Around the state: The Scripps National Spelling Bee wraps tonight, Florida Virtual Full Time Public Schools held an in-person graduation ceremony, the Leon county school district may take legal action against a charter school and summer food programs are available for students. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A Bolles High student created a nonprofit to help pay for fees related to sports for kids in foster care. The organization helps provide everything from registration fees to transportation. “It’s sad thinking that not everyone’s as fortunate as me,” said Jai Patel. “I’ve had so much given to me in my life, and I feel like it’s my duty, and I was put here to help people.” News4Jax.
Lee: An emergency meeting was held to talk about the future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. The school was forced to close twice due to destruction from Hurricane Ian and Milton. The special town council meeting ended with parents, residents and the council agreeing that they want the beach school to reopen as soon as possible. The Lee County School District is expected to vote on whether to repair or rebuild the school at a June 3 meeting. WINK.
Brevard: Graduates of Eau Gallie High closed out graduation season in Brevard on May 27. Florida Today.
Leon: Superintendent Rocky Hanna told school board members at the May 27 board meeting that the district could soon take legal action against Renaissance charter to reclaim furniture and equipment that was purchased with tax dollars. The school announced its closure in March after its governing board landed a deal to lease the property to Tallahassee Preparatory Academy, a new local private school. Renaissance owns the building, but Leon county taxpayers have paid for it since 2012. Tallahassee Democrat.
Virtual high school graduation: Florida Virtual Full Time Public Schools, the state's only fully virtual public school district, hosted an in-person graduation ceremony that honored graduates from across the state. The event highlighted the achievements of students who chose a nontraditional learning path through school choice and excelled. "Our students have successfully achieved their academic goals, while also pursuing their passions and interests due to the flexibility of the online learning environment. As they embark on their next journey, whether it’s college, military school, trade school, or entering the workforce, I extend my heartfelt wishes for their continued success and fulfillment," said Louis J. Algaze, president and CEO. FLVS.
National spelling bee: Florida students are among the 243 competing in this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee. "I've been studying the roots, like breaking down the etymology, and I've also been pushing myself on some words that I have trouble with, and a little bit of language patterns," said Moksh Maru of Sanford. Floridians have received the title of champion for the past two years, with Bruhat Soma in 2024 and Dev Shah in 2023. The finals take place on Thursday. Five competitors from Florida remain in the bee. The champion takes home the Scripps Cup and more than $52,000 in cash prizes. Meanwhile, dozens of past Scripps champions gathered together to honor the competition's 100th year. BayNews9. ABC Action News. Tampa Bay Times.
Summer food programs: Many districts are offering summer lunch programs to ensure students have meals to eat when they are not in class. Spectrum News. LKLD Now.
Legislative update: A bill that increases early detection opportunities and educational interventions for children with autism and their families was signed into law this week by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill directs the Florida Department of Health to provide Florida families with early intervention therapies and services through the Early Steps program until the child is 4. That program provides intervention services to eligible toddlers and infants. Under current law, children age out of the program when they turn 3 years old. Bill sponsor Sen. Gayle Harrell in a prepared statement called the new law a “game changer.” Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: The Roosevelt Elementary School District in South Phoenix has experienced enrollment loss for decades, and the school board of the district has announced plans to close five schools. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. We have experienced a massive loss of academic freedom and, as a result, academics. Adam Tritt, Florida Today.
Around the state: A new public charter school is opening in North Port, parents in Duval are concerned about free lunches ending, the Scripps National Spelling Bee starts today and misspending allegations plague New College of Florida. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Duval: Parents in this school district are voicing concerns after the district said it was ending universal free lunches at 37 schools after reviewing its budget. Beginning next school lyear, DCPS will cut free lunch provided through the Community Eligibility Provision for 37 schools, which provided universal free meal, regardless of school or need. News4Jax.
Sarasota: The Imagine School at North Port is building a new K-12 public charter school. The goal is to bring expanded educational options to the growing city. Imagine Schools are national nonprofit public charter schools that prepare students for lives of leadership, good character and to be contributing citizens in their communities. "For North Port, which, as much as our city is growing, to have these choices available for our families kids, I think, is a great thing, and they have become a integral part of our community," said North Port Mayor Phil Stokes. Fox4Now.
Spelling bee: The Scripps National Spelling Bee will include 12 Florida contestants this year of the 243 spellers who are competing. Two contestants are from southwest Florida: Nicasio David from Ft. Myers and Sophia Jolie Schoenrock from Marco Island. Preliminaries will begin today, quarterfinals are Wednesday and the semifinals are Thursday. The Scripps National Spelling Bee has resulted in a Florida winner twice in a row, with Dev Shah in 2023 and Bruhat Soma in 2024. The bee is also marking 100 years of competition. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. The bee is now held just outside the nation's capital. The bee was canceled from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II, and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC Miami. Naples Daily News.
