H.B. 7069: The Duval County School Board votes 4-2 to join at least 10 other districts in a lawsuit challenging the state's controversial new "schools of hope" legislation. “This is not about taking choices away from kids,” school board member Becki Couch says about the challenge to H.B. 7069. “This is not about disliking charter schools." Florida Times-Union. Florida Politics. WOKV. WJCT.
Third-grade retention: A new study in the Journal of Public Economics examines Florida's policy requiring most third graders to show basic reading proficiency before advancing to fourth grade. It finds mixed results. Students held back under the policy went on to perform better in high school, the study finds. But they still completed about the same number of credit-hours as their peers. They also graduated at roughly similar rates. Education Next.
School grades: Twenty-four of 33 south Florida schools that initially received incomplete grades from the state finally get their grades. Five receive A grades, and three alternative schools get an F. Sun-Sentinel. Nine Pasco County schools also finally get grades. Two improved, and seven maintained their 2016 grades. Gradebook.
DeVos visit: U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visits two Tallahassee schools today. This morning she's at a private school, Holy Comforter Episcopal School. In the afternoon she will tour the Florida State University High School, a developmental research charter school. Tallahassee Democrat. Miami Herald.
H.B. 7069 suit: The St. Lucie County School Board unanimously agrees to join Broward County in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of H.B. 7069. The board authorizes spending up to $10,000 to fight the new law in court. The broadly drawn bill provides additional money for charter schools, expands a bonus program for teachers and principals and requires 20 minutes of daily recess for elementary students, among other things. Board member Kathryn Hensley says the bad in the bill outweighs the good. "I am not willing to do that trade-off," Hensley said. Other school districts also are considering joining the court challenge, which has not yet been filed. TCPalm.
Algebra 2 test ends: The algebra 2 end-of-course testing is no longer being given, the Florida Department of Education has announced. "There is no statutory requirement for students to obtain a passing score, so it is up to districts as to how to address course grades moving forward," Department of Education spokeswoman Audrey Walden wrote on Facebook. Gradebook.
Dispute over funding: If the Duval County School District withdraws funding for several community-school initiatives at high-poverty schools, the Quality Education for All Fund (QEA) says, it will sever ties with the district. “If you are not willing to invest in those programs that have proven successful, we must consider that this bond has been broken and we will have no choice but to step back our part of this arrangement until a new understanding can be established,” according to a letter QEA has sent the district. School officials say they have to tighten the budget. Florida Times-Union.
Raise for superintendent: The Brevard County School Board approves a 5 percent raise and a contract extension to 2020 for Superintendent Desmond Blackburn. Blackburn will be paid $220,500 a year, which makes him the 10th-highest paid superintendent in the state. Florida Today. (more…)
Coding as a language: For the third straight year, a bill has been introduced in the Legislature that would allow computer coding to fulfill two credits of foreign language requirements in high schools. The bill, filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, would not require high schools to offer computer coding classes, but would require universities to accept coding credits in lieu of foreign languages. It also allows Florida Virtual School to offer the coding courses. Gradebook. Florida Politics.
Charters' loans questioned: The Florida Department of Education says two Miami-Dade charter schools illegally loaned $912,094 in taxpayer funds to sister schools outside the county. Keys Gate Charter School in Homestead and BridgePrep Academy in Miami should be asked by the school board to repay the money, recommends a district auditor. A spokesman for Keys Gate disputes the loans were illegal. Florida Bulldog. Miami Herald.
Superintendent search: The Lake County School Board will interview seven candidates to replace retiring Superintendent Susan Moxley on Dec. 13, then make a decision Dec. 14. The finalists are: Bob Anderson, deputy superintendent at Fulton County Schools in Atlanta; Quintin Shepherd, superintendent of the Linn-Mar Community School District in Marion, Iowa; Jerry Wilson, superintendent of Worcester County Public Schools in Berlin, Md.; Mark Mullin, deputy superintendent at the Brevard County School District; Diane Kornegay, deputy superintendent at the Clay County School District; Brennan Asplen, deputy superintendent for the St. Johns County School District; and Verna Ruffin, superintendent for Jackson-Madison County Schools in Jackson, Tenn. Moxley retires in July. Daily Commercial. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
In-state tuition fight: State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, is unhappy that newly elected Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, has introduced a bill that would prohibit undocumented immigrant students from receiving in-state tuition for college. Latvala, who is the House appropriations chairman, was one of the backers of that measure. "The final chapter hasn't been played on that," Latvala vows. Gradebook.
Grade improvements: Only 51 of the 3,333 Florida schools improved their grades from an F to a C or better last year, according to the state Department of Education. Six of those were in Duval County. Officials there credit new principals and teachers, and a focus on the needs of individual students through small-group instruction. Florida Times-Union.
Boost for charters: The wave of school choice election winners should be a boost to the charter school industry, say political analysts. They think Florida lawmakers are likely to reduce school boards' control over approval of charter schools, give struggling neighborhoods the freedom to form “educational success zones” and bring in for-profit charter companies, and give more tax money for construction to charter schools. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher shortages: Mid-year resignations have left schools in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties with more teaching vacancies now than when school started. Those districts still have 52 teaching openings, up from 39 in August. TCPalm. More than half of the 200-plus classroom vacancies in Hillsborough County have been filled by redeploying subject coaches, resource teachers and some assistant principals. Only about 80 jobs have yet to be filled. Gradebook.
Appointed superintendent: A drive begins to turn the Leon County school superintendent's job into an appointed one. Organizers hope to get the initiative on the ballot in 2018. If it passes, the school board would start hiring the superintendent in 2020. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)
