Across the state: Pay increases coming to Lake teachers, the D.A.R.E. program is headed to Jackson, a STEM building is headed to Gulf Coast State College and there are thousands of teacher vacancies statewide. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

Broward: School officials here donated boxes of LBGTQ-friendly children's books to a museum this summer, weeks before Florida's HB 1557 law went into effect. The school district says the books were donated to clear office space as part of a district reorganization, but the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Ft. Lauderdale, which received the donations, questioned the timing since the law went into effect on July 1. Orlando Sentinel.

Lake: Teachers here are set to have a major pay increase. The Lake County Education Association and Lake County schools made an agreement to hike starting pay for teachers to $48,500 and provide raises up to $4,625, according to Lake County Schools. Teachers who receive "Highly Effective" ratings would receive the $4,625 increase under an updated performance package. WESH.

Hernando: Demolition began on July 6 after a decision was reached to remove a portion of the Hernando Historic School, an extension built decades ago that used to host the Family Resource Center. The teardown is expected to be done on July 19. Years of maintenance costs led county officials to re-evaluate the value of the building. Citrus County Chronicle.

Flagler: Fourteen years ago, 20 portable classrooms were removed from the Buddy Taylor middle school campus as the district made a push to house as many students in its buildings as possible. The construction of the classroom building and cafeteria between Buddy Taylor and Wadsworth Elementary made the removal possible. This week, Buddy Taylor took delivery of seven portables, which were grounded in some of the same areas as they were in the last decade. The portables are being leased for three years at $105,000, which includes delivery and pickup. Flagler Live.

Jackson: The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is implementing D.A.R.E., or the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, at local schools. Several JCSO deputies were sent to a D.A.R.E. training this summer to prepare for the program. Officials say they returned with certification and are prepared to implement the program at schools. To start, they will go to Marianna K-8 and expand the program to other schools throughout the county. WJHG.

Food program: Local Boys & Girls Clubs are looking to continue and expand their summer meal programs for children who are in need after receiving $10,000 from a nonprofit called No Kid Hungry. For low-income homes that rely on school programs to feed their children, the Boys & Girls Club provides breakfast and lunch through a partnership with the Citrus County School District, which delivers food to the clubs. The $10,000 will cover the project's traditional expenses and allow local clubs to provide additional snacks to children. Citrus County Chronicle.

University and college news: A federal judge on Friday ruled a University of Central Florida professor, two teachers and a student can move forward with a challenge to a new state law that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in classrooms and workplace training. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected portions of a request by the state to dismiss a constitutional challenge to the law.  Orlando Sentinel. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Florida Politics. A new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) building is headed to Gulf Coast State College, replacing the Sherman Science lecture hall. Officials at GCSC began demolition this week to make way for the college's state-of-the-art STEM building, which will be finished by spring 2024. The STEM building's labs and classrooms will feature the latest technology, officials said. The project is expected to cost about $24 million. Panama City News Herald.

Bill backlash: Author Stephen King went on social media to warn his followers that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill "requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with (the) state." The tweet referenced HB 233, which requires public colleges and universities in the state to "conduct an annual assessment of the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity," by using a survey developed by the State Board of Education or Board of Governors. But the 2022 survey is not a required registration of political views as King alleged. Tampa Bay Times.

Dropout rates: In 2020, 2 million American students between 16 and 24 years old dropped out of school, federal data shows. The dropout rate had actually declined from 10 years before, meaning a lower percentage of students were considered dropouts than in 2010. For 2020, the status dropout rate was 5.3, meaning 5.3 percent of people in that age bracket were not attending school and lacked a high school equivalent credential like a GED. The report is based on data from the Current Population Survey within the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida Phoenix.

Teacher vacancies: With the new school year a month away, there are still thousands of vacant jobs in public schools across the state. More than 400,000 students may start their new school year without a full-time certified teacher at the front of the classroom. WUSF.

