Legislative preview. Parent trigger will be a top education issue, reports the Fort Myers News Press.
Common Core. Sen. John Legg files legislation that would require the state to verify that districts have the technological capacity to carry out the switch to Common Core. Gradebook. More from StateImpact Florida.
Charter schools. The Orlando Sentinel takes a closer look at a failed charter in Orange.
Career academies. The number in the Bay County school district will rise from four to 12 next year. Panama City News Herald.
Conspiracy! The Tampa Tribune gets picked up by the Huffington Post.
School security. It'll be an issue during the legislative session. Palm Beach Post.
School recognition funds. Lower grades, less money for Marion schools. Ocala Star Banner.
School closures. A lawsuit backed by the Florida Civil Rights Association says proposed school closures in Brevard would disproportionately affect low-income, minority students. Florida Today.
Restraint. A couple is suing the school board over district officials' repeated use of physical restraints on their autistic son. Palm Beach Post.
Privatization. The union representing custodians and grounds maintenance workers in Volusia is seeking severance pay for 485 workers whose jobs are set to be outsourced. Daytona Beach News J0urnal.
Technology. Some Escambia high schools have BYOD policies. Pensacola News Journal.
Education savings accounts. Bills filed Friday and Saturday would create a new mechanism for funding school choice options. Tallahassee Democrat.
Charter schools. Some 1,200 students apply for 650 slots at a new charter in Viera, reports Florida Today. An overwhelming majority of parents and teachers vote against the proposed conversion of a Key Biscayne school into a charter, reports Miami Herald. The Palm Beach school district is recommending that its board shut down three charters, reports the Palm Beach Post. The Pepin Academies, a charter that serves disabled students in Tampa, wants to open a campus in Pasco, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
School choice. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning is merging the district's choice programs - open enrollment, charters, career academies, etc. - in one department. Gradebook.
Parents. At Jacksonville's first-ever ed summit, Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti reiterates that he wants to transform how the district views parents. Florida Times Union.
Common Core. Tampa Bay Times overview of what's coming - and whether it can happen according to schedule. Part one here. Part two here.
Legislative preview. "Reforming school reform." Tampa Bay Times.
New faces. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Laurene Powell Jobs have joined the board of directors for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. EdFly Blog. (more…)
Charter schools. The exorbitant payouts to the principal of a failing Orange County charter school are behind legislative efforts to tighten charter laws. Orlando Sentinel.
Privatization. The Volusia County school district considers outsourcing 500 custodial and grounds maintenance jobs, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal. The Bay County school district considers bids for privatizing the district's transportation services, reports the Panama City News Herald.
School choice. Vouchers and tax credit scholarships can make private school more affordable. Panama City News Herald.
Forget the furloughs. The Pasco school district finds the $3 million it needs to keep from making employees take two unpaid days off, as originally planned. Tampa Bay Times.
Raising the bar. Don't set it too high with graduation requirements, a high school principal tells the House K-12 Subcommittee. WTXL.
Educator conduct. Prosecutors drop fraud charges against a band teacher who was accused of using nearly $15,000 in school funds to pay for relatives who accompanied the band on a trip to Paris, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. More from the Palm Beach Post. An assistant football coach in Manatee County is accused of improperly touching a student and asking her for naked photographs, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. More from the Bradenton Herald. A Hernando middle school teacher with a history of off-campus incidents - including three DUI arrests - returns to the classroom after his latest DUI, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Substitutes. The Marion County teachers union is accusing the district of using "full time" subs to avoid paying benefits. Ocala Star Banner. (more…)