Teachers. Either masochists or saints. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher conduct. The Gilchrist County teacher  of the  year is put on leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct with female students. Gainesville Sun.

Teacher pay. The chair of the Marion County School Board says 160 first-year teachers will be spared their jobs if all teachers forgo their state bonus money. Ocala Star Banner.

Teacher protest. Two Manatee High teachers unveil a mural replica of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - their version made from garbage because the district did not have money for materials - to protest budget cuts. Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Subs. Recent graduates from a Palm Beach County high school give back - by returning as substitute teachers. Palm Beach Post.

Charter schools. A struggling charter in Deland is fighting to stay open. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Common Core. Will Common Core state standards undermine school choice? Jay P. Greene: Yes. Checker Finn: No.

School spending. Small towns in Miami-Dade chip in to pay for a school nurse. Miami Herald.

School districts. Manatee is in a crisis "more dire than anticipated," new Superintendent Rick Mills says, according to the Bradenton Herald. District officials release an economic recovery plan, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)

Bullying. Gov. Rick Scott signs the anti-bullying bill into law. Gradebook.

Teacher conduct. A private school teacher in West Delray is under investigation for allegations of sex with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. State officials are investigating whether a Collier County teacher verbally abused students, reports the NBC-2. A fired Duval teacher appeals, claiming age discrimination, reports the Florida Times Union.

Gays and lesbians. A federal judge rules in favor of a Lake County middle school student who wants to create a Gay Straight Alliance at her school. Orlando Sentinel.

K-8 schools. Orange County is going to create more of them. StateImpact Florida.

Spelling bee. A home school student from South Florida makes it to the semifinals, reports the Miami Herald. The winner, Arvind Mahankali of New York, is the sixth straight Indian-American to win and the 11th in the last 15 years. (more…)

Catholic schools. Yet another Catholic school closes, this one in Palm Beach County, with many students turning to charter schools. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Charter schools. One in east Hillsborough will close after multiple issues, reports the Tampa Tribune. Dayspring Academy in Pasco, co-founded by state Sen. John Legg, wants to expand to two more campuses, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Virtual schools. A struggling teen in Hernando takes 10 online courses in a comeback surge to graduate on time. Tampa Bay Times.

Accountability. Florida has taken steps to prevent gaming of the system. EdFly Blog.

Common Core. The Council of Chief State School Officers opposes delays in accountability requirements as states adjust. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher pay. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning says the Leg didn't increase funding enough to give teachers the raises that Gov. Rick Scott envisioned. Gradebook.

Teacher conduct. A Polk teacher who said she and her father were dying was apparently lying so she could skip school. WFTV. (more…)

Charter schools. Green light given for golfer Ernie Els' $30 million charter school for children with autism, reports the Palm Beach Post. Students at a Duval charter get a moving lesson in bullying prevention, reports the Florida Times Union.

Career academies. Fort Meade High School gets four of them. Lakeland Ledger.

School spending. Florida's per-pupil funding isn't as bad as it looks. StateImpact Florida.

School security. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says merging with the district police force wouldn't be a good idea, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel and Palm Beach Post. Heightened school security is part of the "State of the Schools" address from Orange County School Board Chairman Bill Sublette, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Flagler officials give the sheriff the go ahead to seek a grant to pay for deputies serving in elementary schools, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal.

School grades. A Volusia high school should have been awarded a C rather than a D last year, but missed a deadline for submitting data to the state. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Testing. First big round of FCAT results scheduled for release today. Gradebook.

Cat dissections. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Tony Bennett. Interview with Alexander Russo.

School choice. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning is forming a high-level task force to examine expansion of district options, reports Gradebook. Miami-Dade is planning to expand its partnership with the academically rigorous Cambridge program from 20 programs in 16 schools to 100 programs in 86, reports the Miami Herald.

Charter schools. Manatee district officials stress the downside to parents considering the conversion of a magnet school to a charter school, reports the Bradenton Herald. More from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. A proposed Somerset Academy charter school, initially shot down by the Palmetto Bay Village Council, will be reconsidered. Miami Herald.

School spending. Florida ranks among the lowest per-pupil. StateImpact Florida. Associated Press.

School grading. Maine, don't hide your problems. EdFly Blog. Here's the message a second time, from former Board of Education Chairmen Phil Handy and T. Willard Fair in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News.

School security. Wellington High in Palm Beach County bans backpacks in the wake of an alleged bomb threat, reports the Palm Beach Post. Orange will begin screening students with metal detectors after a high school student is arrested with a loaded gun in his backpack, reports the Orlando Sentinel. (more…)

Teachers unions. The rise of Fedrick Ingram, new president of the the Miami-Dade teachers union. Miami Herald.

Teacher conduct. Ocala Star Banner: "Teacher suspended for bonk with a banana."

Dual enrollment. A mandate that school districts pick up the tab for dual enrollment students is putting districts in a tough spot. Fort Myers News Press.

