Schools of Hope: The Florida Department of Education is reopening the process for schools to apply for an extra $2,000 per student under the state's "Schools of Hope" program for struggling schools. The Legislature set aside $51 million in the new education law, H.B. 7069, to pay for the extra services at up to 25 schools. Fifty-nine schools applied for the grants, and 11 received them in the first round. Now the DOE is giving the other 48 schools, and other eligible schools that didn't initially apply, until Dec. 1 to submit an application. Up to 14 more could receive the grants. Gradebook.
Displaced students: Three Florida members of Congress send a letter to FEMA officials asking for extra money for housing, schooling and other services for the more than 90,000 people from Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, signed the letter along with Orlando Democratic representatives Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto. They're asking that Florida get reimbursement from FEMA's host-state program. Florida Politics.
Searching for options: Parents who are given more school choice options tend to do more research for schools for their children, according to a recent study by researchers Michael Lovenheim and Patrick Walsh published in EducationNext. The authors looked at areas with newly expanded school choice options and found a correlation between more choice and an increase in the number of searches on the website Greatschools.org. redefinED.
Makeup days: School districts in Hillsborough and Brevard counties won't make up any of the days they lost to Hurricane Irma, school officials announce. Lake County school officials will convert six early-release days into full days and will have classes on a previously scheduled day off. In Indian River County, the school board will vote tonight on adding three makeup days. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily. Gradebook. WUSF. TCPalm. Daily Commercial. WTSP. Students in Lee and Collier counties return to school after two weeks off because of Irma. Fort Myers News-Press. Naples Daily News.
H.B. 7069: A prominent Republican state senator says he believes "there is a very credible argument that H.B. 7069 is unconstitutional," and that the school districts that plan to sue the state to challenge the bill have taken "a very credible position.” State Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, made the comments at a meeting organized by the League of Women Voters of Volusia County. Simmons added that the bill is “antithetical to public education” because it “condemned” Florida’s “very successful” public education system. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Meals, tuition bills: A bill is filed for the next legislative session that would require free or reduced-price meals to be offered to all students at schools participating in the national school lunch program or the breakfast program. State Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, says the goal of her bill is to make sure more eligible students are receiving the meals by requiring schools to help parents fill out the applications. WFSU. A bill is filed in the Florida House that would pay tuition to state colleges for students in households with an income of less than $125,000. The "Sunshine Scholarship Program" is proposed by State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. News Service of Florida.
District budgets: Lake County School Board members approve a $584.4 million budget, an increase of about $6 million over last year's. Daily Commercial. The Volusia County School Board will vote today on an $847 million budget that draw downs on the district's reserves by $1.65 million. The proposed budget is about $5 million below last year's, and calls for fewer teachers since enrollment is down 95 from last year and is 514 below projections. Daytona Beach News-Journal. School property taxes have fallen to a historic low in Flagler County. Flagler Live.
Back to school: Most of Florida's 67 school districts have reopened or are expected to today, tomorrow or Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Education. A handful of schools will start later, and Hardee County schools remain closed until further notice. School districts are also starting to consider how they'll make up the days missed. Florida Department of Education. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Naples Daily News. Associated Press. Daily Commercial. Keynoter. Charlotte Sun. WFLA. WTSP. WFTV. Gradebook. More reports on damages to schools. Fort Myers News-Press. Lakeland Ledger. Free school meals will be provided in all Florida counties affected by Hurricane Irma. Brevard Times. Experts say teachers should address Irma with students as classes resume, and give them a chance to discuss their experiences. Tampa Bay Times. About 8.5 million U.S. students lost classroom time due to Irma. USA Today. School officials pay tribute to school employees who worked at hurricane shelters. Ocala Star-Banner. Miami Herald. Will Irma be the impetus to require charter schools to be built to serve as hurricane shelters? WLRN. redefinED.
