Around the state: Leon High recently wrapped up its annual Positively Post-It Week, Pasco county students could be expelled for fighting, and Casey DeSantis, wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is spearheading a campaign to bring awareness to Florida's school children about the effects of drug and substance abuse. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools, and colleges and universities.
Broward: A school board seat vacated by Rosalind Osgood has yet to be filled, and Gov. Ron DeSantis' office is not guaranteed to pick one of the four candidates. The appointed term expires in November, with an election scheduled for Aug. 23 and a runoff on Nov. 8, if needed. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Hillsborough: The school district here is closer to evening out enrollment at its more than 200 campuses. The school board on Tuesday agreed to hire a consulting firm that will spend a year examining school boundaries and looking at socioeconomic diversity and efficiency. The school will also identify under-used schools for "repurposing." Tampa Bay Times.
Pinellas: The Pinellas County school district's chief academic officer, Kevin Hendrick, is among the most mentioned names to replace retiring superintendent Mike Grego, The Largo High graduate has worked in the district office for the past five years. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: A school board meeting on Tuesday night grew tense as members discussed changes to district library book policies after a request from a conservative parent's group to remove 19 titles from high school and middle school libraries. Moms for Liberty formed a library book committee to read books and ask the district to remove works that contain material they think is unfit for minors from school libraries. Florida Today.
Pasco: Superintendent Kurt Browning instructed principals here to recommend expulsion of children involved in fights and other "serious misbehaviors." Browning addressed parents and school administrators in a video message this week. School districts across the state and the nation have reported an increase in student misbehavior this year, with experts saying part of the problem is that children did not interact with others for long periods of time during the pandemic and didn't return to classrooms with the same self-control they had in the past. Tampa Bay Times. ABC Action News.
Manatee: The school district superintendent here is being disciplined for inflating graduation rates, and the NAACP is calling for her resignation. Cynthia Saunders was accused of directing her staff to improperly code dropout students between 2014-16. The Education Practices Commission accepted a settlement agreement between Saunders and the Florida Department of Education to resolve the pending case in an order that was dated March 8.
Leon: Leon High recently wrapped up its annual Positively Post-It Week. Sticky notes blanketed the school in a variety of colors. Leon has done this at least half a dozen times over the years, with school organizations and clubs lining the walls with positive affirmations. Students also made friendship bracelets and painted their faces. WFSU.
St. Johns: School administrators here are contemplating how to create an attendance zone for the district's newest K-8 school. Known as "School NN," it won't open until the 2023-24 school year, and will be located in the Shearwater development off County Road 210. St. Augustine Record.
Early literacy: Miss Lakeland 2022, Lindsey Franxman, promoted early literacy by reading to children this week. Lakeland Ledger.
Anti-drug campaign: Casey DeSantis, wife of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is spearheading a campaign to bring awareness to the effects of drug and substance abuse to Florida's school children. A website was launched this week to expand resources to help schools, teachers and parents deter kids from drug use. Florida Phoenix.
Daylight Saving Time: As Congress considers making Daylight Saving Time permanent, sleep researchers agree that ending the biannual clock adjustment makes sense, but they disagree on how. Some say adolescents need more daylight in the morning and not the evening, for example. The 74th.
University and college news: Southern Living has recognized Leon County as one of the South's Best College Towns, marking the third time the county has been mentioned. Tallahassee ranked 13th among Southern Living's 20 Best College Towns. Leon County is home to three major educational institutions: Florida A&M University, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College. Tallahassee Democrat. President Christopher F. Roellke announced that Stetson University will be providing immediate relief for employees who were impacted by inflation and rising gas prices. The university is providing a dollar-per-hour increase for all eligible bi-weekly, non-exempt, full and part-time employees, and an across-the-board annual pay increase of $1,800 for eligible full-time, monthly, exempt employees. Flagler Live. Florida's universities may be subject to stricter tenure reviews thanks to an amendment to a statewide bill. The provision would allow the Florida Board of Governors adopt a uniform standard post-tenure reviews that would be done every five years. It was added in the final days of this year's session to a bill that would also require the state's public universities to change accreditors every cycle. WUSF.
Opinions on schools: Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up for Students, interviewed Marty Leuken, co-author of a new study on the spending habits of families that use Florida's education savings account program for students with unique abilities. Doug Tuthill, reimaginED.
School shooting video: A circuit court judge rules that video taken outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shootings Feb. 14 that killed 17 people must be made public. Several news organizations had sued the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the school board for refusing to release the video, arguing that it was crucial in analyzing law enforcement’s response. The judge ruled that prosecutors didn't prove how releasing the video could hamper the ongoing investigation, but delayed the release until Thursday to give the sheriff and school board a chance to appeal. Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. Miami Herald.
