Charter schools. Hillsborough's superintendent tells parents the district won't close charter schools it is scrutinizing, but may take over their operations. Gradebook. An Orlando TV station airs claims, but little evidence, that charter schools are promoting "resegregation." WFTV.

CAPE. The Hernando school district prepares to launch an aerospace career academy. Tampa Bay Times. The Okaloosa school district may be among the first in the country to combine an Advanced Placement course with an industry certification course. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Parental choice. Families should have access to options like Florida's Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts, the Tampa Tribune writes in an editorial.

Campaigns. A Manatee school board candidate is accused of mimicking a logo of a district facility in her campaign materials. Bradenton Herald. The Florida Times-Union profiles a four-way school board race in Duval. The Tampa Tribune profiles a four-way race in Hillsborough. Pinellas candidates' "claws came out" during a recent Tiger Bay meeting. Tampa Tribune.

Common Core. Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist says the state should pause accountability measures while the new standards take effect. StateImpact.

Closures. The Palm Beach school board considers closing schools that are below capacity. Sun-Sentinel.

Superintendents. Hillsborough's superintendent gets high ratings from the school board. Tampa Tribune.

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Florida's virtual education system could see more funding changes under one of the competing spending plans proposed by lawmakers.

The House and Senate last week released rival budget proposals that would increase funding for K-12 public schools.

The Senate plan would alter the way Florida funds its virtual education programs, including Florida Virtual School, FLVS's local school district-run franchises, and the state's virtual charter schools.

The plan released this week by Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, would do away with the virtual education contribution, a $27 million slice of the education budget that pads funding for virtual schools.

Instead, it would allow virtual schools to receive portions of state funding that have not been available to them in the past.

Galvano said the proposed revamp of the funding formula is intended to push virtual schools to offer more courses that lead to college credit or industry certifications.

The virtual education contribution supplants some of the funding streams that flow to brick-and-mortar schools, including the extra funding that gets attached to students in Advanced Placement and career education courses. It is intended to keep virtual school funding at about $5,200 per full-time student.

Without the virtual education contribution, per-student funding for many courses could fall below that amount. But funding could increase for courses that carry extra weight in the state's funding formula - such as AP and career education courses - which Galvano said is part of his goal. (more…)

Editors's note: State Sen. John Legg is a Florida certified teacher with more than 10 years of classroom teaching experience. He is also a school administrator and the current chairman of the K-20 Education Policy Committee in the Florida Senate.

During the White House’s much-maligned rollout of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama suggested that purchasing health care insurance would be as easy as ordering “a TV from Amazon." However, the president found himself several weeks later admitting the Affordable Care Act website has significant problems.

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is supporting President Obama’s call for a “fix” by sending in the nation’s best and brightest for a “tech surge” to solve the implementation problems. But instead of deploying a tech surge to redesign a website, perhaps our nation’s future would be better served if a tech surge was deployed upon our educational system.

Our nation, indeed our global economy, has dramatically changed. Individuals that have digital and technological skills are, and will continue to be, in demand. America has a growing talent gap when it comes to workers with technology skills. Florida, meanwhile, ranks first in computer training, second in space and defense industries, third in engineering services, and fourth in Internet and telecommunications services, according to the 2012 Cyberstates report. In tech employment overall, it ranks fifth.

It is imperative that our education system equip Florida students with fluent digital and technological skills. Many of Florida’s business and education leaders have seen firsthand the need for policies and investment in technology in our schools. (more…)