DOE budget request: The Florida Department of Education's budget request to the Legislature calls for a spending boost of $200 per student. Among the specific spending requests are $100 million more for school safety, $67.5 million for training and arming school staffers and an additional $10 million for student mental health. If the request is approved, it would represent an increase of $673 million, or 3 percent, and boost the budget to more than $21.7 billion. Last year the education budget approved by the Legislature was $321 million less than the DOE requested. Politico Florida.
Florida SAT scores lag: Florida's class of 2018 posted an average score of 1014 on the SAT exams, trailing the national average of 1068, according to the College Board. The results mirror those on the other big college admission test, the ACT. Last week, the College Board announced that Florida students scored an average of 19.9, below the national average is 20.8. About 97 percent of Florida high school graduates took the SAT, and 66 percent took the ACT. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
School rebuilding proposed: Hillsborough County school officials say they want to rebuild the historic Lee Elementary School in Tampa, which was severely damaged by a fire in September 2017. If the school board approves the plan, contractors will preserve the brick exterior but redesign the interior to conform to modern standards. As long as the district rebuilds, insurance will cover the full cost for construction. If it doesn't rebuild, the district would receive just 10 percent of the insurance to cover classroom materials and equipment. Tampa Bay Times.
Sports officiating classes: Two Collier County high schools now offer sports officiating classes in an effort to ease a shortage of officials for school sporting events. Students at Palmetto Ridge and Golden Gate high schools will be trained in the sport or two of their choice, and will be offered tests to become certified as officials. “This class provides our students another opportunity to get a certification, and potentially a career in officiating," says Superintendent Kamela Patton. "Partnering with our local officials association, the Great Naples Officials Association, and the Florida High School Athletic Association fulfills a community need while producing our own qualified officials to help boost our school athletics programs.” Naples Daily News.
Financial issues: The Duval County School District again spent more than it took in last year, according to an annual report on the state of its finances. That spending - for unexpected expenses, climbing costs, underutilized schools and more - cut into the district's net financial position by 15.7 percent last year, and the general fund balance is now 21 percent less than it was a year ago. Florida Times-Union. The Leon County School Board is expected to vote tonight on a proposed $545.8 million budget that includes raises for teachers and a boost in the minimum wage paid from $9.50 an hour to $11. Tallahassee Democrat.
School overcrowding: Even with about 22,000 open seats in Palm Beach County schools, there's a space crunch at select schools. Schools in more desirable neighborhoods are jammed, and schools in low-income areas have seats to spare. District officials are trying to convince the state to let them build new schools to relieve the overcrowding at the crowded schools, saying moving students from them to half-empty ones would require so much busing that it would be unhealthy for students, unwelcome to their parents and unaffordable for the school system. Palm Beach Post. Here's what one Palm Beach County school is doing to weed out students who falsify addresses to attend. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)
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…)