Walkout Wednesday: At least 2,500 U.S. schools expect students to stage a walkout Wednesday to protest the shootings at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14 and call for stricter controls on guns. The walkouts are expected to start at 10 a.m. and, in many cases, last 17 minutes to honor each of the 17 murdered victims. Sun-Sentinel. Students around the state plan to participate in the walkout, and schools are deciding how they will deal with it. Fort Myers News-Press. Bradenton Herald. Gainesville Sun. Northwest Florida Daily News. St. Augustine Record. The 74. Six things to know about the National Student Walkout. Education Week. About 500,000 people are expected to congregate in Washington, D.C., March 24 in the March For Our Lives rally calling for school safety and stricter gun laws, and other rallies will be held in cities around the country, including Parkland. Sun-Sentinel.
New education bills: The school safety bill and the K-12 and higher education bills got most of the attention, but other education-related bills also were passed in the Legislature. Here are some of them. Gradebook. Private schools that accept state scholarship students will have some new rules to follow under the new education bill, H.B. 7055. The state will now be permitted to visit all private schools, starting in 2019, and provisions will make it harder for those schools to hide criminal convictions of owners or file phony fire inspection reports. But they'll still be able to hire teachers without college degrees. Orlando Sentinel. H.B. 7055 also boosts school construction funding for K-12 schools and higher education institutions. News Service of Florida. The Legislature created a scholarship program to help bullied students move to private schools. It's the first program of its kind in the United States. Will it start a national trend? TrustED. U.S. News & World Report. Here's a recap of the biggest issues in the Legislature this year, as well as some of the bills that passed and failed. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. (more…)
Blaine Amendment: The Constitution Revision Commission's Declaration of Rights Committee approves a proposal to put repeal of the Blaine Amendment before voters in 2018. The amendment prohibits the use of tax money “directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination." In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court cited the amendment when it ruled that a state violated the law with its scholarship program for students to attend private schools. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, has long called for a repeal of the amendment. The proposal now goes to the full commission, where 22 of the 37 members would have to approve it to put it on the November 2018 ballot. Sixty percent of voters would then have to approve the repeal to put it into effect. Tallahassee Democrat. News Service of Florida.
Education spending: Gov. Rick Scott continues a state tour to promote his education budget, which he says will boost spending on K-12 education to a record $21.4 billion. “We’re going to have historic funding for the sixth year in a row,” says Scott about his proposal to increase per-student spending from $7,297 to $7,497. But an analysis in Folio Weekly magazine questions that statement. Using the Consumer Price Index calculator, the magazine says it would take $8,377.89 per student today to match the $7,126 per student from then-Gov. Charlie Crist's 2007, pre-recession budget. Florida Politics. WJCT. Florida and 28 other states are spending less on education now than they were before the 2008 recession after an adjustment for inflation, according to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. And Florida and six other states each spent at least 15 percent less per-student in 2015 than in 2008. The 74.
Superintendent honored: Pinellas County School Superintendent Mike Grego is named Florida superintendent of the year for his work to close the achievement gap between black and nonblack students. Grego, 60, has been superintendent in Pinellas for just over five years. He now represents Florida at the national competition in Nashville in February. Gradebook. WUSF.
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.
Budget deal, special session: Gov. Rick Scott and leaders of the Senate and House reach an agreement on the state budget, and legislators will return to Tallahassee Wednesday through Friday for a special session to vote on the deal. The agreement will boost spending on public education by about $200 million and put $165 million into the economic development agencies Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida. Both were goals of Scott's. In return, Scott will sign an education bill that sets aside more money for the charter school industry, which was a priority for House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, and more money for higher education, which was a priority for Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. redefinED. Sunshine State News. Tallahassee Democrat. Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. One of the 33 bills signed by Gov. Scott approves payments to two former Palm Beach County students injured at school activities. Palm Beach Post.
Reactions to deal: Advocates of public schools say the budget agreement is half good. They like the additional money for education, but remain opposed to the funding gains for charter schools. Miami Herald. Gradebook. School officials and the state's largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association, say the agreement still doesn't provide enough money for education. Miami Herald. Florida Politics. Florida's Democratic lawmakers condemn Scott's agreement with the legislative leaders, calling it "backroom politics at its worst." Florida Politics. Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. St. Johns County school officials worry that state financial support for charter schools means less money for their traditional public schools. The county has no charter schools. St. Augustine Record. Seven struggling schools in Indian River and St. Lucie counties could be competing with charter schools for students under to so-called "schools of hope" provision in the education bill. The bill offers charter companies incentives to move into areas with persistently low-performing schools. TCPalm.
