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July 07, 2008

The Patrick Byrne connection

Patrick Byrne is the maverick businessman who created quite the buzz a few years ago with his 65-percent movement. Truth be told, the movement fizzled as fast as it flared, but now it's roaring back to life thanks to the resurrective powers of Jeb Bush and other die-hard voucher supporters (see Sunday’s St. Petersburg Times story here.)

Byrne's brainchild lives on in Amendment 9, which happens to be all tangled up with vouchers. Byrne is a big fan of those too: Last we heard, he was licking his wounds from the pounding he took last fall as the leading financial backer of a failed bid in Utah for universal vouchers.

The St. Petersburg Times did this entertaining profile on Byrne in 2006, when he was couch surfing in the Florida Legislature. Can we expect to see him back in our fair and freaky state soon?

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 9:15:00 AM on July 7, 2008 in Funding | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Today's news

NOT READY YET: Pinellas principals worry that they're not prepared to run schools in the business model that's under investigation by district leaders.

READY TO SERVE: About 75 cadets attend Hillsborough's Air Force ROTC annual leadership program at MacDill Air Force Base. (Times photo, Ken Helle)

FCAT PREP: The Spring Hill Kiwanis works with parents to provide summer tutoring to third graders still angling to earn promotion to fourth grade.

WATCHING AND WAITING: Critics might not like Florida's school grading system. But parents increasingly depend upon the grades - which are due out Tuesday - to give them a snapshot of how their kids' schools are doing, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

ENROLLMENT DOWN, NEW SCHOOLS UP: The Collier district continues to build new schools even as its enrollment slips, the Naples Daily News reports.

WRAPPING UP THE PROGRAM: Edison College plans to shut down its golf management program as part of its budget cuts, but not before trying to get all the enrolled students through it, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

MORE BACHELOR'S DEGREES, PLEASE: Florida's new state college system aims to meet an increasing demand for bachelor's degrees, though some question whether the programs will be as strong as those at traditional colleges and universities, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

FROM F SCHOOL TO MIT: Everson Auguste of Haines City overcomes all sorts of obstacles, including the death of his mother and attending an F-rated high school, to win admission to MIT, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 6:11:18 AM on July 7, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 06, 2008

Coming up

Tuesday: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.

Thursday: Florida Education Foundation, 8:30 a.m., Orlando

July 15: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

July 22: Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

July 29: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Pasco School Board, budget hearing, 6 p.m.; Hernando School Board, budget hearing, 6 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.

Aug. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Aug. 12: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.

Aug. 18: First day of school for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando

Aug. 19: First day of school for Pinellas; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 8:48:53 PM on July 6, 2008 in Calendar | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Today's news

TUTOR TIME: The teachers who work for Advanced Learning Centers target the needs of Pinellas and Hillsborough foster kids who often don't stay in the same school long. (Times photo, Edmund D. Fountain)

CUTTING CORNERS: Pasco principals try to keep budget cuts from affecting the classroom by targeting expenses such as trash bags and floor wax.

ELECTION NEWS: As Hillsborough's School Board races heat up, district officials start picking sides. Candidates for Pinellas District 4 begin distinguishing themselves on the issues.

LISTEN AND LEARN: Before jumping headlong into a business model reform, Pinellas school leaders are right to take a while to analyze the ideas and see if they're a proper fit, the Times editorializes.

OTHER TESTS COUNT TOO: A growing number of high school seniors who can't pass the FCAT for graduation are substituting the SAT or ACT, which some find easier, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

G.I. BILL OF RIGHTS: Congress has made changes to the way it funds education for veterans, but questions remain that Florida college advisers still can't answer, the Panama City News-Herald reports.

P.E. OVERHAUL: The Florida Department of Education is rewriting the state's physical education standards so that the classes are more than just throwing a ball, Local6.com in Tallahassee reports.

NO HAZING ALLOWED: Indian River school athletic directors are taking a hard line against hazing in the aftermath of a scandal with Sebastian High's baseball team, the Vero Beach Press Journal reports.

BUDGET ROUNDUP: With money tight, some Florida school districts are asking voters to increase the local taxes, the Herald-Tribune reports. Santa Rosa school officials see their decision to change school start times as a money saving option that parents and kids don't like, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. Floridians are starting to see the effects of a tight economy as tax-funded agencies including schools and universities begin cutting costs, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 6:54:31 AM on July 6, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 05, 2008

A weekend interview with ...

