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Florida education news: Summer learning loss, unfunded mandates, textbook challenge and more

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:18:28 +0000

STOP THE SLIDE: Summer is a time when students often lose the learning they gained during the school year. Parents can help prevent the backsliding , columnist Bill Maxwell writes. (AP photo) A 'QUIET REVOLUTION': Hillsborough County schools are on the forefront of a voluntary effort to reform education , with the impetus of a Gates Foundation grant behind it, the Washington Post reports. (via Seattle Times) ENOUGH ALREADY: Florida's lawmakers push too many unfunded mandates on public schools, the Lakeland Ledger editorializes. CLOSER TO HOME: Lee families who have children with autism won't have to endure long commutes to school anymore, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. JOB SEARCH: Hundreds of laid-off Broward teachers are looking for work , preferably still in education, the Sun-Sentinel reports. A LITTLE HELP: Some schools in Palm Beach have created foundations to help raise funds for things the schools cannot otherwise afford, the Sun-Sentinel reports. HARVARD BOUND: Collier sends a group of administrators to Harvard for training at a controversial cost of $100,000, the Naples Daily News reports. MERIT PAY: Florida school districts begin offering teachers extra pay for performance , but in many cases limited funding has kept the payments low, the Orlando Sentinel reports. ABOUT THAT BOOK: A conservative blogger challenges one of Sarasota's history textbooks , saying it's inaccurate and it promotes Islam, the Herald-Tribune reports.

Florida education news: union endorsements, teacher allegations, cheating prevention and more

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:16:18 +0000

HERNANDO ENDORSEMENTS: The Hernando teachers union recommends that voters go with the challengers in this year's three School Board races. ALLEGATIONS, NOT CHARGES: A Plant High tennis coach won't be charged in the wake of allegations that she texted and touched a female student. DEFEATING CHEATING: The University of Central Florida goes to great lengths to head off cheating, the New York Times reports. COOL RECEPTION: A company with close family ties to an Orange County School Board member has earned more than $2.3 million for air conditioning work, the Orlando Sentinel reports. NO SHE DIDN'T: A Miami-Dade principal who gained notoriety for telling a parent to "eat s--- and die" is back on the job -- for now, at least, the Miami Herald reports.

Florida education news: School Board endorsements, school improvement, charter schools and more

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:25:05 +0000

REJECTED: Educators running for Pinellas School Board are upset that the teachers union is not backing their campaigns . NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: Florida gets $170 million in federal funds to help turn around persistently struggling schools, the AP reports. ALMOST OVER: A lender pays $100 to take over the financially failing Bradenton Preparatory Academy, the Bradenton Herald reports. IT'S SECULAR: But Miami-Dade's newest charter school will be opening at a Jewish temple , the Miami Herald reports. WHO SETS TUITION? The three-year turf battle over the tuition at Florida public universities is now in a judge's hands , the AP reports. Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Pinellas parent Theresa L. Casey about parents getting involved in district decisions.

Pinellas approves high-level DROP rehires

Beach Blogger — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:44:21 +0000

Lost in all the discussion of school start times and principal changes in the last week were a series of Pinellas County School Board decisions that allowed superintendent Julie Janssen to rehire six top administrators, despite the fact that they've reached the five-year limit after enrolling in state's deferred retirement program. School board member Robin Wikle was the only board member to vote against the DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Program) rehires, saying that she feels the practice of rehiring highly-paid employees who have reached the point of retirement is not only a financial concern but that it's detrimental to the process of training new talent, discouraging other qualified employees from seeking more responsibility. Those rehired were: * Catherine Fleeger, deputy superintendent and chief academic officer. According to information Janssen gave the board, Fleeger will stay on for a semester with the new title of "associate superintendent, curriculum and instruction." In her role, she will maintain her current responsibilities, while helping successor Rita Vasquez become familiar with the position. Vasquez, in the meantime, has been charged with helping the four high schools under state oversight: Gibbs, Dixie Hollins, Boca Ciega and Lakewood. Fleeger made $122,712 in 2009-10, but will be staying on a lower salary of $114,452 in 2010-11. * Barbara Thornton, associate superintendent of secondary schools. Though the district's regional administration is being redesigned, Thornton "is the only regional superintendent with the knowledge and experience to assist with this transition," Janssen wrote in an explanation to the board. Janssen plans to keep Thornton for one more semester through Jan. 21, 2011 at a salary of $105,974, lower than the $114,452 she made this past year. Her new title will be "assistant superintendent, region office." * Leonard Krysko, director of facilities and operations business management. According to information Janssen gave the board, Krysko is focused on putting "processes in place to control overspending and to increase oversight of all purchases of goods and services." His salary was $74,272. He will be getting $75,386 with the new 1.5 percent raise all school board employees are getting in 2010-11. * Harriet Konstantinis, director of human resources. When the district merged the professional development department in with the human resources, Janssen says she lost two key people to retirement and didn't replace one. Konstinides has helped with the transition and is helping train others, Janssen wrote in a document given to the school board. Konstinides made $84,126 and will make $85,388 with the 1.5 percent raise. * Allen Mortimer, director of planning and policy. Mortimer has been working on the overhaul of the district's policy manual. He is training Nicole Carr, senior coordinator of differentiated accountability, to take over his responsibilities. She is expected to assume Mortimer's role at the end of this year. Mortimer made $84,126 this past year and will make $85,388 in the coming year. * Clayton Snare, administrator on assignment with the Centers of Excellence. He is expected to be replaced by Joni Jonas, assistant administrator on district assignment, at the end of the year. Snare made $84,126 this past year and will make $85,388 in the coming year.

