Scholarships appeal: Three judges of the First District Court of Appeal hold a 50-minute hearing to consider whether the Florida Education Association and others have standing to challenge the constitutionality of the state's tax-credit scholarship program. The judges also must decide if there is a specific harm to public schools. No ruling was issued. The FEA says the program diverts money from public schools. The state says the plaintiffs have no standing to sue because no public money goes into the program. Instead, companies make donations and get tax credits in return. A circuit judge ruled in the state's favor last year. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, administers tax-credit scholarships for almost 80,000 low-income students, and also the Gardiner Scholarships for students with disabilities. Miami Herald. redefinED. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. WFSU. Associated Press.
Science tests moved: The statewide science assessments tests have been moved from March 27-31, 2017, to May 1-5, the state Department of Education announces. Administrators and teachers complained that with the earlier date, they wouldn't have been able to cover all the material the students need to know before taking the tests. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook.
Magnet plan: Pinellas County School Superintendent Michael Grego says he's prepared to kill a proposal to start magnet programs at six failing elementary schools. The programs were announced last week as a way to attract new students and improve the schools. But leaders in the black community are skeptical that the programs would address the needs of the low-performing students already there. Tampa Bay Times.
Grade changes: Some members of the Broward County School Board are pushing the district to award A+ grades, just as they give out B+, C+ and D+ grades. A school district committee did not agree, and the matter will be discussed later. Sun-Sentinel.
Sparring in Duval: Duval County School Board member Constance Hall charges that she was followed after a board meeting in November by "someone" related to Superintendent Nikolai Vitti who was driving a dark SUV. At that meeting, Hall presented a letter criticizing Vitti for what she called disrespectful communication from the superintendent toward several board members. Vitti says his wife and chief of staff were in a dark SUV that night, but were not following Hall. Florida Times-Union. (more…)
Top high schools: The Pine View School in Osprey is rated the top high school in Florida and seventh-best in the United States, according to ratings by U.S. News & World Report. Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami is ranked second in the state and 20th nationwide. Miami's International Studies Charter High School is third in the state and 21st in the United States. Fourth in Florida is Edgewood Junior/Senior High School in Merritt Island, and fifth is Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville. The complete Florida rankings are here, and the complete U.S. rankings are here. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Naples Daily News. Orlando Sentinel.
Career academies: The proliferation of career academies, especially in Florida, is giving more high school students an entryway into a career by blending traditional and technical courses. But some experts worry that the academies may inadvertently promote inequality, since many are started at schools that have a majority nonwhite population. The Atlantic.
Spending tightens: The Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts are cutting back on discretionary spending in their budgets for the 2016-2017 school year. The districts will receive just a 1 percent increase in state money, and school officials don't expect the financial picture to improve for the next school year. Pensacola News Journal.
New high school: The Lee County School Board approves spending $11 million to buy a 77-acre property for a high school in Bonita Springs. Nearby residents protested the selection of the land, known as the Imperial Parkway site, citing traffic concerns. Fort Myers News-Press. Naples Daily News. (more…)
School grades: After months of delays, the Department of Education releases Florida school grades for 2014-2015. The grades are similar to the projections issued in December, and will become the baseline for comparison to future grades. Twenty-two of the state's 67 districts received A grades. None received an F, and only two received a D. A grades were given to 1,169 of the state's 3,219 schools. B grades were given to 642 schools, while 859 got a C, 365 got a D and 184 got an F. The next round of Florida Standards Assessments testing is just two weeks away. Department of Education. Tampa Bay Times. Sunshine State News. WFSU. Miami Herald. Tampa Tribune. Orlando Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Florida Times-Union. Pensacola News Journal. Florida Today. Fort Myers News-Press. TCPalm. Bradenton Herald. Naples Daily News. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Gainesville Sun. Ocala Star Banner. Tallahassee Democrat. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Northwest Florida Daily News. Panama City News Herald. Daily Commercial. Lakeland Ledger. St. Augustine Record.
Fresen and charters: Florida Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, has been pushing hard in the Legislature to limit public school capital spending and to force districts to share that money with charter schools. But he's also an executive for Civica, an architecture firm that builds charter schools. Civica has built many schools for Academica, charter school management company in Florida that employs Fresen’s brother-in-law and sister as executives. Fresen sees no conflicts. “Nothing in this bill has anything to do with anything that I do for a living,” he says. Miami Herald.
Charter investigation: A Wellington charter school paid $48,000 to a company owned by the school's chairman for a loan that was never made. Eagle Arts Academy's payments to Gregory James Blount even continued after the Palm Beach School Board began investigating. Palm Beach Post.
Superintendent resigns: Polk County School Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy resigns and leaves with a $230,000 severance package. LeRoy has been a target for school board members since an investigation into complaints lodged against her by an associate superintendent. Board members say if she hadn't resigned, she would have been fired. Lakeland Ledger.
One-room school: The last one-room school in Florida is likely to close at the end of the school year. The principal of Duette Elementary is retiring and won't ask the Manatee County School District to renew the school's contract. It has just 11 students this year. Bradenton Herald. (more…)
