Board term limits: A bill that would place the issue of local school board term limits on the Florida ballot has been approved by a second House subcommittee. The vote was 11-4 in favor, mostly along party lines with Republicans supporting it, though members from both parties called for some changes. The Senate version of the bill has yet to receive a committee hearing. The bill would limit board members to eight years in office. It would require approval by 60 percent of both chambers to make the 2020 ballot, then 60 percent of Florida voters to be added to the Constitution. News Service of Florida. Gradebook. Florida Politics.
School security: Broward County School Board members approve policies designed to address safety flaws that were criticized after the 2018 shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. All schools will have to identify corners in every classroom for students to hide safely in, and all school employees will be required to call a "Code Red" emergency if they see or hear anything threatening student safety. Sun Sentinel. WLRN. WPLG. Court cases provide guidance on the liability of schools and districts in keeping students safe. Education Dive. (more…)
Reading test results: The state's 3rd-graders posted slightly lower scores on the Florida Standards Assessments reading tests this year, according to results released by the Florida Department of Education. Twenty percent of the state's 3rd-graders - more than 44,000 students - post a Level 1 score, which puts them at risk of repeating the grade. Last year it was 19 percent. About half of the affected students are promoted using the state's retention law exemptions or by attending summer reading camps. Fifty-seven percent of the 3rd-graders posted a Level 3 score, which is considered at or above grade level, down from 58 percent last year but up from the 53 percent in 2015. The test scores also factor into the formula for school grades, which come out later this summer. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. Ocala Star-Banner.
Housing for teachers: Suggestions in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties that affordable housing for teachers be built on school campuses is getting a chilly reaction from teachers. “I mean, who wants to live where they work?” asks Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of the United Teachers of Dade. Other teachers union officials agree, and suggest a better solution would be to pay teachers more so they could afford mortgages or rents in south Florida. WLRN. (more…)
Charter school bills: A bill requiring school districts to share capital funding with charter schools is heading to the House floor. The bill also would penalize schools that spend more on construction than is allowed under state law. Politico Florida. Miami Herald. Sun-Sentinel. WFSU. The Florida League of Women Voters says the bill that sets up a state-appointed board controlling charter schools is "an egregious attack on public schools." Miami Herald. News Service of Florida.
Other education bills: Votes on several other education bills are expected today in the House. Among them: making the teacher bonuses program permanent and giving principals more autonomy over struggling schools. Also up for a vote is a bill requiring mandatory recess in elementary schools, but it appears to be dead in the Senate. Politico Florida.
Pledge of Allegiance: Students would be notified in a school handbook about their right to opt out of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, under a bill approved by a House committee. Excused students would not be forced to stand or place their hand over their hearts. AP, via Palm Beach Post.
School funding formula: A bill that would change the state's formula for funding school districts is not expected to pass, according to the sponsor. Rep. Larry Metz, R-Yalah, says he will try again in the next session. Daily Commercial.
Suspensions questioned: Officials from the Flagler branch of the NAACP want access to school records so they can check complaints about the district's out-of-school suspensions for black students. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Staff restructuring: Palm Beach County School Superintendent Robert Avossa is cutting 58 jobs from the school's district offices and redirecting the $4.5 million savings to the district's poorest 66 schools. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