... Chris Dunning, principal of Paul R. Smith Middle School in Pasco County. Dunning, like his colleagues, has been told he must cut his school-based spending by 10 percent for the second straight year. He spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about the considerations that go into such reductions.

When they tell you that you are going to get a percentage cut to your school level budget, what's your first reaction?

(Laughs) Basically, how are we going to do that? What different pieces or places can we take away from to make that work. The budgets aren't very big from the starting point.

They aren't very big? How big are you looking at? Because most people would think a big school with thousands or hundreds of kids in it would have a large budget.

Yeah. I mean, everything comes in a little bit different area and money is designated for certain spots. But such as for my school, I'm supposed to have about 950 students next year. And my total budget for running the school is about $33,000 ... for a year. And that's buying paper towels, trash bags, paper for photocopies, you know, teacher supplies, ink cartridges. Everything to run that school. The wax for the floors, all those things have to come out of that fund. Now, there's additional funds that we get for media centers, text books - those are different funds we get. But for the actual operation of the school, that's the fund that I have.

If you have all those monies put into separate accounts and separate places, are specific things you can cut 10 percent across the board? Or is it a 10 percent prioritized so some things you might cut 100 percent and another place might be a 0 percent cut?

Continue reading "A weekend interview with ..." »

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 12:02:00 PM on July 5, 2008 in Funding , Pasco County | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Today's news

THIS TOO SHALL PASS: USF-St. Petersburg leaders are confident that the school will overcome being put on accreditation probation in short order.

SUBS NEEDED: The Pasco school district needs people who are willing to come clean classrooms, feed kids and help teachers on a substitute basis. It's not full-time, but it might lead to something.

THEY DON'T LIKE THE CHANGES: Dozens of parents e-mail the Hillsborough district to complain about proposed changes to the district's busing system.

ANOTHER AMENDMENT LAWSUIT: A group has filed suit contending that Amendment 5, which would change the way Florida funds public education, has a misleading title, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Educators also are speaking against the proposal, including Duval superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals, WOKV in Jacksonville reports.

UPGRADING STANDARDS: Florida's social studies curriculum is undergoing an overhaul, something experts say is needed, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

MORE SUMMER SCHOOL: The Lee school district adds a second summer session to help kids who really need it, the Cape Coral Breeze reports.

WHERE'S MY KID? A Palm Beach mom demands answers after the school district fails to deliver her 4-year-old autistic daughter from school to day care, the Palm Beach Post reports.

GLOBAL EDUCATION: The International Studies Charter School in Coral Gables gives students a true taste of an internationally competitive education, the Miami Herald reports.

CUTTING AT UCF: The University of Central Florida begins making $11-million in cuts, Florida Today reports.

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Chris Dunning, principal at Pasco's Paul R. Smith Middle School, who talks about ways to cut a school's budget while trying not to affect classrooms.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 7:17:24 AM on July 5, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 04, 2008

Happy Fourth of July!

(Times file photo, Chris Zuppa)

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 7:00:00 AM on July 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 03, 2008

School grades are coming

Sure, getting all those reams of FCAT scores has been fun. But the school grades and adequate yearly progress results are the main event.

And now you have to wait only five more days.

As a holiday gift, the Florida Department of Education has announced that it will release the grades on Tuesday, July 8, a week earlier than expected. Enjoy the weekend.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 4:45:05 PM on July 3, 2008 in FCAT | Permalink | Comments (19)

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Today's news

SAVE OUR SCHOOL BUS: A group of Oldsmar parents want the Pinellas school district to reconsider the elimination of their bus route, which was cancelled because the county added sidewalks in the area.

FEWER TEACHERS NEEDED: Hillsborough cuts its hiring by one-third as it deals with economic realities.

FREE SCREENINGS: Hernando offers to test students to see if they are gifted for free, as its new gifted education center struggles to fill its seats.

PROPER FOCUS: The decision to place the Byrd Alzheimer's research center under the auspices of USF will let it turn its attention from politics to science, the Times editorializes.

