Scholarship funding: In a recent interview, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis says he wants to direct more funding toward the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program. Ultimately, he said, he'd like the state to give families a stipend for their student's education that they could use as they wish. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the scholarship. Florida Trend. DeSantis' education transition team is preparing its final recommendations, which are expected to include increased parental empowerment on educational choices of schools, and expanded school choice options and vocational education. Florida Politics. WJCT. WLRN. New Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran talks about his vision for the future of education in Florida. He starts the job Jan. 8. WTSP. Politico Florida. Outgoing Commissioner Pam Stewart says, "We are, in Florida, at an all-time high," and says Corcoran needs no advice from her because he already knows enough to do a good job. Gradebook.
School shooting aftermath: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission is expected to release its report today. WFLA. What's being done to stop another school shooting? Sun Sentinel. Broward County school resource officers are receiving more rigorous active-shooter training and being given more powerful weapons, according to Sheriff Scott Israel. Associated Press. Sun Sentinel. Miami Herald. What went right on the second floor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building that was attacked by a gunman Feb. 14. Sun Sentinel. A review of Israel’s performance since the shooting reveals excuses and misstatements. Sun Sentinel. (more…)
School shooting is top story: A gunman's murder of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14 is voted the top story of the year in the Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. The shooting spurred security reforms at schools across the country and launched a student-led movement, March for Our Lives, that helped organize walkouts, peaceful protests and a campaign for stricter gun laws. Associated Press. The dozen biggest K-12 education technology stories of the year. Education Week.
Panic alarms bill: State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, files a bill that would require at least one silent alarm, also known as a panic button, in every public school building that would instantly alert local law enforcement. Book calls S.B. 174 "Alyssa's Law," in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old student who was killed during the shootings at Stoneman Douglas High. News Service of Florida. Orlando Weekly. Sun Sentinel. (more…)
Schools' graduation rate up: Florida's high school graduation rate hit a record high last spring at 86.1 percent, according to figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Education. That's 3.8 percentage points higher than the 2017 rate. Also impressive is the improvement made by minority students. Black students graduated at a rate of 81 percent, up from 64.7 percent in 2014, and the rate was 85.1 percent for Hispanic students, up from 75 percent four years ago. “Today’s announcement is particularly important because it not only shows across-the-board progress, it highlights success in closing the achievement gap and leveling the playing field for all students,” said outgoing Education Commissioner Pam Stewart. Florida Department of Education. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Gainesville Sun. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Enrollment down: Florida has 17,000 fewer K-12 school students this year than projected, according to a report from the Legislature’s Office of Demographic and Economic Research. The state budget had funding for 2.848 million K-12 students. The revised forecast is 2.831 million, 7,955 more than last year but 17,142 fewer than expected in the 67 school districts. “Most of the revision is due to less than expected net in-migration to the public school system, combined with fewer than expected hurricane-affected students remaining in 2018-19 from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” according to the report. News Service of Florida.
U.S. school safety report: The federal safety commission looking into school shootings is recommending an end to Obama administration guidance for schools that was intended to curb discipline disparities for students of color and those with disabilities. The panel, led by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, also urges schools “to seriously consider the option of partnering with local law enforcement in the training and arming of school personnel,” but stopped short of saying it should be a mandate. The 177-page report says school buildings should be hardened and journalists should be "be more responsible in their coverage of school shootings." The report promptly drew criticism. Associated Press. New York Times. Washington Post. Washington Times. NBC News. Politico. Politico Florida. Education Week. Chalkbeat. The 74. Sun Sentinel. The state commission's report takes a stronger stance on arming school employees than the federal panel's does. Politico Florida. Does the future of teacher training include treating gunshot wounds? It could, as soon as next year. WLRN.
A whopping bill: An engineering report concludes that the Duval County School District needs $1.08 billion to repair or replace its 159 schools if it chooses to keep them all open. The report by Jacob Engineers says Duval has some of the oldest school buildings in the state, and 56 need to be replaced. School officials are considering ways to raise money for repairs, saying they need about $80 million a year but receive just $22 million from the state. Florida Times-Union. (more…)
Corcoran appointed: Richard Corcoran, former speaker of the Florida House, is unanimously approved by the Florida Board of Education to replace Pam Stewart as education commissioner. Corcoran, who was recommended by Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis, is a combative supporter of school choice, scholarship programs and charter schools and was widely opposed by teachers unions and public school advocates. "We won't be concerned with tradition, or who has the power, or who has the might," Corcoran said. "What we're going to do is break down those walls and give kids an opportunity." Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Tallahassee Democrat. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. Florida Phoenix. Politico Florida. Orlando Weekly. WWSB. Florida Politics. Capitolist. WUSF. WFSU. WFTV.
