Scholarships review: Florida’s most disadvantaged students continue to make solid academic gains through use of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, according to the latest annual evaluation of standardized test results released by the Florida Department of Education. Students on scholarships were "relatively more disadvantaged and lower-performing prior to entering the ... program," concluded the researchers from the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University, yet once on the scholarship, the students “maintain his or her relative position in comparison with all students nationally in both reading and math.” Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the tax credit program, which is the largest in the country, as well as Gardiner, Hope and reading scholarship programs. redefinED.
Video ordered released: An appeals court rules that a surveillance video showing how law enforcement officers responded during the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 is a public record and should be released by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in the next 48 hours. News organizations argued for the release, while the Broward state attorney's office argued against it because it's part of an ongoing criminal investigation. “Parents have such a high stake in the ultimate decisions that they must have access to camera video footage here at issue and not blindly rely on school board experts to make decisions for them,” the 4th District Court of Appeal judges wrote. Associated Press. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)
Charter schools: Florida charter schools could get an extra $96.3 million from school districts that will now have to share the tax money they collect for capital projects, according to Florida House estimates. That's nearly 7 percent of the money school districts could have after debt service is subtracted, as H.B. 7069 stipulates. The $96.3 million is a maximum estimate, says Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah. Charter schools need to meet certain academic and financial standards and have been operating for two or more years to be eligible for the money. Miami-Dade and Broward will be among the districts hardest hit in sheer dollars, but tiny Sumter and Franklin counties will have the highest percentages of shared dollars, at 33 and 24 percent, respectively. Miami Herald. Manatee and Sarasota counties are two of the counties that will have share higher percentages of their capital funding with charter schools under the new education law. Sarasota is third in the state at 13.54 percent, and Manatee is 11th at 9.26 percent. Manatee School Superintendent Diana Greene says the district will continue with plans to build three new schools, but the law could have an impact on smaller projects. Bradenton Herald. Wayman Academy of the Arts is one of five charter schools in Duval County to earn an A grade from the state this year. The school, which draws its students from a poor neighborhood in Jacksonville, now has received every possible grade from the state in its 17-year existence. Florida Times-Union.
District hacked: The St. Lucie County School District's Twitter account was hacked last week, and several racially charged messages were posted and stayed online for more than nine hours before being removed. The cyberattack was just one of several against school districts around the United States, according to St. Lucie School Superintendent Wayne Gent. School officials are unhappy with the difficulty they had contacting Twitter and its response time. “It took way too long,” Gent said. “It should’ve been done immediately.” TCPalm.
Fighting failure: As the 2016-2017 school year began, another first year of a rebuilding process began at Fairmount Park Elementary School. It had a new principal, new and inexperienced teachers, and a history of failure. Fairmount is located in a poor St. Petersburg neighborhood and in 2014, was one of five city elementary schools labeled a "failure factory." But this year it had a plan, and better resources, and hope. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)
Education lawsuit: The groups suing the state over the quality of public education are asking an appeals court to send the case directly to the Florida Supreme Court for an immediate review. Citizens for Strong Schools claims the lengthy appeals process is harming students. The state, and groups that support the state's position, say there's no reason to subvert the normal appeals process. The suit was dismissed in May by a circuit court judge. Politico Florida.
Gifted plan stalls: A plan to add gifted programs at eight Duval County middle schools meets with skepticism by the school board. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says the programs are needed to curtail dwindling enrollment. School board members question why there's a lack of programs for inner-city schools. Florida Times-Union.
Charter school searched: The FBI searches the Okaloosa Academy Charter School, and seizes several boxes of materials. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. The Fort Walton Beach school, which serves at-risk students in grades 4-12, is run by the Rader Group of Miramar Beach. Its representatives also declined comment. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Cops in schools: Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons tells the school board he wants to hire police officers for almost every county school. He says the escalating violence in the country prompted his recommendation. There are deputies assigned to all middle, high and certain alternative schools, but many elementary schools share deputies. Hiring an additional eight officers would cost the district at least $350,000 each year. In other action, the school board approved the merger of Woodville middle and elementary into a single K-8 Woodville School. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)
Retention rules: Manatee County school officials say they will not consider a student's portfolio to justify a promotion to fourth grade if the student has not taken the Florida Standards Assessments test or a state-approved alternative. They say the state Department of Education supports their position. Bradenton Herald. Even while school districts are threatening third-graders with retention because they didn't take the state testing or an alternative, Florida law allows the use of a portfolio as an exemption to testing. Gradebook. Parents in the opt-out movement are headed for a showdown with Manatee County school administrators. Bradenton Times.
