WASTED FUNDS? Florida state Sen. Mike Fasano wants to cut state support to a USF transportation think tank.
HONORED: Former governor Jeb Bush's education foundation recognizes 81 Florida teachers for their success with student performance on the FCAT over three years.
WHO TO HIRE? The Manatee School [...]
About that Tuesday morning workshop to discuss a new culinary arts academy at Land O'Lakes High. Forget it.
The Pasco School Board instead has called a closed-door session to discuss bargaining strategy for matters related to the Race to the Top. Things like differential pay and performance pay that the feds' [...]
For nearly three decades, June Clarke — Gov. Charlie Crist's fourth-grade teacher — taught in Florida school classrooms, most recently in Palm Beach County.
Clarke recently retired unexpectedly, the Palm Beach Post reports, blaming Palm Beach superintendent Art Johnson's new academic program for sucking the joy out of teaching.
The Post [...]
OVERCHARGED: The former manager of St. Petersburg College's Clearwater campus book store claims the store's owner systematically overcharged SPC students, an accusation the college and the company deny. (Times photo, Douglas Clifford)
FINISHING UP: The University of South Florida aims to improve its six-year graduation [...]
Wednesday:Â Commission for Independent Education, 10 a.m., Howey-in-the-Hills
Thursday:Â USF Board of Trustees, 12:30 p.m.
Dec. 3-4:Â The State Advisory Committee for the Education of Exceptional Students, Tallahassee
Dec. 8: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m. • Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.
Dec. 9:Â Charter School Appeal Commission, 10 a.m., Tallahassee
Dec. 10:Â Florida Board [...]
TAKE A HIKE: More than 40 children trek from their neighborhood to nearby Trinity Elementary in Pasco as part of a walking school bus. It gets them some exercise, while also easing school traffic. (Times photo, Keri Wiginton)
DO THE RIGHT THING: Across the nation (starting [...]
It's holiday time, when everyone is eating what they want and then talking about watching their weight later. In Hillsborough and Pinellas schools, parents can do their monitoring of their kids' food intake through the online Meal Pay Plus program. The company is making a' [...]
MENDING FENCES: Florida university system chancellor Frank Brogan looks to improve the system's relationship with lawmakers.
HE REALLY WANTS IT: Outgoing St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker gets friends to mount a letter-writing campaign in support of his candidacy to lead St. Petersburg College.
GETTING TO KNOW [...]
Sorry, applicants. Pasco schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino has decided to go another new direction for the district's communications than the one she initially proposed.
Sort of.
Rather than name a new director of communications from among the dozen applicants, Fiorentino has chosen to freeze the director's job — and its salary [...]
Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas gives voice to the many who want Florida's Republican lawmakers to stop trying to subvert the will of the voters when it comes to smaller class sizes:
"The solution here is to leave the amendment alone and inject a little common sense into its implementation. Its" [...]
THANKS: Children at Pine Grove Elementary in Brooksville remind their parents and teachers what they're thankful for. (Times photo, Will Vragovic)
STILL SEWING: Fox Chapel Middle School in Hernando keeps its home ec classes alive thanks to donated sewing machines.
WRONG TARGET: The latest lawsuit against' [...]
The school children are with their families celebrating the holiday, and so are we. Have a great Thanksgiving.
(Times photo, Brendan Fitterer)
TURKEY TIME: Prekindergartners at Anclote Elementary in Pasco make apple turkeys for Thanksgiving, learning some key basic lessons along the way. (Times photo, Brendan Fitterer)
APPROVED: United School Employees of Pasco ratify their 2009-10 contract with one-time bonuses.
TOP OF THE CLASS: At Gulf Highlands [...]
For the past few years, state representatives John Legg and Will Weatherford have spent one afternoon sharing their thoughts about education policy with Pasco County principals, and asking for opinions to bring back to Tallahassee.
This year, the two lawmakers -- each of whom chairs a key [...]
The ACLU has filed a federal suit in favor of allowing kids to wear T-shirts with anti-Islam messages to school. It's about freedom of speech, the group says, and not about disrupting school, as the Alachua district claims.
Earlier this year, some children attending Alachua public schools [...]
EARLY START: Palm Beach schools will take advantage of their high-performing status to begin classes a week earlier than otherwise allowed in 2010-11, the Sun-Sentinel reports. (Image from bubblecalendar.com)
FORGET IT: Angry Brevard parents say they'll never accept the district's plans to rezone their' [...]
