Around the state: Enrollment help is being offered to families in the wake of Hurricane Ian, a jury began deliberations in the Nikolas Cruz trial, a FHSAA form sparks controversy and leads to changes, ACT scores hit their lowest point in three decades and community leaders participated in National Walk to School Day events. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools and colleges and universities:
Broward: Jurors will continue deliberations today to decide whether to sentence Nikolas Cruz to life in prison or recommend he be put to death for the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Deliberation began on Tuesday, but a decision was not reached. WPLG. WFOR. WFTS. Fox 13. WFLA.
Hillsborough: School officials here are enhancing mental health outreach efforts for students. The district on Wednesday announced two new measures, which include a centralized information source on Clever, a web platform students use for their classes, and brochures on key topics that will be displayed in all middle and high schools. District staff created the materials in consultation with a student advisory committee. Anxiety was an overriding issue, as well as peer and social conflicts, according to surveys and committee members. Tampa Bay Times.
Duval: Plans are underway to renovate Old Stanton High School, which had been closed to students for five decades. The goal is to preserve the past for the first high school built in Florida for African Americans. Action News Jax.
Volusia: This county's schools director of safety and security resigned one week after school started in August. Now, the school district plans to replace Michelle Newman with a captain from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Mike Chitwood visited the school board meeting this week to discuss the contract for his office to provide the district with a school safety specialist, which was approved by the board. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Lee: Help with school enrollment for families displaced by Hurricane Ian is on the way. Temporary satellite enrollment offices will be set up today and Friday that will allow families displaced or relocated due to the hurricane to re-enroll their students into a new school that better meets their current needs. Social workers, bilingual support and Exceptional Student Education will be available at each location. Ft. Myers News-Press. A workshop was held Wednesday where the superintendent and school board discussed reopening classrooms to learning. The preliminary plan is to start reopening schools on Monday, but officials must check for working fire alarms, announcement systems, safe water and air quality. WINK.
Seminole: Voters here will choose two new school board members on Nov. 8 in runoff races peppered by the state's controversial educations issues. Any registered voter can take part in the elections, regardless of where they live, to decide who will represent Districts 2 and 5 on the five-member school board. In both races, incumbents have chosen not to seek another term, and four candidates competed for their seats. No one won the primary outright, so the top two finishers are on the ballot. School board members in Seminole serve four-year terms, set district policy and earn $40,000 per year. Orlando Sentinel.
Leon: Sen. Loranne Ausley released her third radio ad of the week, which is an endorsement from Leon County School Board Chair Darryl Jones. In the 30-second ad, Jones calls Ausley a friend and a champion for children and asks for voter support as she hopes to fend off challenged Corey Simon in Senate District 3. Florida Politics. District officials here will join more than 1,000 other school districts in the fight against one of the most popular e-cigarette makers. The school board this week voted to join a class action lawsuit against Juul, alleging the manufacturer used unfair marketing practices to make youth addicted to vaping products. The school district will be represented by Kirton McConkie PC, a law firm based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Tallahassee Democrat.
FHSAA form: Questions about menstrual history on a Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) physical form for student-athletes will be reconsidered after a news story prompted backlash from athletes, parents and doctors. At a special board meeting held on Wednesday, school board members voiced outrage about the five optional questions that included inquiring when athletes last got their periods. "This is information that should be between a doctor and a patient," said board member Alexandria Ayala. Visiting FHSAA board member and former state Rep. Ralph Arza said at the meeting that he will add an agenda item on the Nov. 6 and 7 meeting of the association's board of directors to amend the form. Palm Beach Post. Florida Today.
Lawsuit filed: A wrongful death lawsuit was filed this week against a driver accused of killing two Royal Palm Beach High School students and injuring two others as they waited at a bus stop in March. The lawsuit against Angel Lopez is the first expected to be filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Lopez — who faces charges in connection with the crash that killed Wazir Chand — was charged in the death of 15-year-old Tiana Johnson and for causing serious injury to Khio Phan, 17, and Rondell Lawrence, 16. Palm Beach Post.
ACT score slide: Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year's high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years. The class of 2022's average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36, the first time since 1991 that the average fell below 20. In addition, an increasing number of high school students failed to meet subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT. NPR. Associated Press. The 74.
National Walk to School Day: In 1997, The Partnership for a Walkable America organized National Walk to School Day. The annual event attempts to build community awareness for walkable and bikeable communities. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor participated for the past three years. "Events like National Walk to School Day showcase the importance of walking to school, while also making drivers aware that they should be alert and slow down while students may be crossing the road," Castor said. Tampa Bay Times. WTSP.