Around the state: The Florida Department of Education released school grades statewide, Hillsborough officials face hurdles in building new schools, free meals in Charlotte and  crowdfunding for teacher wish lists in Seminole. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

School grades: The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2021-22 academic year.  Schools statewide exceeded expectations, with the 2021-22 grades marking the first full school grade data released since 2019.  Some highlights: Fifty-three schools exited the school improvement support list in 2022, all schools graded 'F' in 2019 improved their grades in 2022 and 84% of schools graded 'D' and 'F' in 2019 improved grades in 2022. Statewide, the biggest gains were seen in elementary schools, where 1 in 5 schools improved by at least one letter, according to the Department of Education. News4Jax.  Politico. Tampa Bay Times.  Meanwhile, fewer schools earned 'A' and 'B' grades than they did in 2019.  In Central Florida, for example, Seminole County Public Schools remained the top performer, earning an 'A' grade. Orange County Public Schools earned a 'B,' as did Lake and Osceola school systems. The state canceled school testing in 2020 when the pandemic closed schools, so no grades were issued that year. Last year, grades were optional because students were studying remotely, so this year marked the return of the grading system for schools and districts, based mostly on standardized test performance.  Orlando Sentinel. Despite COVID-19 challenges, Lake County received a 'B' grade. Some families had trouble getting children to school during quarantines, but school officials say teachers, staff and administrators attentive to the needs of students, which was reflective in grades. WESH. In Sarasota and Manatee counties, Sarasota maintained its 'A' grade and Manatee its 'B' rating. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. In Collier County, the school district received an 'A' rating. Lee County received a 'B,' with 27 Lee County schools increasing their overall grade average since 2019.  Ft. Myers News-Press.  Fox4Now. Volusia and Flagler schools each earned 'B' grades, while St. Johns County district kept its straight 'A' performance. The Daytona Beach News-Journal. And of the seven largest school districts in Florida, only Palm Beach and Miami-Dade achieved 'A's' while Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange and Pinellas earned 'B's.' Palm Beach Post.

Seminole: With teachers reaching into their pockets to pay for school supplies as inflation continues to soar, a few teachers here turned to social media to receive assistance by posting their classroom wish lists. A Facebook page started more than a decade ago by a realtor named Emma Reichert has been encouraging the community to lend a hand to teachers and students in need. WKMG.

Building hurdles: Hillsborough school officials are facing hurdles in their quest to make sure every student has a seat to learn while its population continues to grow. Capacity issues plagued Hillsborough at nearly 60 schools. While the district waited for funding to build new schools, construction costs have skyrocketed, officials say. The construction of schools is up 43% in the last three months, and 90% in the last year. ABC Action News. Meanwhile, Flagler County schools, county government and Palm Coast are at odds over how to bill builders for new schools. A meeting will be held today with representatives from the school board, county, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell to hash things out. Flagler Live.

Free meals: Students in the Charlotte County Public Schools system can get free breakfast and lunch daily during the 2022-23 school year, according to officials. The meals are made available through the federal Community Eligibility Program that allows schools to qualify as a "community" when the percentage of directly certified students reaches a certain threshold at a particular school. Port Charlotte Sun. 

Artwork competition: A Martin County High School student's art is up for consideration in a national artwork competition called Doodle for Google. Sophie Araque-Liu won Florida's nomination, where students submit artwork to be featured for a day on the search engine's homepage. This year's theme was "I care for myself by..." Araque-Liu's artwork depicts her hugging her mother. Voting to select national finalists began Thursday. TC Palm.

Suspension inequality: Despite a decline in suspension as students moved to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black children and those in special education were disciplined far more than white students and those in general education, a new study shows. The study also indicates that the behavior of students may have worsened this past academic year. The 74th.

Educator concerns: The president of the state's largest teachers union says educators are concerned about state legislation and recent education training that could threaten the bond between educators and their students, in addition to the separation between church and state. WINK.

