School Board elections. Twelve candidates vie for four seats on the Duval County School Board. Florida Times-Union. Two incumbents there draw no challengers. Florida Politics. Former state board member and Gov. Rick Scott appointee John Colon will keep his Manatee County School Board seat after drawing no challengers. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A Scott-appointed Broward school board member also wins re-election unchallenged, but two other board members draw opponents. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Pinellas school board races see last-minute shakeups. Gradebook.
Superintendent races. Martin County's incumbent draws a last-minute challenger. TC Palm. Leon County races for schools chief and other local posts are now set. Tallahassee Democrat.
Charter schools. The Florida Times-Union compares district and charter school test scores in Duval County. A Manatee County charter school will run its own bus fleet, using district-donated buses, to end a simmering transportation dispute. Bradenton Herald.
District growth. The clock is ticking for Volusia schools to create more space, as they prepare for an influx of 1,000 more students next year. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The Lee County school board grapples with a land acquisition deal. Fort Myers News-Press.
Innovation. School systems need to be liberated from bureaucracy, an entrepreneurial educator writes in the Panama City News Herald.
Credit recovery. A former student explains how her district steered her into an online option outside the state's accountability system — and says she benefited. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)
Tax credit scholarships. Duval school board member Jason Fischer writes about the benefits of the program in the Florida Times-Union.
Charter schools. Two South Florida charter schools close suddenly, sending parents scrambling. Sun-Sentinel. As West Palm Beach prepares to open a municipal charter, it can draw lessons from successes and failures elsewhere. Palm Beach Post. The Duval School Board may close a struggling charter school. Florida Times-Union. Bay County charters are hiring drivers for their new bus system. Panama City News Herald.
Lawsuits. The Cato Institute's Andrew Coulson explores the lawsuit challenging Florida's tax credit scholarship program in Education Next.
Testing. The Lee County School Board backs away from a decision to "opt out" of all state standardized assessments. Times/Herald. Fort Myers News-Press. (More here). Naples Daily News. Associated Press. Sentinel School Zone. StateImpact. Tampa Tribune. The testing debate moves to Brevard. Florida Today.
Special needs. The Orlando Sentinel visits the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, which provides special services to children with special needs.
Teachers. A Broward teacher wins the national Teacher of the Year award. Sun-Sentinel.
College readiness. A Palm Beach Post columnist provides a grim read of Florida students' results on college entrance exams.
Technology. StateImpact delves into E-rate, the obscure funding source helping schools go wireless. Hillsborough officials say they've worked most of the kinks out of their online gradebook software. Tampa Tribune. Manatee schools upgrade their Microsoft suite. Bradenton Herald.
Growth. Escambia officials are pushing a local school tax as a way to fund new buildings needed to accommodate an expected influx of jobs to the area. Pensacola News-Journal.
Teachers unions. The Sun-Sentinel reports on the Florida Education Association's intervention in an ongoing leadership election dispute in Palm Beach County.
Testing. Collier County schools officials say they're still waiting on the state to release a test item bank. Naples Daily News.
Low-income students. Hillsborough schools help outfit students with clothing, hygiene items, and other essentials. Tampa Tribune.
Retention. Collier schools look to get third graders up to grade level. Naples Daily News.