NEW RULES HELP: The U.S. Department of Education's decision to grant Florida flexibility in how it implements No Child Left Behind looks like it will benefit dozens of struggling schools, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

ANOTHER PROF LEAVES FLORIDA: Carmen A. Brown, a Florida International University stalwart since its founding, is headed to New Mexico, the Miami Herald reports. She joins a growing list.

FINALLY, A WAITING LIST: Florida Gulf Coast University has grown to the point where more people want to enroll than it has space for, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

SIX TO GO: A task force says FAMU has six problems remaining on its path to repairing its financial and governance issues, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

BUDGET ROUNDUP: Duval and St. John's school systems plan to eliminate teaching jobs, the Florida Times-Union reports. Several Tampa area school districts budget millions more for fuel, Fox-13 reports. Miami-Dade teachers and district officials sit to talk contract terms, but get nowhere, the Miami Herald reports.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 6:29:12 AM on July 3, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 02, 2008

In Pinellas, another superintendent candidate with 'issues'

Pinellas continues to be a magnet for superintendent candidates who have had issues in their previous jobs. The Gradebook has reported in recent days on the New York City principal who conducted a Santeria ceremony to rid her school of “negative energy;” the Brick Township, N.J., superintendent who is suing his former district; and the one-time Camden, N.J., superintendent who resigned amid a criminal investigation over allegedly falsified test results.

Now comes Sandra Ellis, left, former superintendent of North Chicago Community Unit School District 187, a tough urban district with 4,800 students where superintendent turnover is exceedingly high (19 superintendents in the last 15 years). According to a report in the Lake County News-Sun, Ellis was A.) suspended from her job and B.) arrested and charged with felony retail theft in 2005 for an alleged shoplifting incident at a Wal-Mart in Springfield, Ill. The charges were reportedly dropped, the case expunged and Ellis was quoted as maintaining her innocence and blaming “an overzealous, inexperienced clerk.”

She's also seeking the superintendent's job in Oregon, Ohio, where she told the Toledo Blade that her North Chicago experience had been "challenging."

In Pinellas, the number of serious applicants stands at 17, including Ellis and another new candidate, James F. Habel. Read below for summaries of all the applicants so far.

Continue reading "In Pinellas, another superintendent candidate with 'issues'" »

Posted by Thomas Tobin at 4:12:27 PM on July 2, 2008 in Pinellas County | Permalink | Comments (4)

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When in doubt, pray

A new University of Florida study indicates that teens who consider themselves very religious are more likely to finish college than those who don't.

But no one can say why.

"For most religious communities represented in our study, there is a strong correlation between religiosity and degree attainment," Ana Puig, research director and affiliate faculty member in counselor education at UF's College of Education, said in a news release. "However, correlation does not mean causality."

The effect was most prominent among Muslim students, but found to be non-existent in religious groups that generally have high education attainment anyway, such as Jewish, Episcopalian and "Eastern religion" students.

The point? "Students and parents are saying that religion is an important part of their academic lives, and we need to listen to that," researcher Mary Ann Clark said.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 11:59:49 AM on July 2, 2008 in Research and Reports | Permalink | Comments (14)

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Hillsborough teacher is top reading coach

Florida has made a big deal about improving children's reading abilities in recent years, adding more reading classes and coaches to get the job done. One Hillsborough teacher has earned recognition for her role in the effort.

LoriSue Grieb, the reading coach at King High since 2005, has been named the state's High School Reading Coach of the Year at the Just Read, Florida! conference in Orlando. She was selected from among five finalists and was the only Times-area teacher in the mix at the elementary, middle or high school level.

Grieb has worked at King since 2000. She also taught elementary school in the district from 1980 to 1984.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 9:19:00 AM on July 2, 2008 in Hillsborough County | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Today's news

STILL CROWDED: Even with new schools opening to take up the overage, Wesley Chapel Elementary and other Pasco schools along the State Road 54 corridor continue to struggle with crowding. Officials say the district is making progress but not fast enough. (Times file photo)

MORE FREE MEALS: Broward schools are trying to get families to sign up for free meals early, as officials expect the numbers qualifying to rise, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

FIND SOMEPLACE ELSE: About 700 St. Lucie children must look for a new school after the charter school they planned to attend fails to find a location, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

PLEASE STILL COME: Hoping to keep students visiting even during economic bad times, the Miami Art Museum drops its $1 per student charge for Miami-Dade school field trips, the Miami Herald reports.