Rick Scott. Gov. Rick Scott must decide on several high-profile education issues, including virtual school funding and the future of state-mandated tutoring for low-income students, reports News Service of Florida. He's going to veto a proposed tuition hike, reports the Times/Herald.

School atmosphere. A Palm Beach County School District investigation finds an elementary school torn apart by a feud between the principal and a school board member, reports the Palm Beach Post. The Florida Commission on Ethics dismisses two complaints against the board member, including one filed by the principal, the Post also reports.

Bullying. State officials work with the Walton County school district to combat bullying, reports the Northwest Florida Daily News. Pasco Superintendent writes in this op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times that bullying prevention is a moral imperative.

School closings. Citing cost concerns, Manatee plans to close a small high school for struggling students. Bradenton Herald. (more…)

Kiera Wilmot. Prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Kiera Wilmot, the Polk County student who has become a cause celebre after igniting a small chemical explosion on school grounds, reports the Lakeland Ledger. Beth Kassab says the arrest took things way too far. In the aftermath, neighboring Orange will get clarification on its zero tolerance policies, reports SchoolZone. Huffington Post op-ed: "Five ways to stop a black scientist."

Online learning. Privatization, everywhere. Bradenton Herald.

School choice. A private transportation option - at $1,350 annually per student - has emerged for students in Brevard's district choice schools, reports Florida Today.  The Palm Beach County school board is urged to move ahead with plans to create an all-boys middle school, reports the Palm Beach Post.

School administration. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego shuffles the team at the top. Gradebook.

School uniforms. The Volusia school board plans to again discuss the possibility - for students and teachers. Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)

Teacher evals. Governing looks at whether teachers unions in other states will file suits similar to Florida's.

Teacher conduct. A veteran Broward County teacher is suspended for 13 days without pay for allowing an "overly permissive" classroom environment in which, among other things, she talked about her sex life. Her reassignment to a school for at-risk kids prompted a board member to ask, "How long are we going to continue to pay people to fail kids?” Miami Herald.

School spending.  Hernando projects a $4 million budget deficit, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Pinellas should be getting $37 million more next year, reports Gradebook. The Flagler school board considers cutting paraprofessionals in an effort to fill a budget gap, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal. Broward is considering outsourcing its facilities department, reports the Miami Herald. The Volusia school board votes to outsource custodial services for an estimated savings of $30 million over five years, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal. The Miami-Dade district auditor says a health care firm may have overbilled the district more than $1 million, the Herald also reports.

School choice. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning talks about expanding district choices. Tampa Tribune.

Rick Scott. The Republican Party of Florida unveils two ads supporting Gov. Rick Scott's education record. StateImpact Florida.

Jeb Bush. The next Foundation for Excellence in Education summit will be in Boston in October. EdFly Blog. (more…)

School turnarounds. Tampa Bay Times education editor Tom Tobin offers his take on what it takes: "a long, slow slog that requires principals and teachers to keep on task, stay inspired and fight through times when things don't seem to be working." The Times also offers a statistical snapshot of the five Pinellas schools on the turnaround list.

Legislature. Fund Education Now co-founder Christine Bramuchi offers her take on what happened in this year's session in a Q&A with the Orlando Sentinel. John Romano does here. The Palm Beach Post does here. Orlando Sentinel rundown here. Tallahassee Democrat here. Times/Herald here.

Florida's progress. Accountability through school grades has made a positive difference, writes Matt Ladner at Jay P. Greene Blog.

Teachers unions. The Florida Education Association has been operating without its tax-exempt status since January. Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

Teacher pay. The Broward County School Board agrees to give extra money to high-performing teachers at low-performing schools. Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

Teacher conduct.  A Broward County band teacher is accused of marijuana-fueled, sexual trysts with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In another teacher conduct case, the Palm Beach Post has the latest on a former private school teacher accused of giving students candy in return for sex acts.

Parent trigger. StateImpact Florida does a Storify on the post-trigger battle over #parentempowerment. Margo Pope from Florida Voices: "Parents already have options in state law that empower them. They don’t need another law. They need to know how to use what is already on the books." (more…)

Marco Rubio. He's visiting a Tampa private school today to highlight his proposal for a federal tax credit scholarship. The Buzz.

Parent trigger. StateImpact Florida notes the Times/Herald story on the Sunshine Parents video and the parent trigger petition questions. So does Education Week, which includes a response from Parent Revolution. Senate vote on the parent trigger is expected today, reports Naked Politics. John Romano says the petition proves the narrative is true.

Teacher pay. StateImpact Florida writes up the compromise. South Florida teachers are disappointed with it, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel.  More from the Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel, Northwest Florida Daily News, Tallahassee Democrat. Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau chief Steve Bousquet says Gov. Rick Scott should veto the education budget to help teachers - and perhaps himself.

Teacher turnover. A study finds half of Duval teachers leave within five years. Florida Times Union.

Testing. Guidance counselors bear the brunt of FCAT test administration. Gainesville Sun.

Cyberbullying. Lawmakers pass a proposal to give school districts more power to deter bullies off campus and on line. Gradebook and Associated Press. (more…)