University and college news: A state appeals court this month will delve into a dispute about whether the University of Florida should refund fees to students who were forced to switch to remote learning in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began. A panel of the 1st District Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments on July 20 after an Alachua County circuit judge last year refused to dismiss the potential class-action lawsuit. Two other state appellate courts have taken on similar cases from other schools. A key issue in the cases: whether schools breached contracts by not providing on-campus services in 2020 after students paid fees. WUFT. The board of trustees of the College of Central Florida on Wednesday approved renaming its Citrus County campus in honor of Sen. Wilton Simpson. The new name: CF Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus. Simpson served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2012 and is currently Senate president, representing the 10th district that includes Citrus, Hernando and part of Pasco counties. Citrus County Chronicle.

Opinions on schools: West Virginia's State Treasurer Riley Moore, who serves as chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, issued a statement after Kanawha County Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit permanently enjoined the state's Hope Scholarship Program. In the statement, Moore says, "I am deeply disappointed that a judge has decided to halt this program which would help so many families in West Virginia. More than 3,100 West Virginia students were relying on having this funding in the fall, and now — at the last minute — they may not be able to get the educational services they want and need." reimaginED.

Editor’s note: This profile is part of a series on Florida legislators who help shape education issues. See previous entries here, here and here.  

Sitting with her mother trying to read the word “star,” Jennifer Sullivan stumbled. She could pronounce the “st” but couldn’t put the whole word together.

Reading was a challenge for the 5-year-old at the time.

A homeschooled student, Sullivan shared her frustrations with her mother, breaking down in tears.

Her mother decided that she did not need to learn to read right away. Instead, she shifted her focus to other areas where she excelled. For a time, Patricia Sullivan focused on teaching her daughter different life skills, values and character strengths. She immersed her daughter in other subjects, such as biology, by taking her outside to study caterpillars.

Then, at age 8, reading suddenly clicked for Jennifer, and she delved into books. Now a state representative, she continues to love reading to this day. (more…)

Central Florida's school districts continue to struggle with a growing student population.

Officials in those districts say charter schools might help absorb new students. But they're also not happy with a new state law that requires them to share local facilities funding with charters they authorize.

In Lake County, nearly half the schools are at capacity. Officials expect 17 out of 42 schools will be over capacity by 2022.  By then, they estimate the district will grow by 1,400 students. The district lacks an ample funding source to build new schools.

In Osceola, the student population grew by 1,130 during the 2016-17 school year, according to data from the Florida Department of Education.

Charter schools have provided a relief valve in both districts, helping absorb students and reduce crowding. The same is true in other places, like southern Hillsborough County. 

But a new law signed this year may change the calculus for some districts. Lake County officials, for example, say the new requirement that districts share local capital funding with charter schools may make it harder for them to save up for future building projects.

Growth in Osceola charter schools (more…)

Former Lake County Fla. Superintendent Susan Moxley set out to achieve one goal above all others in her eight years in the top position at the district: Customize education for each student, preparing them for college and careers.

The Central Florida district was one of six in the nation to receive a three-year, $3.1 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Next Gen Systems Initiative in 2014. The money was supposed to help prepare schools for personalized learning — a concept that has become a focal point for Gates and other major philanthropists, as well as educators and advocates across the ideological spectrum.

Three years later, the district is changing course.

Most of the grant money has been spent. The district is sending back the remainder of the funding and discontinuing the program.

Under new leadership, district officials argue they do not need to spend money on a program dedicated to personalized learning. Some skeptics say it simply embodies good teaching.

See also: When we say personalized learning, what do we mean?

There's no question the grant changed practices throughout the district and lit a fire in some educators — some of whom have carried the torch to other employers.

But it's also clear some of the changes the grant sought, like the development of a competency-based learning system encouraged by a new state law, won't come to fruition. At least, they won't in Lake.  

The experience in this district of 41,000 students sheds light on what it will take to spread personalized learning from conference halls and foundation boardrooms to classrooms across the country. (more…)