University and college news: Students at Edward Waters University will have a chance to earn nursing degrees from the University of Florida under an agreement between the schools. Finalized on Wednesday, the deal is limited to only five students per year. The agreement "will equally benefit both universities and our community," said A. Zachary Faison Jr., Edward Waters president and CEO. Florida Times-Union. The Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation provided $100 million to the University of Florida Scripps biomedical-research program in Palm Beach County in what UF says is the largest gift from an individual donor. In a news release, UF officials said the donation will held continue development of more than 100 acres at the campus. News Service Florida. A program at Florida State University Panama City received a grant worth more than $100,000 from the St. Joe Community Foundation. FSU's Advancing Science and Career Education in New Technologies Program accepted a $135,490 grant saying it will enhance efforts to increase interest in technology, information security and cybersecurity among middle and high school students. Panama City News Herald. The University of Florida's hunt for a new president violates the intent of a new state law that governs the process, according to state Sen. Jeff Brandes, who also co-sponsored the measure in the Legislature this year. The law keeps the early part of a presidential search secret, but also requires universities to lift that confidentiality when a final group of applicants emerges. Instead, UF officials announced one finalist, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, and refused to release the names of a dozen people they interviewed after reaching out to hundreds of candidates. Tampa Bay Times.
Amendment 8 off ballot: A judge's decision that proposed constitutional Amendment 8 should be removed from the Nov. 6 ballot is upheld in a 4-3 vote by the Florida Supreme Court. A Leon County judge had ruled that the amendment is misleading and fails to inform voters of its “chief purpose and effect.” The amendment, put forward by the Constitution Revision Commission, would have created an entity other than local school boards that can approve charter and public schools, set term limits for school board members and required civics education in schools. The League of Women Voters challenged the constitutionality of the amendment, with president Patricia Brigham saying “the backers of this proposal on the CRC went to great lengths to hide the ball because they realized that Floridians would never knowingly forfeit their right to local control over their local public schools.” Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics. Washington Post. Watchdog.org.
Scott rejected again: Legislative leaders officially deny Gov. Rick Scott's request to release $58 million from the armed school guardian fund to districts to help them pay for more security at schools. In a letter to the governor Friday, incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said, "For the guardian program to truly be vetted and ultimately embraced, I believe the program should maintain its own funding rather than having its funds commingled with other funds available for school safety. I respectfully disagree with your statement that the $58 million in available funding will go to waste if the proposed budget amendment is not adopted." Galvano did say he would be open to reviewing the program in the near future. Only $9 million of the $67 million set aside for guardians was claimed by districts, which preferred having school resource officers to arming school employees. Associated Press. (more…)
K-12 funding: The Senate Budget Committee proposes a boost of $790 million in spending in the next school year for Florida's K-12 public schools. Almost 68 percent of that would come through higher property taxes for local districts. Gov. Rick Scott has proposed an $815 million increase for K-12 schools, also with 68 percent of the boost coming from local property taxes. House leaders, who have said they won't accept any tax increase, propose an increase of $251.3 million. The House budget's chief priority is $200 million to attract charter school networks into areas where traditional public schools have struggled. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Politico Florida. Florida Politics.
Recess bill: The Florida House K-12 Innovation Subcommittee makes significant changes to the mandatory recess bill, then passes it. The original bill called for at least 20 minutes of unstructured but supervised recess every day for the state's elementary school students. The amended bill changes the daily requirement to at least twice a week, lets schools count recess time toward physical education requirements, and removes the recess requirement for fourth- and fifth-graders. Miami Herald. Sunshine State News.
School choice: The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee approves a bill that would increase the money students can receive through the state's tax credit scholarship program. But removed from the bill was an expansion of eligibility and triple the money for Gardiner scholarships for students with disabilities. Step Up For Students, which publishes this blog, helps administer both programs. The subcommittee also stripped the bill of a provision that would have allowed McKay scholarships for students with special needs even if they hadn't attended a public school for an entire school year. redefinED. News Service of Florida.
Charter schools: The House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee approves a bill that could make it easier for high-performing charter schools to expand, give charter networks the ability to received federal funding directly, allow school districts an extra 30 days to review charter applications, and make public schools accountable for the academic performance of students who transfer to private or alternative charter schools. Ralph Arza of the Florida Charter School Alliance says his group supports nearly all the bill, but said alternative charters should be held responsible for students who transfer from traditional schools. redefinED. The committee also approves a bill that would require school districts to proportionately split local property tax revenues with charter schools after the money districts set aside for construction debts is deducted. The state’s 556 charter schools would receive about $148 million, or nearly double what they now get. redefinED. (more…)
Former state Rep. Trey Traviesa says Florida is a national leader when it comes to its support for charter schools.