Student security: Officials who keep Tampa Bay area schools secure say the state's newest school safety law revisions will ease the strain that last year's version imposed across campuses statewide. Signed into law on Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the update will give schools more flexibility in which doors and gates they must keep locked and when. Concerns were raised by school officials about the 2024 requirements before they became law because they say the wording forced them to keep all access and entry points staffed or locked. “The intent was one way, but the way the law was written didn’t offer the flexibility that lawmakers thought it did,” said Mike Baumaister, chief security officer for Pasco County schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Colleges and universities: The state has ended a program that allowed some immigrant students to pay in-state tuition. NPR. New College of Florida has come under fire over questions regarding how the school has paid for its sports program and the president's salary. Four alumni have threatened to sue the school's leadership, alleging they have inappropriately used restricted donations to fund their salaries and projects. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, Manny Díaz Jr., the state's education commissioner, said on Friday that he would be "willing to have a conversation" about serving as interim president of the University of West Florida. The school's Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to formally accept the resignation of President Martha Saunders, who announced she is stepping down, and to name an interim replacement. Tampa Bay Times.
Opinions on schools: A professional learning community (PLC) is a structured, collaborative group of educators who come together regularly to discuss their teaching practices. They take collective responsibility for student learning by working toward shared goals and relentlessly focusing on the evidence they collect and analyze from students. Research strongly suggests that PLCs can positively impact both teacher practice and student achievement. Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, The 74th.
Miami-Dade: Miami educators in addition to literary and civil rights organizations gathered Tuesday to raise awareness about censorship and to offer a rebuttal to the recent decision to restrict four titles from elementary students in one Miami-Dade school. The event drew a crowd of about 300 community members, teachers and young children. Miami Herald.
Hillsborough: New principals were tapped to lead 10 schools in this county after the Hillsborough County School Board meeting. Some will start on Monday, and all should be in place by July 1. Tampa Bay Times. To make ends meet, some teachers in Hillsborough are working second jobs this summer. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 20% of teachers hold second jobs that make up about 9% of their income. Bay News 9. Perfect attendance rewards await students in this county. Seven students are receiving a $500 scholarship from Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, in addition to new laptops from Partners in Education, after not missing a day of school since kindergarten. WTSP. Meanwhile, educators in Hillsborough are now calling "social-emotional learning" something different. A redlined version of the student code of conduct, which the School Board unanimously approved on Tuesday, now uses terms such as "resiliency, character and life skills education" wherever "social emotional learning" was found before. Tampa Bay Times.
Sarasota: More than two dozen people offered opinions at the Sarasota County School Board meeting Tuesday on who the district's next leader should be as the search for a new superintendent nears a scheduled conclusion next week. The district has been searching for a new superintendent since the board moved last year to terminate the previous superintendent, Brennan Asplen. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Alachua: The school board here heard a preliminary report on grades 3-10 attendance, behavior and core academics on Tuesday. Board members expressed concern over the inequity the report didn't seem to address. Results are not yet processed fully, and grades K-2 were not ready for a preliminary report. Main Street Daily News.
Spelling bee champ: The Largo teen who won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee arrived at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday evening. Friends and teachers waited for Dev Shah, 14, to arrive home after he caught a flight from Tampa to New York, where he rang the closing bell on the NASDAQ exchange and made an appearance on "Live with Kelly & Mark." "I do appreciate the surprise and it was very welcoming and warm just to know everyone was here," he said. Shah was named champion of the bee on June 1, winning a trophy and a $50,000 prize. Shah will be a freshman at Largo High in the fall. ABC Action News. Tampa Bay Times.
Moms for Liberty: Florida-based Moms for Liberty has taken steps against what they consider liberal indoctrination in schools. Now, the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed Moms for Liberty, along with 11 others, as "anti-government extremist" groups. “These groups publicize their fight for alleged parents’ rights while simply attempting to maintain absolute authority on issues they oppose,” the Southern Poverty Law Center stated. Moms for Liberty did not comment on the report. Tampa Bay Times.
Virtual school: Florida Virtual School has paused hiring and is taking other cautious financial measures amid a drop in full-time students completing courses over the past year. Course completion is a key metric for the school, which only gets paid if students finish online classes. There was a significant influx of enrollment in recent years that was driven by the pivot to online learning during the pandemic, decreasing the number of students completing courses. Orlando Sentinel.
Turkey list: Florida Tax Watch included millions of dollars worth of education projects on its annual "turkey" list as Gov. Ron DeSantis examines the state's budget for line-item votes. Florida Phoenix.
University and college news: For the first time in 13 years, Daytona State College is looking at a fee increase. The school issued a news release announcing that tuition is expected to remain at the same level it has been since 2011, but that increased costs are driving the need to raise fees. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opinions on schools: School choice means options in addition to opportunity. It also packs daunting responsibility for parents who want to do what's best for their offspring, but are uncertain about where to turn. Tom Jackson, reimaginED.
