Teacher of the year: Jessica Solano, a third grade math teacher at Lakeland’s Highlands Grove Elementary School in Polk County for eight years, is named Florida's teacher of the year. Solano, 29, wins $20,000 and a free trip for four to New York City for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also will serve as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education, traveling around the state for the next year to talk about education. The other finalists were: Amy Miller, a math teacher and and science coach at Kissimmee Elementary School in Orange County; Precious T. Symonette, a creative writing teacher at Miami Norland Senior High; Laurie Zentz, the band director at Switzerland Point Middle School in St. Johns County; and Donald Blake, a technical education specialist at Marchman Technical College in Pasco County. Each receives $15,000. Lakeland Ledger. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel.

School infrastructure: Florida's schools were given a D grade for infrastructure in an inspection by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Eleven categories were judged. Bridges (B), airports (B-) and ports (B-) earned the highest grades, while schools, stormwater and coastal areas each were given a D. Overall, the state grade was a C. Tallahassee Democrat.

School choice: The standoff between the Florida NAACP and a group of black pastors over school choice draws the attention of Radio One, the largest African American-owned broadcasting company in the United States. NewsOne.

School voting age: Longtime Florida children's advocate Jack Levine is pushing for a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age for superintendent and school board races from 18 to 16. Politico Florida. (more…)

Testing cutbacks: Hillsborough County elementary students will have fewer tests next school year, and principals and teachers will have more say on what tests are given and when, and how to use the results. Parents and teachers have long complained about the district's "formative tests," which measure what children know early in the year, followed by end-of-the-year tests. Tampa Bay Times. WTVT. The tentative contract agreement between the Polk Education Association and the Polk County School District would give teachers the option not to use the controversial district end-of-year exams, instead creating a measurable “student achievement objective." The school board will vote on the contract next week. Lakeland Ledger.

Top teacher finalist: Precious T. Symonette, a creative writing teacher at Miami Norland Senior High, is one of five finalists for Florida Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced in July. Miami Herald.

Choice expansion: The school choice movement in Florida was invigorated by the Legislature's actions during this year's session, says state Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah. He says there is now a "political will" to continue the expansion of choice. Diaz made the remarks during a luncheon about the benefits of school choice in Florida. Miami Herald.

School district problems: Polk County's public schools are driving skilled employees and their children out of the county and hurting the economy, says Lakeland Economic Development Council President Steve Scruggs. "High skill, high wage employees won't put their kids in our schools," Scruggs said at the city's annual strategic planning retreat. Lakeland Ledger.

Budget overruns: Despite having just $50,000 left in its police department's budget, the Broward County School Board signs an agreement to pay the city of Coral Springs $601,000 for police officers in the school. District officials say the money will come from the reserve fund. The board discovered last week that there are $2.5 million in overruns in the police department budget. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)

K-12 budgets: The Florida House Education Appropriations Committee proposes raising the K-12 education budget by $601 million, to $20.3 billion, which is about $150 million more than Gov. Rick Scott requested. The proposal would increase per-student funding from $7,107 to $7,231. About 85 percent of the increase would come from increasing local property taxes, which aligns with Scott's plan. A Senate committee pushed forward a similar bill earlier in the week, but its reliance on local property taxes is unclear. Politico Florida. Florida Politics.

Medicaid for charters: The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services is considering a bill that would give $10 million in Medicaid funds to charter and private schools. Politico Florida.

Teacher bonuses: The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee passes a bill that would renew the program paying $10,000 bonuses for high-performing teachers who scored in the top 20 percent on their SAT or ACT tests. But there are significant differences between the House and Senate bills. Politico Florida. Tallahassee Democrat.

Gender gap: New research based on data collected from Florida middle schools shows that the academic achievement gap between boys and girls widens at lower-performing schools. It also shows a similar trend between boys and girls in suspensions and absences. Washington Post. (more…)