And the 2013 legislative session offered plenty of examples – from extra facility dollars to legislative language that included charters in teacher pay raises and school safety funds, to revamping charter applications and contracts to make them more uniform from district to district.
Trey Traviesa
But there’s plenty more work to do, Traviesa said today during an online town hall meeting organized by the Florida Alliance for Charter Schools.
“Funding needs to be stronger,’’ he said. “Policy can be better.’’
With those two objectives in mind, the alliance and its band of former legislators-turned-lobbyists already are setting the stage for next year’s charter school agenda. The group plans to meet with operators, parents and other supporters across the state within the next few months.
In Florida, there are 203,000 children attending 579 charter schools. One of the biggest issues for the charter industry has been getting organized and developing a unified mission, alliance leaders said.
“We as a movement have to be able to stick together as one voice,’’ said Ralph Arza, another former state representative who now lobbies for the two-year-old Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit. “That is the importance of our advocacy, to make sure that charters are front and center … and treated equally on the funding side and the policy side.’’
That “Herculean effort’’ really came together this year, said Arza, noting that the benefits for charter schools this legislative session were beyond the allinace's expectations.
Among the highlights:
Charter schools also will get more leeway in submitting applications before the Aug. 1 state deadline, and have a quicker turnaround in the district review process – from 60 days to 30 days. Other changes include requiring districts to report to the state annually the number of charter applications they receive, and how many they accept or deny.
“We just wanted to make sure things are moving along quickly and as close to the timeline as possible,’’ said Mike Kooi, executive director of Florida’s school choice office.
The session brought “a lot of victories for charter schools in terms of polices and funding,’’ Kooi said. “And, hopefully, it will continue.’’
It’s not everything they asked for, but charter school advocates anticipate getting $91 million in state funding next fiscal year for construction and maintenance projects.
House and Senate leaders agreed to the one-time allocation earlier this week and are expected to pass the measure before they vote on the new state budget by Friday – the final day of the legislative session.
The move marks a $36 million increase in funding for charter schools and comes close to the $100 million proposed earlier this year by the Florida House and Gov. Rick Scott, who still has to sign off on the budget.
Ralph Arza
“This funding is driven by the demand of the consumer,” said Ralph Arza, a former state legislator who lobbies for the Florida Charter School Alliance.
With more than 203,000 students enrolled in 579 Florida charter schools, parents are making their choice – and that’s creating a need for more charter funding, Arza said. But it’s not a one-time need.
“It’s an every-year need,’’ said Arza, who, along with other charter advocates in Florida, will continue to push for recurring funding in the state budget to help charters with capital outlay projects.
Charter schools are public schools that receive state money, but they operate independently from the districts. That means charters have separate school boards, and can pick their curriculum and teachers. But they can’t levy taxes, like their traditional counterparts, to pay for buildings and facility needs.
Arza called lawmakers “bold and courageous’’ for recognizing the need for more charter school dollars.
Robert Haag, president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, also praised the move. “We are proud of our Legislators believing in us,’’ he said.
The construction funding follows more good news: charter school teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, principals and other administrators are among the Florida public school workers eligible for the $480 million in raises called for in the 2013-14 budget.
The extra dollars mean at least $2,000 for teachers and other school personnel and as much as $3,500 for instructors rated “highly-effective.’’
Arza
If the chatter among Florida charter school supporters is any indication, expect to see proposed legislation next spring that calls for equitable funding for charter schools and the return of charter authorizers who are independent from public school districts.
“This is a forced marriage that needs counseling,’’ joked Ralph Arza, a former Florida legislator who now serves as the governmental affairs director for the Florida Consortium on Public Charter Schools.
More than 100 charter school operators and advocates, who met Wednesday during the 16th Annual Florida Charter School Conference in Orlando, also want more streamlined applications and sanctions against districts that drag out the appeals process.
The way it works now, some applications call for thousands of pages of documentation, said Collette Papa of Academica, a charter school management company with about 100 schools in Florida. If a district denies the application, the appeals process can take anywhere from three to six months, Papa said. If the charter school wins approval, often it’s too late to hire teachers, secure a site and recruit students in time to open the same year, she said.
Papa was part of a 7-member panel that included Mike Kooi from the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, Pamela Owens of Charter Schools of Boynton Beach, Marvin Pitts of Mavericks in Education in south Florida, Gene Waddell of Indian River Charter High School in Vero Beach and Tim Kitts, who operates five Bay Haven Charter Academy schools in Panama City.
The panel discussion anchored a town hall meeting that kicked off the two-day conference. It was sponsored by the consortium and led by Arza, who served in the Legislature between 2000 and 2006 and helped pass education laws including former Gov. Jeb Bush’s A++ plan.
Since that time, Arza said, the state has slowly chipped away at the heart of school choice reforms. (more…)