ONE MORE CLASS PERIOD: Several Orange middle and high schools will add a seventh period to the school day, hoping to trim class sizes, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The article doesn't say whether teachers will be working more, a key complaint when this happened in Hillsborough.

HOLDING THEIR NOSES: Lake School Board members grudgingly approve a slate of administrators recommended by outgoing superintendent Anna Cowin, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Any bets on whether the new superintendent changes things back?

UNION NO-SHOW: Representatives for Manatee teachers didn't attend a special magistrate's hearing aimed at settling a salary dispute, making it unlikely that an agreement will come soon, the Herald-Tribune reports.

ONE YEAR LATER: FAMU president James Ammons talks about his decision to return to troubled FAMU, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

THE COST OF COLLEGE: Congress is trying to make it easier for students to understand how much it costs to attend university. Some wonder whether the proposed solution will do anything more than create extra paperwork, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 6:14:03 AM on July 2, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 01, 2008

Florida gets flexibility

Florida is one of six states that will get to deviate from No Child Left Behind's accountability regimen – and perhaps become a model in the process. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced this morning that she had approved a Florida pilot project that will allow the state to differentiate between which schools need the most help, and adjust remedies accordingly.

Florida's accountability system and No Child both use FCAT scores to determine if schools are falling short, but No Child casts a wider net and calls for a different series of escalating consequences. Under No Child, nearly 450 Florida schools could be forced to "restructure" because they continue to fall short of federal standards.

The other states that got the federal okay are Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio and Maryland.

"The plans these states submitted speak to the fact that many were among the first to embrace data-based decision making and accountability," Spellings said in a speech today. "I'm hopeful that they will build on this progress by creating effective new strategies that we can share and take to scale."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 1:45:00 PM on July 1, 2008 in No Child Left Behind | Permalink | Comments (0)

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In vouchers, No. 1 and climbing

Gov. Charlie Crist has cemented Florida's status as the leading voucher state by expanding the corporate tax credit scholarship program. Crist quietly signed the expansion bill yesterday, according to a press release sent out at 5:50 p.m.

The new law expands the amount corporations can annually contribute to the program from $88 million to $118 million. Supporters say that's enough to give private-school scholarships to another 5,000 low-income kids. The program currently serves about 20,000. (To read more, click here.)

Even before the expansion, Florida was tops among states, with 38,855 voucher recipients, according to the Alliance for School Choice. Pennsylvania is No. 2, with 38,046, followed by Arizona with 27,734.

Also yesterday, Crist signed SB 1908, which among things changes the way high schools will be graded. To read more, see this St. Petersburg Times story here.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Posted by Times Editor at 11:35:00 AM on July 1, 2008 in Legislation , School Choice | Permalink | Comments (10)

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A Southern frame of mind

Want to know how Florida stacks up next to its 15 Southern neighbors and the rest of the country? The latest progress report from the Southern Regional Education Board is out this morning, and it is always good for context. You'll find, for example, that Florida's average SAT scores are below national and regional averages. But that its college graduation rates are higher.

Much of this data can be found elsewhere (like NAEP scores and grad rates) and much has been reported. But SREB puts it all in one tidy package. It also includes a number of indicators that don't make the papers often, like college enrollment rates (Florida suffers by comparison) and participation in adult education classes (Florida shines by comparison).

Bottom line, according to SREB: "Florida is making solid progress in education, but just as in every state, much work remains to be done," SREB President Dave Spence said in a press release.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 9:17:30 AM on July 1, 2008 in No Child Left Behind | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Today's news

65 PERCENT SOLUTION LIVES: Call Florida the last bastion of a bad idea. The "65 percent solution," abandoned in every other state as poor education funding policy, will come to Florida voters - along with vouchers - courtesy of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. Many say the political move does neither issue proper justice.

SECOND CHANCE: Pinellas parents who don't like the school their children are assigned to in the district's new attendance zone plan can apply for a transfer, starting today.

STEPS STOPPED: Pasco's school employees and administration agree to delay step increases until at least July 31, so they can collect more financial information.