Report cards and abuse: Child abuse reports spike on Saturdays after report cards are issued by schools on Fridays, according to a report published by University of Florida researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association. There were almost four times more abuse cases reported on Saturdays a day after report cards are issued than on other Saturdays. “Anecdotally, we know a lot of parents will spank their children or use corporal punishment if they’re unsatisfied with their school work,” says University of Florida psychologist Melissa Bright. The report, which acknowledges its conclusions are speculative, drew its data from Florida’s 67 counties during the 2015-2016 academic year. New York Times. Associated Press. Fatherly. University of Florida. (more…)
DOE departures: Commissioner Pam Stewart isn't the only top Department of Education official who is leaving soon. Linda Champion, the department's deputy commissioner of finance, and K-12 chancellor Hershel Lyons have also announced their impending retirements. Today, the Florida Board of Education will consider Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis' proposed appointment of Richard Corcoran as Stewart's replacement. Gradebook.
Borrowing for education: Leaders in the Florida Senate say they will consider borrowing money through bonding to pay for school infrastructure needs. Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, says the state has a lot of capacity to borrow, up to $2.6 billion through the Public Education Capital Outlay program, and may need to do so because of infrastructure needs, a slowing economy and hurricane recovery costs. News Service of Florida. (more…)
More choice, accountability: At its first meeting, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis' education transition team urges more school choice for Florida students, more information about those choices for parents, expanded personalized learning options and increased accountability for schools. "We're moving from school choice to informed, high quality school choice," says Kim McDougal, former chief of staff and education adviser to Gov. Rick Scott. "The closer we can get to individualizing education for each child, the more success we will see," says Marva Johnson, chair of the Florida Board of Education and co-chair of the transition committee. The group meets again Dec. 19 and 28. Gradebook.
Teacher performance pay: A bill is introduced in the Legislature that would end state restrictions on the way public school teachers get paid. Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, wants districts to be able to decide if they want to use the performance pay plans, instead of forcing them to, and to end a prohibition on using advanced degrees as a criteria when making salary schedules. "The way you pay teachers should be done at the local level," says Plasencia, who calls the current model "flawed" and "rigid." Gradebook. (more…)
Shooting panel draft report: The 407-page draft report of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission recommends arming willing teachers and other employees in schools, and immediately taking practical measures to restrict access to schools and standardizing procedures for identifying dangerous students. The report criticizes the Broward County School District for not following basic security measures like locking doors, says the principal should be investigated for not insisting he be told about all threats, and concludes that Broward County deputies should have rushed into the school to confront the shooter Feb. 14. Seventeen people were shot to death and 17 others were wounded. The report, which is not final, will be delivered to the governor and Legislature by Jan. 1. Sun Sentinel. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Capitol News Service. WLRN. Fort Myers News-Press. The commission releases transcripts of law enforcement officers detailing the chaos at the scene. Miami Herald. A judge rejects former Stoneman Douglas deputy Scot Peterson's argument that he had "no legal duty" to protect the students and staff. Peterson was asking that a lawsuit filed by the family of a victim be dismissed. Sun Sentinel. Associated Press. Now that Ron DeSantis is the governor-elect, will he follow up on a campaign statement to remove Broward Sheriff Scott Israel for his agency's failings during the shooting? Sun Sentinel. Who are school shooters, and why do they kill? Sun Sentinel. (more…)
BOE and Corcoran: The Florida Board of Education will consider Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis' choice of Richard Corcoran as education commissioner at its just-scheduled Monday meeting. The seven-member BOE is tasked with approving an education commissioner, and in the past has conducted national searches. But BOE chair Marva Johnson and vice-chair Andy Tuck are both on DeSantis' education transition team, and Johnson has indicated she's open to DeSantis' choice. News Service of Florida. Gradebook. Capitolist. WUSF.
School lockdown delay: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School officials were confused over who had the authority to order a lockdown when a school shooter opened fire Feb. 14, leading to a delay of several minutes in declaring a "code red" that orders students to hide behind locked doors, according to district emails. As a result, some students were caught in hallways and shot. Sun Sentinel. Two newspapers ask a Broward County court to make witness interviews from the Parkland school shootings open to the public. Miami Herald. Sun Sentinel. Parkland shooting survivors-turned-activists are among 10 finalists for Time magazine's 2018 person of the year award. Sun Sentinel. The St. Johns County School District is adding 16 resource officers at schools next month. WJAX. (more…)
Crimes in schools: School districts around Florida are failing to report crimes, even murder, rape and gun possession, as required on K-12 campuses, according to reports districts have filed in the past 10 years to the state Department of Education. An investigation also shows that more than 600 schools reported no crimes at all, some schools file false information to protect their reputations, and some fail to report crimes that aren't committed by students. Sun-Sentinel. A 7th-grader at Sleepy Hill Middle School in Lakeland was beaten so badly at school last month that he was hospitalized. The attacker was charged by police but never suspended by Polk County school officials. Lakeland Ledger. This year has been the worst on record for gun violence in schools, according to research by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security that goes back to 1970. Ninety-four incidents were recorded, an increase of 60 percent over the previous record of 59 in 2006. The Guardian.
Teacher pay: Salaries for 20-year teaching veterans in the Palm Beach County School District are about $3,000 a year less today than they were for a teacher with the same experience in 2008, according to an analysis of district salary records. A 25-year veteran earns about $2,100 less, and a 15-year veteran about $1,000 a year less. The anomalies were created in 2010 and 2011 when the district dropped a salary schedule that rewarded teachers with seniority and bumped up salaries for younger teachers, including a 14 percent boost in starting salaries. Palm Beach Post.