Budget vetoes: Gov. Scott vetoes more than $400 million in programs from the state budget. Among them: $11.4 billion as the state's portion for the public-school financing program, which is known as the Florida education finance program; $14 million for a school uniform program; $500,000 for the Florida Orchestra to work with schools and community orchestras; and $100,000 for a statewide study about the cost-of-living disparities in Florida school districts. Miami Herald. Tampa Bay Times. News Service of Florida. Gradebook.
Boost in black teachers: The Pinellas County School District sets a goal of 18 percent black teachers and administrators within 10 years. The number is now 11 percent, and district officials hope to boost it by a percentage point every year. Superintendent Mike Grego said principals "want people in front of students who are in the same diversity of their student population." Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Retention hearing: Parents from around the state testify in a hearing to determine if the state's retention policy for third-graders is legal. The law calls for the retention of third-graders who don't pass the state reading test or refuse to take it. The 14 parents suing the state and six school districts say retention should be based on a child's readiness for fourth grade and teacher recommendations, not on the results of a test. Rocco Testani, an attorney for the Florida Department of Education, says "this is a potential undermining of the entire assessment and accountability system." Leon County Judge Karen Gievers did not rule on a request to allow about a dozen students to be promoted immediately. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. WFSU.
Day 1 and Zika: The first day of school in Miami-Dade County included a new ritual - bug spray to guard against the Zika virus. Miami Herald. Broward and Palm Beach students are not in the Zika zone, like Miami-Dade, but they are receiving insect repellent and tips on preventing the spread of the Zika virus. Sun-Sentinel. Opening day is smooth for Broward and Sarasota county schools. Sun-Sentinel. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
District loses lawsuit: A judge has ruled that while the Polk County School Board can decide whether to ask voters to renew an extra half-cent in the sales tax for capital projects, the county has the power to decide when the election will be held. The board does not want the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot, which the county was planning on doing, and meets today to consider its options. Lakeland Ledger.
Teacher bonuses: Florida school districts are cautious when determining eligibility for the state's Best and Brightest teacher bonuses, even after a recent ruling in Sarasota County that a noninstructional speech pathologist should be eligible for the bonus. Sumter County recently asked the Florida Department of Education for guidance, and was told the bonuses were "only for classroom teachers." Gradebook. (more…)
School suspensions: Before this past school year started, Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced that the district would eliminate out-of-school suspensions. It hasn't yet, but it has made significant headway, cutting those suspensions by 80 percent with a plan that includes in-class interventions focusing on at-risk students, changing the penalties for some infractions and training principals to change their approach to discipline. Miami Herald.
Charter schools: Parents of two charter schools facing termination reach out to Pinellas County School Superintendent Mike Grego with a proposal that Grego calls "reasonable." The deal would turn Windsor Preparatory Academy and East Windsor Middle Academy into magnet schools run by the district. The schools' board suggests staying in the current building, giving existing students a spot in the reconfigured schools, giving teachers first preference to be hired and keeping the board as advisers. The schools, which were run by the troubled Newpoint Education Partners, were given a notice of termination effective June 30. Gradebook.
Teacher bonuses: An administrative law judge rules that a Sarasota County school speech pathologist is eligible for the state's Best and Brightest teacher bonuses program. J. Bruce Culpepper says Cordelia Brown is an instructor at Brentwood Elementary School, and he interprets the state law to mean that all teachers are eligible. The district did not consider Brown to be a teacher. The recommendation now goes back to the Sarasota County School Board for a final decision. News Service of Florida. (more…)
Desegregation case: The plaintiffs in a 50-year-old Pinellas County desegregation case are asking a federal court for help in enforcing the settlement. They allege the district is not fulfilling its commitment to provide safe schools for black students, isn't treating them fairly in discipline cases, isn't hiring and retaining black teachers, and is failing to increase the number of black students in magnets and special programs. The legal move sets into motion a process that includes negotiations between the sides, mediation and, if necessary, the appointment of a special overseer to report to the court. Tampa Bay Times.
