Tax hike: Seminole County schools Superintendent Walt Griffin says his district needs another 1-mill tax on county property to pay for a slew of school improvements. Orlando Sentinel.

Digital divide: Over the next few years, computers will play an even bigger role in public education. StateImpact Florida.

Summer lunch: And breakfast at more than a dozen South Florida schools that will keep their kitchens open to serve needy children. Miami Herald.

Jewish schools: A coalition of Jewish leaders is advocating for policies that help ease the financial burden on private school parents. SaintPetersBlog.

Overage students: Superintendent Nikolai Vitti will ask board members to OK a plan that increases  the number of schools offering classes to overage students. Florida Times-Union.

Teacher turnover: In Florida, four out of 10 new teachers leave their jobs within the first five  years. In Duval County, it's about five  out of 10, according to a recent study. Florida Times-Union.

Lessons learned: Manatee County schools suffered the brunt of lax accounting and archaic budgeting software, but a citizens advisory group stands behind the new superintendent. Bradenton Herald. Manatee school board member and budget committee chairwoman Julie Aranibar looks back on troubled year. StateImpact Florida.

Gifted students: More than 10 percent of Miami-Dade County's students are labeled gifted students. Miami Herald. Although school districts test children for free to determine if they are gifted students, many parents turn to outside psychologists, instead. Miami Herald.

Education shift: Five retiring teachers reflect on the changing landscape in public education. Ledger.

Portables: Broward looks to spend millions to get rid of 1,180 portable classrooms older than 20 years. Sun-Sentinel.

Arrested: Royal Palm Beach High assistant principal arrested in prostitution sting. Palm Beach Post.

Scholarships: Four Hillsborough County seniors win Red Pittman Scholarship. Tampa Tribune.

Budget cuts: The Pembroke Pines Charter System projects a $2.4 million budget shortfall for the 2013-14 school year and has no money for contracted raises for 330 teachers. Sun-Sentinel. Manatee officials say they'll work to get kilns running again at Manatee High. Bradenton Herald.

FCAT: South Florida’s students perform as well or better than last year in most every field tested, but schools and teachers likely to be judged more harshly as Florida moves toward more rigorous standards. Miami Herald. And students aren't making  the kind of gains they should be, educators say. Tampa Tribune. Education Commissioner Tony Bennett calls the results unacceptable and suggests the state has lost focus on reading and math. Tampa Bay Times. More from Orlando Sentinel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Palm Beach Post.

BP and schools: Volusia County school district official says the BP oil spill had a clear impact on state revenue, decreasing state dollars that could have gone toward education funding. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Grads: Service, technology and international pursuits are on the minds of Hillsborough's seniors. Tampa Tribune. A contest glitch results in car giveaways for two Hillsborough seniors. Tampa Tribune. 211 seniors are the first graduates of Weeki Wachee High. Tampa Bay Times.

Bullying: New law gives school districts the right to discipline students for cyberbullying outside school, if the student’s school life is impacted. Florida Times-Union.

Tolerance: Parents start a petition after a principal criticizes their son for wearing makeup to school. Tampa Bay Times.

Charter schools: Large charter organizations draw criticism for impact on public education. St. Augustine Record.

Bang for the buck. Florida's education system gets a lot of it. Florida Watchdog.

Charter schools. Broward sees its eighth charter school close this year, raising questions about accountability, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Imagine charter schools network will close its struggling elementary school in Pinellas, but keep its middle school open, reports Gradebook. The C-rated Athenian Academy charter school in Pasco is suing the school district for barring its plans to grow enrollment, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Career education. A Pasco student in Wiregrass Ranch High's information technology career academy highlights the potential of choice and career education. Tampa Bay Times. The Tampa Tribune writes up the changes in graduation requirements that put more value on career education.

Dual enrollment. The Palm Beach County school district and Palm Beach State College are hoping to hash out an agreement over dual enrollment costs in the wake of a legislative change. Palm Beach Post.

FCAT. More results coming this week. Gradebook. (more…)

School technology. StateImpact Florida takes a look at the One Laptop Per Child program.

Accelerated classes. In Pasco, enrollment is climbing fast in AP, IB and dual enrollment. Tampa Bay Times.

FCAT. Gains not as good as they sound, writes Shanker Blog. Three Pinellas elementary schools have among the worst math scores in the state, reports Gradebook.

Parent trigger. A distraction and faddish. Sherman Dorn.

Superintendents. The new Lee super is Naples High Principal Nancy Graham, but it's not clear whether she's temporary, reports the Naples Daily News. Tony Bennett's a fan of Pinellas' Mike Grego, reports Gradebook.

Ed summit. Speaking of Grego, he's among the speakers at the Florida Sterling Council's annual summit. StateImpact Florida.

Gifted students. Pinellas is eliminating programs for gifted students at a few schools in lieu of offering gifted services at all elementary schools. Tampa Bay Times.

School spending. Broward gets no legislative funding help for its technology and building needs, reports the Miami Herald. More from the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Broward wants to charge a developer $3.6 million in impact fees for four students, the Sun Sentinel also reports. (more…)

Course choice. Florida students in K-12 and higher education could pick courses provided by entities outside the traditional public school system under bills filed Thursday by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. SchoolZone.

Jeb Bush. He meets with lawmakers in the Capitol and predicts passage of the parent trigger bill. Coverage from Palm Beach Post,  Miami Herald, Tallahassee Democrat.

More parent trigger. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford are enthusiastic, reports StateImpact Florida. More from Sunshine State News.

Gifted academy. Orange school board members discuss the possibility of a K-8 gifted academy in the face of competition, including one parent's call for a gifted charter school. SchoolZone.

Common Core. The language of key lawmakers and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett suggest an implementation delay is in the works. Gradebook.

Gays and lesbians. A Gay-Straight Alliance at Carver Middle School in Lake County could teach teens much-needed respect and tolerance, writes Orlando Sentinel columnist Lauren Ritchie.

Bullying. A girl's beating at school is captured on video and put on facebook. Tampa Bay Times.

Early learning. News Service of Florida.

School calendar. SchoolZone.

Rezoning in Seminole. Orlando Sentinel.