Legal fees rapped: The state spent $3.7 million for outside counsel to defend against the lawsuit that alleged Florida failed its constitutional mandate to provide a quality education for all public school students. A circuit judge dismissed the suit. Now one of those groups bringing it, Fund Education Now, is criticizing the state for that expense. The Florida Senate and House split the legal fees because the suit named Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, as well as the state board and Education Commissioner Pam Stewart. A Gardiner aide says the Orlando Republican is “certainly comfortable with this investment of taxpayer dollars.” Politico Florida.
School crowding: If the courts rule that the Florida Tax Credit Scholarships are unconstitutional, as the Florida Education Association alleges, the state's already crowded schools might have to quickly absorb another 78,000 students. That could cause problems in some districts. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, administers the program. Tampa Bay Times.
Construction costs: School districts spend more on buildings using the construction manager-at risk approach than the traditional method of design-bid-build, according to a study by Clemson University researchers. The cost per square meter was $192 for the construction manager approach, and $148 with design-bid-build. The conclusion is based on a study of 137 school projects in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Engineering News-Record.
New schools planned: The Orange County School District is planning to spend up to $3 billion to build 16 schools in the next nine years to accommodate growth in the student population. Orlando Sentinel. The Palm Beach County School District is applying for a grant that could lead to the creation of an arts middle school in Boynton Beach and several other magnet programs at other schools. The grant from the U.S. Department of Education is worth $12 million over three years. Five schools would share the money. Palm Beach Post. (more…)
Elected commissioner: Support is growing among Republican legislators for a bill that would make the education commissioner an elected, Cabinet-level position again. Many of those legislators see an elected education commissioner reversing the state's adoption of Common Core standards. Naples Daily News.
Teacher bonuses bill: The Florida House education committee is pushing a bill that will continue paying $10,000 bonuses to teachers who are rated "highly effective" and scored in the top 20 percent on either the ACT or the SAT they year they took the exam. Orlando Sentinel.
No Child Left Behind: A rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act will expand federal intrusion into education, claims Florida Parents Against Common Core, which is joining other national groups in lobbying against the bill that Congress is expected to vote on this week. Sunshine State News.
Top Florida high school: Miami's School for Advanced Studies - South is the best public high school in Florida, according to the latest rankings by Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools. Business Insider.
Ex-superintendent to testify: Wayne Gent, former Palm Beach County schools superintendent, will testify in the extortion trial of Clarence Freeman. Freeman is accused of blackmailing Gent and other school officials for money and favors in exchange for not divulging evidence about misconduct. Palm Beach Post.
System audit: A legislative committee unanimously approves a follow-up audit of the way the Leon County School District has handled past construction projects. Tallahassee Democrat.
School recess push: Polk County parents' request for recess in elementary school is now in the hands of Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy. Lakeland Ledger. State Impact Florida.
Tuition for undocumented: More than a year after the Legislature approved a bill granting in-state tuition to Florida colleges for undocumented students, not a single college in Northwest Florida has enrolled any such students. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Superintendent scam: A New Jersey school superintendent will be sentenced this week for official misconduct and falsifying documents. James Habel, 58, who lives in Dunedin, Fla., took 105 days of unreported time off in Florida while he was urging teachers and other school officials in Wall Township to cut back on spending. Asbury Park Press.
No school surf club: New Smyrna Beach High School is passing on sanctioning a surf club. Students who recently started the club were hoping a school affiliation would allow them to compete against other surf clubs around the state. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Bus driver honored: Kerra George, the Palm Beach County school bus driver who acted quickly to evacuate 35 students when one of them reported smelling smoke in the bus, is honored by Superintendent Robert Avossa. Palm Beach Post.
School groundbreaking: Lake Worth Christian School students and staff break ground on a $2.1 million expansion of the elementary school in Boynton Beach. Palm Beach Post.
Psychologist penalized: The Department of Education revokes the license of former North Port High School psychologist Harvey Dorey, 45, after he was found guilty of fondling a teenager. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Opinions on schools: Palm Beach County Board member Michael Murgio should acknowledge his role in the school bus crisis at the beginning of the school year. Palm Beach Post.
Student enrichment: More than 1,000 girls are participating in the Girls on the Run of Northeast Florida program, which aims to build self-esteem through running and other after-school activities. Florida Times-Union. Satellite High students place second in the Quaker State Motor Oil national car restoration competition. Florida Today. Students at Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School are designing phone apps and experimenting with wireless electricity to prepare for competitions. Lakeland Ledger. More than 700 Manatee County Technical Student Association members will compete in several events to prepare for the statewide competition. Bradenton Herald. Condiments created by students at Immokalee High School are now being sold at 14 Collier County grocery stores. Naples Daily News.