The United School Employees of Pasco has just reported that its membership has approved contracts for 2009-10.
In voting Thursday, 66 percent of members cast ballots. Of those, 88 percent of teachers and 93 percent of SRPs voted in support of the agreement, which provides one-time supplements to all [...]
Maybe a week off is a bit excessive — especially considering that a two-week winter break comes less than a month afterward.
But don't forget to keep your kids at home all week, Pinellas and Hillsborough parents. No classes for your kids until next Monday. (Sorry Pasco and Hernando boys and' [...]
SCHOOL ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATION: Parents charge the high-performing Sanibel School in Lee of turning away low-performing students, the Naples Daily News reports.
CLASS-SIZE THOUGHTS: Brevard schools find compliance with Florida's class-size amendment vexing and look for alternatives, Florida Today reports. • The Florida Senate is [...]
'WE ARE HUDSON': Hudson High in Pasco has endured its share of detractors, but the school's reality differs quite a bit from the rumors. (Times photo, Keri Wiginton)
A SECOND CHANCE? Hernando should offer teacher Michael Provost another opportunity to teach at the STAR Center, [...]
WHO SAYS CAREER ACADEMIES ARE NEW? The Veterinary Sciences Academy at Tarpon Springs High has been around since 1995, this year serving 220 students. (Times photo, Demorris Lee)
CONGRATS: Parrott Middle School ESE paraprofessional Yvette Hart is Hernando's school-related employee of the year.Â
FREE DEGREE: UF [...]
When psychologist Steven Kanakis had trouble finding child care for his son with autism, he pushed for a seat on the Pasco-Hernando Early Learning Coalition to help improve the choices for families like his.
His son now attends third grade at Longleaf Elementary School, and Kanakis [...]
John Shafchuk, who first joined the Pasco County school district in 1975, is about to serve his final day here.
Shafchuk, principal of Deer Park Elementary on Trouble Creek Road since 2003, caught folks off guard this past week by filing his retirement papers. He leaves at [...]
A Panama City high schooler decided he didn't want to attend his regular school, Mosley High, on Tuesday. But apparently he didn't want to miss out on the experience, either.Â
So he took a seat in nearby Bay High instead.
Transfers like this aren't allowed, it turns out. So the boy, whose' [...]
The $100 million, seven-year grant that Hillsborough schools received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday has the potential to significantly alter the teaching landscape, both in Hillsborough County and nationally.
Its focus on reforming pay structures, evaluation procedures and other matters related to teaching promises to bring [...]
IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY: Hillsborough celebrates winning a $100 million grant to reform teacher evaluations, pay, preparation and other aspects of the job from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (Times photo, Edmund Fountain)
SPEAKING OF TEACHER QUALITY:Â Someone has to prepare them, and the Florida Department of [...]
It's official: the Hillsborough County School District has won a $100 million teacher effectiveness grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The news, announced in a midday press release Thursday, caps a 9-month application effort by the district, and puts it squarely on the cutting edge of national education [...]
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? Gator hunters, soldiers, financial planners and a host of professionals talk to students all around the Tampa area for the Great American Teach-In. More story, plus a photo gallery. (Times photo, Atoyia Deans)
GETTING DAD INVOLVED: Brooker Elementary [...]
The way state Sen. Mike Bennett sees Florida's class-size reduction amendment, it's a good idea in theory but not in practice.
"All of the studies show it's not working out the way we thought it would," Bennett, a Bradenton Republican, told the Gradebook. "The costs are out" [...]
We've heard Floridians complain for years that the state's school grading system does little more than commemorate which schools have wealthy, involved families and which do not.
The same concern has emerged in New York City, where the school system employs a grading program similar to Florida's.
The N.Y. Times reports today [...]
Despite pressure from the United School Employee of Pasco, including dozens of e-mails to board members, the Pasco School Board unanimously approved bonuses for all district administrators and other nonnegotiating employees late Tuesday.
The bonuses at one time were to be more than $900 — higher than the supplements that [...]
FINANCING FAILURE: Several Florida families, backed by a phalanx of lawyers, plan to sue the state over its failure to adequately fund a high-quality public education system as required by the state Constitution. (Image from mylegaladvance.com)
GOING FOR IT: The Hillsborough School Board unanimously backs [...]