Resume-padding: Anthony Hamlet, who was recently named to lead the Pittsburgh school district, embellished his achievements as Palm Beach County school administrator. His resume is at odds with the facts on lifting a school's grade from an F to a C, on raising a school's graduation rate by 13 percentage points, and on his district responsibilities. Hamlet called questions about his resume “a few percentage-point discrepancies” and of little consequence in the full context of his career. A Pittsburgh official says Hamlet “set himself far apart from the pool” in several ways beyond his resume. Palm Beach Post. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Supplemental pay scheme: Eastside High School paid almost $15,000 in supplemental pay over three and a half years to four staff members who did nothing to earn it and who simply passed it along to football coach Jeffrey Parker. Principal Jeff Charbonnet told a committee investigating the payments that he approved the payments after the district rejected it, and knew the money was going to Parker. Gainesville Sun.
Retention confusion: Parents and school districts in central Florida are battling over the insistence of the districts that third-grade students have test results to be promoted. One, Rhonda Nickerson, says her 9-year-old daughter got straight A's, but is being retained. Some parents say the retention threat should apply only to students with reading problems, not youngsters with no Florida Standards Assessments score but with good grades and reading skills. State official disagree, saying the retention law applies to everyone. Orlando Sentinel. Four third-graders in Palm Beach County with great grades are being retained because they didn't take the FSA, and their parents refused the district's portfolio option because it's made up of a series of tests. “If the teacher has taught the standards and the report card grades the standards, why can’t they use the report card?" asks Cindy Hamilton, an Orange County mom who cofounded the Opt Out Florida Network with Sandy Stenoff. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Low graduation rates: Thirty percent of Florida's high schools were considered to be "low-graduation rate high schools" in 2014, according to a report by America’s Promise Alliance and other advocacy groups. Only Alaska and New Mexico were worse. Politico Florida.
Pre-K spending: Florida ranks just 39th in spending on pre-kindergarten, according to the annual State of Preschool Yearbook from the National Institute for Early Education Research. The state spends $2,304 per child. The national average is $4,489. The state's enrollment fell by 3 percent, or 3,744, from 2013-14 to 2014-15. Florida Times-Union.
IG urged for district: Broward County School Board member Laurie Rich Levinson wants the district to hire an inspector general to investigate fraud, waste and mismanagement in the district. An outside auditor made that recommendation five years ago after a grand jury report found widespread corruption and misuse of money. The idea was not supported then, but recent financial problems in the district led Levinson to suggest it was time. Sun-Sentinel.
Superintendent under fire: The St. Petersburg NAACP is calling for the resignation of Pinellas County School Superintendent Mike Grego, alleging that he has not taken responsibility for the problems at five predominantly black, failing elementary schools in St. Petersburg or come up with a plan to improve them. Grego says he has no plans to resign. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter debt forgiven: Newpoint Education Partners is forgiving the nearly $1 million debt it says it is owed by Windsor Prep Academy, according to a lawyer for the school. Newpoint was indicted last week by an Escambia County grand jury on grand theft and money laundering charges. The Pinellas County School Board will vote next week on a proposal to terminate the contracts with Windsor Prep and two other Newpoint charter schools in the county. WFLA. (more…)
Bathroom access: The Marion County School Board approves a policy to ban transgender students from using the bathroom based on their gender identity. The measure goes into effect today. Ocala Star Banner. Earlier Tuesday, the ACLU of Florida issued a letter warning the board that the policy would harm students and "violate Title IX sex discrimination requirements, violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution and jeopardize federal funding for the school district." Ocala Star Banner. WCJB.
LGBT policy: A divided Brevard County School Board is asking school officials to amend the district's nondiscrimination and equal employment policies to include protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and staff. The revisions would be discussed at a public meeting before being voted on by the board. Florida Today.
Test scores: U.S. high school seniors' National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores dropped slightly in math and stayed about the same in reading, according to the 2015 Nation’s Report Card from the National Assessment Governing Board. Florida seniors' results mirrored the national ones, though Florida scored slightly higher than the national average in both subjects. Sunshine State News.
District overspending: The Broward County School District's police department has overspent its budget by about $2.5 million, prompting an audit and a request to the school board for more money. The department has just $50,000 left in its budget for this fiscal year, and $3.5 million in expenses that have not been paid. The financial problems were discovered in a review of the way the department handles personnel investigations. Sun-Sentinel.
School choice: Dismantling school choice would harm Florida students, schools and taxpayers, warns John Kirtley, venture capitalist and chairman of Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog. He was speaking to the Economic Club of Florida. The Florida Education Association and other groups have sued the state, challenging the constitutionality of the school choice programs. The case goes to a state appeals court in May. Step Up For Students administers tax-credit scholarships for about 80,000 low-income students, and also the Gardiner Scholarships for students with disabilities. Tampa Tribune. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. WFSU. (more…)
