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Florida schools roundup: Superintendent jobs, suspensions, testing and more
Superintendent jobs: Duval County School Board chairwoman Ashley Smith Juarez says she asked Superintendent Nikolai Vitti to resign because she thinks his plan to gradually close the achievement gaps...
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Children lose when teachers unions only say ‘no’
The first time Florida saw a massive statewide teachers’ strike was in the spring of 1968. As editor of the student paper at Miami Norland Senior High, I skipped school to cover the protests. My...
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Florida schools roundup: Appeal, mediation, homeschooling, ad and more
Scholarship appeal: The Florida Education Association, the NAACP and other groups officially file an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court over the constitutionality of the state’s tax credit...
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Florida schools roundup: Promotions, protests, prayers, pay and more
Few promotions: Almost two months ago, a circuit judge ruled that the state wrongly retained third-graders who opted out of the Florida Standards Assessments testing. Today, just two of the 14 students...
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Florida schools roundup: Bullying, union election spending and more
School bullying: Parents and experts say bullying in schools is a far bigger problem than reported. National figures indicate 1 in 5 students have been bullied during the last school year. In Orange...
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Florida schools roundup: PTA drops out, academies in peril, home visits and more
PTA drops out of suit: The Florida PTA has dropped out of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s tax credit scholarship program. PTA officials say they still oppose the...
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Florida schools roundup: Homework, new tests, spending oversight and more
Homework fight: Miami-Dade teachers and parents spar at a school board meeting over the amount of homework students are being given. Parents say too much is being assigned, cutting into family time....
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Florida schools roundup: Senate agenda, graduation rates, top teacher and more
Senate’s education agenda: Senate President Joe Negron’s agenda includes more school choice for K-12 and more money for the state’s universities. The Republican from Stuart also affirms his support for...
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Florida schools roundup: Choice lawsuit dismissed, charter law upheld and more
Choice lawsuit dismissed: The Florida Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by several groups that were challenging the constitutionality of the state’s tax credit scholarship program. The vote...
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Florida schools roundup: Retention suit, DeVos, weapons, adoptions and more
Retention appeal: At least two judges on the three-member First District Court of Appeal seem skeptical of a Leon County judge’s decision against the state and several school districts over retention...
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Florida schools roundup: Schools of hope compromise, budget and more
Schools of hope: A compromise on the “schools of hope” bill is drawing support from previously opposed Democratic lawmakers. The $200 million measure was introduced by the House to offer incentives to...
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Florida schools roundup: Resuming classes, lawsuit over bonuses and more
Recovering from Irma: Most school districts around the state reopen Monday but several others open even later and two, Monroe and Hardee, remain closed until further notice. Florida Department of...
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Florida schools roundup: Bonuses suit, amendments, suspensions and more
Teacher bonuses suit: A legal challenge to the state’s teacher bonuses program will be allowed to proceed, a federal judge has ruled. The Florida Department of Education had asked the judge to dismiss...
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Florida schools roundup: Avossa stepping down, education bill and more
Avossa resigning: Palm Beach County School Superintendent Robert Avossa is resigning after two and a half years to take a job with a publisher of educational materials. Avossa, 46, plans to leave June...
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Florida schools roundup: Budget details, 911 tapes, school safety bill and more
Budget agreement: The state’s proposed $88.7 billion budget includes $21.1 billion for K-12 schools, an increase of $485 million over last year to boost per-student spending by $101.50, to $7,408. Much...
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Florida schools roundup: Anti-charter fight, graduation rates, security and more
Fighting against charters: Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna is ignoring the recommendation of a review committee and is asking his school board to reject the applications of two companies...
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Florida schools roundup: Legislators graded, virtual schools study and more
Teachers grade lawmakers: The state’s largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association, releases the grades it’s given to legislators. Most Republicans got F’s, while most Democrats got A’s...
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Florida schools roundup: Task force findings, cop talks, term limits and more
Security task force: Almost four months after 17 people were shot to death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a Broward County school safety task force recommends 100 ways to improve...
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Florida schools roundup: Test questions, exams weighting, security and more
Test investigation requested: Two members of Florida school districts and the Florida Coalition of School Board Members are calling for an investigation of significant decreases in the number of...
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Florida schools roundup: Framers may file brief, lawsuit threat, bond...
Framers may weigh in: The so-called “framers” of the 1998 constitutional amendment that requires the state to provide high-quality public schools will be allowed to file a brief in a court challenge of...
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