HAPPY NEW LAW DAY: It's July 1, so it must mean that all the legislation that Gov. Charlie Crist has signed into law takes effect today. Several education-related bills are among them, the AP reports. One causing perhaps the most angst is the educator ethics bill and its after-the-fact penalties, WMNF-FM reports.

SAVE THE TEST: The Florida Department of Education's decision to cancel the nationally norm-referenced annual exam that compares our kids to those in other states might save money, but it's a bad idea, the Tallahassee Democrat editorializes.

FUNDING WOES HIT HS SPORTS: Coaches and athletic directors from across Florida lament the cuts their programs are facing as the state's financial picture worsens, the Palm Beach Post reports.

MORE FOR GAS: The Polk school district increases its diesel budget by $2.3-million - more than 33 percent higher than the past year - to keep up with rising costs, the Lakeland Ledger reports. The added price will be a hiring freeze, a delay in new computer purchasing and more.

NEGOTIATE YOURSELVES: The Manatee Education Association says it won't show up for a planned special hearing over proposed salary cuts, contending the district administration improperly declared a fiscal emergency, the Bradenton Herald reports.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN: Leon is getting tough on families from outside the county who ask to send their kids to Leon schools because of medical hardships, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 6:20:04 AM on July 1, 2008 in Daily News Report | Permalink | Comments (1)

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June 30, 2008

Former Camden superintendent seeks Pinellas job; once faced investigation

Pinellas’ national search for a new superintendent continues to attract candidates with serious baggage.

Last week, it was Maritza D. Tamayo, a former high school principal in New York City, who was fired in August 2007 after officials found she organized a Santeria ceremony in her conference room to rid the school of “negative energy.” The district also got an application from Mel Persi, who is suing his old district in New Jersey.

This week, meet Annette D. Knox, the former superintendent for the Camden, N.J., school system (2001 to 2006). Knox resigned in 2006 amid a criminal investigation over suspiciously high test scores at two elementary schools and allegations by a high school principal that he was pressured to falsify results on a state math test.

Continue reading "Former Camden superintendent seeks Pinellas job; once faced investigation" »

Posted by Thomas Tobin at 3:25:17 PM on June 30, 2008 in Pinellas County | Permalink | Comments (3)

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Pasco agrees to postpone step increases

With just one day to go before their step increases took effect, Pasco's teachers and school-related employees agreed to delay the annual raises by at least a month.

The deal to hold off on the payments and suspend talks about them until July 31 came in a 30-minute special negotiating session. It sounded an awful lot like what the United School Employees of Pasco had proposed last week, but the district rejected.

This time around, though, the district's representatives asked for the agreement.

Continue reading "Pasco agrees to postpone step increases" »

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 3:13:24 PM on June 30, 2008 in Pasco County | Permalink | Comments (26)

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The note is not in the mail

Once upon a time (last year), the Florida Department of Education would send a letter home to the state's best high school 11th-graders. It would tell them that so long as they graduate in the top 20 percent of their class, they'd have a spot reserved for them at one of the state's 11 public universities.

The Talented 20 program still exists. But not the letter.

Starting this fall, if juniors are to find out about the program benefits, they'll have to hope someone else who knows the scoop tells them. The state is eliminating its notification.

Budgets are tight, you know.

"Due to fiscal constraints, the Department will no longer send these letters, although we encourage school counselors to notify potential eligible juniors of the Talented 20 program," the department has announced. "We will continue to mail seniors a letter notifying them of their potential eligibility in the spring."

Posted by Jeff Solochek at 12:07:27 PM on June 30, 2008 in Funding , High Schools | Permalink | Comments (0)

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July 07, 2008

The Patrick Byrne connection

Today's news

July 06, 2008

Coming up

Today's news

July 05, 2008

A weekend interview with ...

Today's news

July 04, 2008

Happy Fourth of July!

July 03, 2008

School grades are coming

Today's news

July 02, 2008

In Pinellas, another superintendent candidate with 'issues'

When in doubt, pray

Hillsborough teacher is top reading coach

Today's news

July 01, 2008

Florida gets flexibility

In vouchers, No. 1 and climbing

A Southern frame of mind

Today's news

June 30, 2008

Former Camden superintendent seeks Pinellas job; once faced investigation

Pasco agrees to postpone step increases

The note is not in the mail

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