Poll: School fees

Beach Blogger — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:56:00 +0000

School school districts increase student fees to help offset budget shortfalls this year? Yes No

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Poll: School fees Read More

Columnist: To save teacher jobs, tackle seniority rules

Beach Blogger — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:51:45 +0000

Cutting Race to the Top won't better the odds that Congress will find $10 billion to keep teachers from being laid off, says Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter . But modifying the last-hired-first-fired system for determining layoffs might: With a little imagination, there’s a grand compromise available: money to prevent layoffs in exchange for a requirement that seniority no longer be the only factor in determining layoffs (it could continue to be one of four or five factors). But according to an administration source, this was apparently considered and rejected by the president without any serious effort to determine if it could win enough Republican votes in the Senate. (White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel disputes this account.) ... The brutal truth is that teachers’ unions don’t care much about protecting young, great teachers (often union members, but less influential ones) who will get laid off soon. Instead, the unions and their lackeys in Congress and state legislatures will go down fighting for older teachers, even if they’re lemons of the year.

Self-avowed conservative goes on air seeking votes for Pasco School Board

Beach Blogger — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:30:00 +0000

In a crowded field of five aspirants for Pasco County School Board District 4, pastor John Tracy has sought to separate himself online. He's gone practically viral with Facebook, Twitter, several web sites and blogs. And now Tracy is starting up a series of online ads. In his newest one, the candidate, who touts Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin as his political heroes, asks for conservatives to put him on the board over his opponents, who include a child psychologist, a marketing executive, a retired court reporter and a hotel sales director. "I'm looking for people I can vote for who are people of character, people of integrity, who will say what they mean and do what they say," Tracy says in the ad. He then promises to be "a voice for conservative families."

Florida education news: School funding, FCAT results, School Board races and more

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:37:42 +0000

DO YOUR PART: Hernando's teacher union chief says he won't talk pay cuts until the School Board gets serious about raising revenue , including a local-option property tax increase. RUNNING FOR PINELLAS SCHOOL BOARD: Mini profiles on Brian Hawley , Lew Williams and Jim Jackson . VOTE SWAPPING? A Duval lobbyist accuses state Sen. John Thrasher of offering support for a school funding study in order to win other lawmakers' backing for SB 6, the Florida Times-Union reports. THE SCORES ARE ALRIGHT: The Florida Department of Education promises accurate FCAT results , and launches a new website to explain its view of what has happened with the scoring this year, the Miami Herald reports. OIL SPILL EFFECTS: Lee school officials worry that the gusher in the Gulf will hurt Florida tourism, which in turn will reduce revenue available for education , the Cape Coral Daily Breeze reports. THREE CHOICES: Martin's superintendent offers three plans to balance the budget , two of which she says won't hurt students or staff, the Stuart News reports. GIVE IT BACK: A Monroe auditor says a contractor should repay the district for work that was improperly subcontracted, the Keynoter reports. Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview about testing with Education Sector founder Thomas Toch, currently of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.

Florida education news: Summer school, high school sports, taxes and more

Beach Blogger — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:26:40 +0000

MAKING UP TIME: Pasco high school students who failed math or English during the school year can try to recover their credits in a new computerized course. (Times photo, Brendan Fitterer) RECONSIDER: The Hernando School Board is being shortsighted by rejecting a .25 mill property tax increase, the Times editorializes. SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED? NCS Pearson officials say they're working to get Florida's delayed FCAT scores to school districts by Monday as promised, the Miami Herald reports. HAVING FUN, MAKING PROGRESS: The Riveria Beach City Council provides free academic summer camp at a local middle school, the Palm Beach Post reports. TRANSFER OK: The head of Florida's special education department says Manatee school officials did nothing wrong in transferring an emotionally unstable student to an alternative school after a violent outburst, the Bradenton Herald reports. GO AHEAD AND LOOK: Broward's top lawyer reverses course and allows district auditors access to records relating to how four cafeterias got built , the Sun-Sentinel reports. SAVING SPORTS: The Brevard School Board considers not cutting ninth-grade athletics after learning it doesn't spend as much as thought on that item, Florida Today reports. NEW SCHOOLS: Polk plans for additional schools to ease crowding , the Lakeland Ledger reports.

Pinellas parents expected to speak against start times Tuesday

Beach Blogger — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:21:31 +0000

If the parents at Cypress Woods Elementary are any indication, Pinellas County School Board members are in for an earful during their 10 a.m. Tuesday meeting. Parents upset over the board's June 15 vote to approve a new bell schedule for schools are urging one another to appeal the decision after feeling left out of the process. "We are on a mission as parents," said Deanna Nasr, mother of two students at Cypress Woods, where the start time is moving an hour earlier to 7:35 a.m. Nasr said that aside from writing school board members, she's been in touch with 50 parents at her school alone. She said other parents at the school have been mobilizing as well. Dawn Zabroski, a parent of a child at Sutherland Elementary, created a Facebook page called "Change Pinellas School Start Times Back!!!" to try to garner parental support for overhauling the bell times. A working mother, Zabroski worries the new bus schedule will require her and her husband to spend money on before-school care, which was unnecessary when the school started at 8:35 a.m. But under the new plan, the first bell will ring at 9:20 a.m. -- the same time it will happen at 27 other elementary schools. See the complete be ll schedule here . Pinellas County PTA President Maria Kinzer said her organization is not expected to take a stand on the issue since neither the state nor the national group have an official position on school start times. Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer