Removing Runcie: The president of the NAACP Florida State Conference and member of the national NAACP board of directors, Adora Obi Nweze, is warning Gov. Ron DeSantis that trying to remove Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie from office would be “an extreme overreach, highly political and racist.” DeSantis has mused about removing Runcie, though he conceded last week that he doesn't think he has the authority to do so and instead might target school board members. Sun Sentinel.
Closed meetings: Tensions erupt at a Broward County School Board meeting between members over the actions of Superintendent Robert Runcie. Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa died in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, wants meetings between parents and Runcie to be open to the public. School officials say the meetings are closed so parents can speak freely. The Sun Sentinel is suing, saying the meetings are a violation of the state's open meetings law. Meanwhile, an audio recording of Monday's meeting has been obtained. Sun Sentinel. WSVN. (more…)
Education agenda: Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders outline an ambitious agenda for reshaping education in the legislative session that begins March 5. DeSantis says his budget, due next week to the Legislature, will include changes in the Best and Brightest program for teacher bonuses and will allow willing teachers to carry guns in classrooms. Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, suggests the Legislature will also consider cutting the number of mandatory standardized tests and adding funding for teacher pay raises as a way to address the shortage of teachers. Orlando Sentinel. Tallahassee Democrat. WUFT.
Workforce training: Gov. DeSantis also said Wednesday that he intends to improve Florida schools' U.S. ranking in career and technical training programs from 24th to 1st by 2030. His first step was to order Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to audit the state's current programs and make recommendations that will bring them "in line with market demand." DeSantis says his budget request to the Legislature will include $10 million for workforce apprenticeships and $26 million on vocational programs in state colleges. Gradebook. WTVT. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. WFLA. (more…)
Testing standards toughened: The Florida Board of Education adopts tougher standards for the state exams high school students must pass to graduate. The board also eliminated the Post Secondary Education Readiness Test, one of the alternatives for students who don't pass the state exams. Alternatives to the state tests are now the SAT, ACT and just-added PSAT, though the board also boosted the scores needed on those tests to qualify for graduation. The new standards go into effect for students entering high school this fall. Educators protested the changes, saying they will significantly lower graduation rates. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. WFTS. Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart announces that she's retiring Jan. 8, the day Gov. Rick Scott leaves office, though she says she's open to staying on if the next governor asks her to. Stewart has been in the job since 2013, when she replaced Tony Bennett after he resigned. Gradebook.
Schools of Hope: The Board of Education also approves two new Schools of Hope operators, bringing the state's total to four. Schools of Hope qualify for special financing and grants to expand services and increase instructional time. Officials for KIPP New Jersey and Democracy Prep Public Schools say they look forward to working with school districts and the state to put schools in areas where traditional public schools have struggled. KIPP is helping create a new school in Miami in a partnership with the Miami-Dade district, while Democracy Prep wants to complement KIPP in Miami and is also looking into places like Polk and Hillsborough counties. redefinED.
Employee of the year: Stephanie Melton, an exceptional student education behavioral health assistant at W.E. Cherry Elementary School in Clay County, is selected by the Florida Department of Education as the 2018 school-related employee of the year. She wins $10,000. The other finalists -- Sylvester Jones of Bay County; Jermaine Green of Miami-Dade County; Debra Canning of Pinellas County; and Sarah Woods of Sarasota County -- each win $6,500. Florida Department of Education.
