Managing the boom: The Palm Beach County School Board will consider a plan to hire a company to manage the district's building boom, at a cost of $26.4 million over 10 years. California-based AECOM would act as the program manager in exchange for a 2.2 percent cut of the $1.4 billion the district is spending to repair old schools and build new ones. Voters approved a sales tax initiative in November to raise the sales tax for school infrastructure. “I think, at 2.2 percent, that is a terrific deal for the district,” says Mike Burke, the district’s chief financial officer. Palm Beach Post.

Financial problems: Hillsborough County School Superintendent Jeff Eakins acknowledges at a budget workshop that the district's financial problems are even worse than previously known. The district's reserve account lost $83.6 million between 2014 and 2015, and that was after the district transferred $55 million into it, and was on track to lose $130 million or more the following year. School board members brainstormed cost-cutting ideas, but no decisions were reached. Tampa Bay Times. Budget cuts could put the brakes on a proposed technology upgrade for the Pasco County School District. Chief finance officer Olga Swinson is recommending the elimination of $724,000 budgeted for new televisions and projectors to help teachers with presentations. She also suggests not spending the previously budgeted $642,000 for telecommunications upgrades and maintenance, and $310,000 in computer hardware, servers and software. Gradebook. Pasco County Superintendent Kurt Browning has been pushing the state to return to paper-and-pencil standardized testing, but he's recommending the district continue to use computer tests because doing so will save money. Gradebook.

Sharing with charters: Under the new state education law, the Duval County School District will be compelled to turn over $16 million from its capital fund in the next five years to charter schools. School officials say the first payment will be $2.4 million for the next school year. Florida Times-Union. In Sarasota County, charter schools' share of capital funds will be $9.3 million, up from the $5.5 million the board allotted this past school year. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Flagler County School District will have to send $570,000 from its capital fund to the county's two charter schools. Flagler Live. (more…)

Recess in schools: The Florida Senate unanimously approves a bill that would require 20 minutes of daily recess for the state's nearly 1.3 million elementary school students. But the bill is at odds with the one moving through the House now, which would eliminate the daily mandate, allow schools to blend time in physical education classes with recess time, and not require any recess for fourth- and fifth-graders. Senate bill sponsor Anitere Flores, R-Miami, says she hopes the House gets the message that senators “feel strongly that if we’re going to have recess, it should be actual recess.” Miami Herald. Sunshine State News. Politico Florida.

Charter funding challenge: The Florida Association of Independent Public Schools files an administrative challenge to the state's new rules for charter school capital funding. The rule denies any construction and maintenance money to charter schools that receive an F grade from the state, or consecutive D grades. There are no such restrictions on traditional schools, and the association argues that all public schools should be treated the same. Gradebook.

Charter changes: Three Duval County middle schools could become charter schools in the next school year if the Legislature approves a bill that allows such transitions for traditional schools that get D or F grades for three years in a row. Ribault Middle School, Matthew Gilbert Middle and Northwestern Middle could all change hands, says school board chairwoman Paula Wright. “We still have time to pull together as a community so we make certain they understand that this is not what we want,” Wright said. Florida Times-Union.

School bus bill: The Senate Criminal Justice Committee approves a bill that would stiffen penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses and kill or injure someone. They would be required to pay bigger fines, lose their licenses for a year and perform community service in a trauma center or hospital. News Service of Florida. (more…)