Charter schools. A split Bay County School Board gives an extension to a financially troubled charter school. Panama City News Herald.
Class size amendment. The Sarasota district utilizes more mixed-grade classrooms this year in an effort to comply. Sarasota Herald Tribune.
School closings. Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie announces the district will close one special needs school but keep another open. Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel. Port Canaveral may come to the rescue of three Brevard schools slated for closing, reports Florida Today.
School safety. The Bradenton Herald offers its thumbs up or down on this year's raft of school security bills, but doesn't mention the one that would require safety alerts for private schools.
School choice. The St. Lucie County district makes changes to its student assignment plan, including limiting choice options to some students in an effort to keep down cost, reports TCPalm.com.
Teacher conduct. A Clearwater teacher is accused of abusing two special needs students, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Tampa Tribune. A Pinellas Park High School teacher is arrested in a teacher conduct case for reportedly having a sexual relationship with a students, the Times also reports. A parallel story involving teacher conduct in Orange County, reports the Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
Parent trigger. The House parent trigger bill clears a second committee in face of growing opposition. Coverage from redefinED and The Buzz. The parent trigger is all about privatizing, editorializes the Bradenton Herald (though the piece appears to be word for word the same one that ran in the Palm BeachPost.)
School choice. Once again, there are far more applicants than slots at the "fundamental schools" in Pinellas, meaning lotteries will leave many parents unhappy. Gradebook.
Charter schools. Florida Virtual Academy, a network of online charters run by K12 Inc., will not seek to open three schools in Central Florida next years as it originally hoped, reports the Orlando Sentinel. A STEM-oriented charter on Marco Island is moving out of a church and into new digs, reports the Naples Daily News.
Graduation requirements. The Orlando Sentinel gives a thumbs up to plans for alternative diploma routes that tie into career education.
Teacher pay. Gov. Rick Scott takes a dig at House Speaker Will Weatherford for not supporting Scott's proposed across-the-board hike in teacher pay, reports The Buzz. More from the Associated Press. Lawmakers wrestle with how much to set aside and what constraints to put on it, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. Growing numbers of teachers are taking second jobs, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Testing. The Board of Education votes to create a task force to help districts reduce duplication as they create a massive number of end-of-course exams. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)
Charter schools. The Senate Education Committee moves closer to agreement on additional charter schools accountability measures, but a divide lingers over facilities funding, reports The Buzz, which includes this quote from Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee: "The time for finger pointing between charter schools and regular public schools is over. We have to have the maturity to sit down and go over the data and discuss it." A legal timeline is set to determine the fate of an Imagine charter school in Sarasota County that seeks to sever its relationship with the parent company, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
State colleges. They have a $26.6 billion annual economic impact, according to a new study. Coverage from Gradebook, StateImpact Florida, TCPalm.com, Lakeland Ledger, The Florida Current.
Parents. Angry parents keep the pressure on the Broward school district over the firing of a popular principal. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Principals. A pending reshuffling in Broward is getting tense. Miami Herald.
School boards. Former Osceola County School Board Chair Cindy Hartig applied for unemployment benefits after her loss at the polls last August. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
