the next year. Designated schools' principals are permitted greater autonomy, and the schools are exempt from daily minimum reading requirements and may calculate class size as a school average, among other benefits. Gradebook.
District's toll violations: The Broward County School District has been billed almost $10,000 for 34 toll violations by school buses on the Florida Turnpike dating back to 2009. If the violations had been paid on time, the bill would have been less than $50. A school spokeswoman says at least some of the violations are in error, and it's asking for clarification from SunPass. “I’m at a loss for words," says school board member Robin Bartleman. "That is unbelievable that this slipped through the cracks.” Sun-Sentinel.
Blue Ribbon schools: Twelve Florida schools are among 349 across the United States chosen as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools earn the designation through high achievement or by closing the achievement gaps for disadvantaged students. The Florida schools honored are: A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School in Boca Raton; Colleen Bevin Elementary in Lithia; Lorenzo Walker Technical High School and Seagate Elementary in Naples; West Shore Junior/Senior High in Melbourne; George Washington Carver Middle, Herbert Ammons Middle and Archimedean Upper Conservatory in Miami; Tarpon Springs Fundamental Elementary; Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville; Pensacola Beach Elementary; and the Somerset Academy Elementary in Miramar. redefinED. Space Coast Daily. Boca News Now. U.S. Department of Education.
A/C help discussion: The Hillsborough County Commission is expected to "discuss collaborating with the Hillsborough County School District to explore ways the county can help expedite urgently needed upgrades to school air-conditioners and other vital building infrastructure" at its meeting Wednesday. The school district has a growing backlog of schools with A/C problems and other issues, and is asking voters Nov. 6 to approve a half-cent increase in the sales tax to raise $1.31 billion over 10 years for maintenance and construction. Gradebook. (more…)
Teacher bonuses: A legal challenge to the state's Best & Brightest teacher bonuses program is scheduled for a mediation session Nov. 13 in Tallahassee. Teachers and a teachers union sued the Florida Department of Education over the program, claiming it discriminates against teachers by age and race in part because it relies on college entry exam scores, which many teachers don't have. If no settlement can be reached after mediation, the case could go to trial in early February. Gradebook.
School security: Schools in Florida are bolstering security with a mixture of new technology and old-school personal relationships. School resource officers chat with students and give fist bumps, rattle door handles to make sure they're locked and mentor struggling students, but also use apps to follow leads about threats and monitor social media. Orlando Sentinel. Charlotte Sun. Alan Hall, a charter high school principal in Jacksonville, is one of the first school employees to graduate from the Duval County sheriff's guardian training program and is now carrying a gun in the halls of San Jose Academy & Preparatory High School. “I’ve always worried, 'Oh my gosh, what would happen?' How am I going to put myself in those principals’ shoes that have actually had to live this? And I say, now, I at least have a chance to do something about it,” Hall says. WJAX. (more…)