VAM questioned: Some education experts are questioning the effectiveness of the state's value-added model (VAM) for rating teachers. They say it's easier for a teacher to earn a high VAM score if she or he works at a school with few poor students. State education officials disagree, saying their research shows no bias against high-poverty schools in VAM data. The state has spent about $4 million of federal money to develop VAM, and pays $509,000 a year for analysis and reporting, says Florida Department of Education spokeswoman Audrey Walden. Florida Times-Union.
Child Baker Acts up: The number of children who are involuntarily committed for psychological evaluation is up significantly in Florida and Bay County. Across the state in the fiscal year 2015-2016, the number of children committed under the state's Baker Act was up about 34 percent over 2010-2011. In Bay County, the increase is 109 percent since 2011. The Baker Act is invoked most often when schoolchildren threaten suicide. Panama City News Herald.
Storm recovery: Lack of power is the primary problem for Florida schools trying to reopen their doors. Fifty-five of the state's 67 public districts were still closed Wednesday. Education Week. WKMG. School districts around the state announce plans to resume classes, with many reassessing on a daily basis. Florida Department of Education. Florida Times-Union. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Today. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Fort Myers News-Press. Naples Daily News. Gainesville Sun. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Flagler Live. WFLA. Some Orlando community centers are offering free child care today to help parents who need to go to work but have children who are still out of school. Orlando Sentinel. Several schools in Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Indian River counties will offer free meals to students and their families today and Friday. Palm Beach Post. TCPalm. Traditional public schools stepped up this week to provide protection and other aid for residents fleeing from the hurricane. redefinED. Tampa Bay Times. The hurricane delays the choice of 25 struggling schools to receive extra financial assistance through the state's "schools of hope" program. The state Board of Education was supposed to select the winners Wednesday. Fifty-seven schools applied. Miami Herald. Irma causes a gaping sinkhole to open behind an Apopka school. WOFL. Orlando Sentinel. Parents scramble to keep their children occupied while schools are closed. Tampa Bay Times.
State education budget: The Florida Board of Education approves a $21.4 billion request to the Legislature for education funding for the 2018-2019 school year. That's an increase of 1.85 percent over last year. The request includes an increase in the Florida Education Finance Program of $200 per K-12 student, $421 million for Bright Futures scholarships, $20.6 million more to meet the class size amendment, and $22 million extra for capital projects. Orlando Sentinel. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
After the fire: Students and teachers displaced after a fire destroyed Lee Elementary School in Tampa will be moved together to Lockhart Elementary, about a mile and a half away, Hillsborough County School District officials announce. Older students from Lee will attend classes at nearby Young Middle Magnet School until portable classrooms can be set up at Lockhart. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA.
School funding: Florida Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, approves a study of the school funding formula's district cost differential (DCD). The request for the study came from Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, and Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, who contend that the DCD has cost school systems in their districts and around the state millions of dollars since it was adopted in 2004. The DCD directs extra money to districts with a higher cost of living. The study will be conducted by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and the Office of Economic & Demographic Research. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Retention suit motion: The Florida Department of Education is asking a circuit court to dismiss a lawsuit that challenged the state's third-grade retention law and how it was implemented by several school districts. The Florida Supreme Court recently refused to hear the case, saying the plaintiffs would have to file suits at the county level. Now the DOE says the plaintiffs didn't exhaust their administrative options before filing the suit in Leon County, and that students who refuse to take the state's standardized tests have no right to an option of a portfolio review. Gradebook.
Charter schools: A new state law requires local school districts to share local property taxes collected for capital improvements with charter schools. But there's an exception that will leave a handful of charter schools without any public funds. The amount to be shared hinges on how much debt a district has. Charters in districts with a lot of debt may get no money at all, while charters in districts with little debt will. So districts with little debt and charters in districts with heavy debt are both asking for relief. Tampa Bay Times.
Cities buy their way in: Affluent cities in Miami-Dade County increasingly are starting their own charter school systems or buying seats for local students in magnet programs at other public schools. The practice can increase public school options, but some critics worry it will lead to racial and economic segregation. Steve Gallon, a member of the school board, says such proposals “could result in the creation of systems and structures that could impede such access to poor children and those of color to a world-class education based on their ZIP codes.” Miami Herald.