Parents from three Land O'Lakes communities urged the Pasco County School Board tonight to reject proposed attendance zones that would send their children to schools they didn't want to attend.
They walked away unhappy.
The School Board approved new boundaries for high schools in the Hudson area, to accommodate the [...]
Allen Altman, who has served as vice chairman of the Pasco School Board for the past year, rose to the chairmanship this evening on a 4-1 vote.
When asked if anyone opposed the nomination, Altman voted against himself.
"I think that can be stricken from the record," superintendent [...]
Across Florida, school districts are hard at work crafting their academic calendars for 2010-11.
And across Florida, nonacademic pressures are again at play.
In Lee County, for instance, the district's calendar committee is sparring over whether to give students a day off for Rosh Hashana, the Fort Myers [...]
It's not so much of a threat as a reality check. But the United School Employees of Pasco and the school district are making sure that everyone knows they might have to pay more for health insurance if they don't approve their tentative contract agreement this' [...]
SMALL VICTORY: Hernando teachers reach a tentative deal on health benefits with the district.Â
TALKING CLIMATE CHANGE: USF will host a workshop to discuss how to prepare Tampa for rising waters.
POOR PUNISHMENT: A Miami-Dade teacher who's considered one of the best faces a lengthy suspension [...]
Pasco schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino has recommended one-time across-the-board bonuses for all district administrators and nonunion staff, and the United School Employees of Pasco doesn't like it.
In an advisory this afternoon, the USEP is urging members to ask the School Board to reject the administrator bonuses, saying the' [...]
School funding looked so bad for Hawaii last month that the government announced it would shorten its academic year to 163 days, furloughing teachers and closing most Fridays. The move garnered criticism from parents, teachers and even the Obama administration.
Now Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle is [...]
GOOD, AND BAD: Hillsborough teacher Todd Setter gets glowing reviews for his teaching, but sometimes finds himself in trouble for his behavior. He remains in his classroom, with hopes he won't repeat the bad. (Photo from buddhism101.blogspot.com)
FULL UP: Palm Beach Community College is
FOR THE LOVE OF READING: Students in River Ridge High's musical theater class create a musical to encourage elementary children to read. (Times photo, Brendan Fitterer)
ANOTHER ACCUSATION: The family of another Walker Middle School student claims their child was repeatedly molested at the school.
ZONING [...]
OOPS: Thousands of Pinellas parents and school district employees receive two automated messages from the school district that weren't intended for them.
THAT'S HIS CHOICE: A Hernando teacher who was nearly fired for his off-campus drug use complains about his new teaching assignment.
HELPING HAND: Stetson [...]
Disney World has a special event just for you?
The attraction has just advertised January as Home School Month, with special lessons planned for Jan. 25-26.Â
Of course, they cost extra. But still ...
Students can get a behind the scenes look at the theme park's inner workings with Disney engineers. The [...]
Today's story on the increase in students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch at Pasco County schools compares this month's statistics to those of September 2008.
The change has been even more recent, though.
As recently as January, many of the Pasco schools had yet to see [...]
THINGS ARE TOUGH ALL OVER: In Pasco, even the affluent schools see spikes in the numbers of students qualifying for free and reduced price meals.
CONTAMINATED: Two Hillsborough schools have elevated arsenic and mercury levels in their soil.
A Goldsboro, N.C., parent advisory council wanted to hold an innovative fundraiser to help pay for some middle school equipment.
It came up with a doozy: Anyone who paid $20 could buy 10-point credits on two tests of his choice.
The school district quickly nixed the idea. But [...]
A science teacher at a suburban Kansas City middle school finds himself out of a job, no thanks to the Sunshine State.Â
During a lesson on jet streams, Ryan Haraughty drew the East Coast of the United States with Florida a little out of proportion, if you [...]
GROWING NEED: The number of children qualifying for free and reduced-price meals grows in Tampa Bay schools. (Times photo, Douglas R. Clifford)
GOING HIGH TECH: USF considers building a state-of-the-art medical training complex in the Heights area of Tampa.
STOP THE BULLIES: Pinellas offers classes for [...]
Broward School Board members are making a lot of noise about the FCAT schedule for 2011.
First, they were upset that the Florida Department of Education planned to give the annual test the same week as Passover and Easter. So the DOE changed the dates.
Now the Broward board is complaining that [...]
