School testing: Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning says he'll lobby the Legislature to allow school districts to choose whether to administer the Florida Standards Assessments tests by computer or with pencil and paper. Browning thinks switching back to the old model will be easier on students and allow districts to shorten the testing time. Gradebook. Two Lake Nona High School administrators are reprimanded for not following school policies when preparing for Advanced Placement exams. More than 300 exams had to be retaken, at a cost of $14,715 to the district, because desks in the testing room were placed 4 feet apart instead of the required 5 feet. Orlando Sentinel.
Longer days: The school day will last an extra hour a day for 312 of the state's elementary schools that posted poor reading scores. Thirty-four of the schools are in central Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Marion County has eight of the state's lowest-performing schools. Ocala Star Banner.
School discipline: The Duval County School Board approves changes in the student code of conduct that are expected to cut back on out-of-school suspensions. The board also approved stiffer penalties for students who fight on buses. Florida Times-Union. (more…)
High spending at charters: Troubling patterns emerge from a close look at spending at three charters in Pinellas County operated by Newpoint Education Partners. Invoices and other documents indicate the company was buying goods at often inflated prices from companies that were related to Newpoint and its founder, Marcus Nelson May. Records were loosely kept, and the company was taking a monthly fee that ran into five figures. Newpoint was indicted recently by an Escambia County jury on fraudulent billing and money-laundering charges. Tampa Bay Times.
Teachers to sue over pay: Three teachers have notified the Miami-Dade County School District that they intend to file a class action suit over performance pay. The teachers say the district is ignoring the state's performance pay laws and illegally changed the way tenured teachers are paid. Teachers have been shortchanged by $30 million, they allege. Miami Herald.
Retaliation lawsuit: A Palm Beach Lakes High teacher is suing the Palm Beach County School District after he and about 30 other teachers were fired in what he calls a retaliatory measure by Principal Cheryl McKeever. Malik Leigh, a legal studies teacher and also a practicing attorney, says the teachers were targeted because they made complaints about administrators or were thought to be disloyal to McKeever. Palm Beach Post.
Replacing teachers: The Pinellas County School District is moving quickly to replace teachers at five struggling schools in St. Petersburg. More than 80 teachers have been told they can't return to the schools or have asked for a transfer. And four of the five principals have been moved to other schools. The teachers union is calling the process "a hatchet job." Tampa Bay Times.
