ACLU sues Panhandle school

The Florida ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the Holmes County School Board over the district's refusal to allow a student at Ponce de Leon High School to talk about gay issues, or even to wear a rainbow sticker in support of gay friends.

District officials have told the students that expressions of gay rights would be disruptive, and symbols and slogans would signify participation in a "secret/illegal organization."

"Because the Supreme Court has held that students have a right to free speech at school unless that speech disrupts the educational process, many administrators think they can just slap the label 'disruptive' on anything they don't like and get away with stomping on students' First Amendment rights. The law doesn't work that way," ACLU of Florida staff attorney Benjamin James Stevenson said in a news release.

The ACLU is asking the court to stop the school district's ban, which the organization contends infringes upon students' right to free speech.

For more information on the case, click here.

Two teachers pulled from classroom

TAMPA -- Teachers at two Hillsborough County high schools have been pulled from classrooms amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with students.

A soccer coach at Newsome High and a physics teacher at Plant High are under investigation, according to school officials.

At Newsome High, an assistant principal received a call yesterday from a parent claiming that boy's soccer coach Ronald Lewis, 37, "was having an inappropriate relationship with a student," school spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

She said the charges involved a female student. Lewis, a computer lab manager who has worked at the east Hillsborough school since August, is suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation.

Due to the nature of the allegations at Newsome, school officials turned the case over to law enforcement.

At South Tampa's Plant High, physics teacher Christopher Gillis, 22, was removed from the school this morning following allegations that he sent inappropriate emails to a female student.

An assistant principal at Plant learned of the emails yesterday after running into the student in the hallway, Cobbe said. After asking how she was doing, the administrator heard about the concerning emails.

Gillis was Plant this morning, but pulled from the classroom so district officials could investigate, Cobbe said. School officials removed a laptop from his home, but do not know how long the investigation will take.

Gillis began teaching with the school system in August.

Crist releases education budget

Gov. Charlie Crist has officially unveiled his 2008-09 budget proposal, including what he says is proof that education will be held harmless from the effects of Amendment 1.

The $33.5-billion pre-k through university education package, first introduced last week, includes $138-million to cover the potential Amendment 1 losses to the K-12 system. It would provide $394 more per student, an increase of almost 5.5 percent. And it puts $847-million toward full implementation of the class-size amendment.

For higher education, the governor proposes no tuition increases - something that university leaders have clamored for to boost quality. He also would provide $52-million for enrollment growth, and $23-million for medical schools at FIU, UCF and FSU.

Educators have said they hope Crist can work with lawmakers to implement the budget plan. They have expressed concerns, though, that it won't be possible amid the state's economic downturn.

To download the budget recommendations, click here. To visit the governor's budget web page, click here.

Gaetz: Education "too important to be left to educators"

Senate Education Committee chairman Don Gaetz told local education leaders this week that the Bay area is "fertile ground" for the state's career education movement. But he cautioned that parents, community and business leaders should not leave all the decision making to educators. "Insiders are not bad. They’re good, because it’s a complicated world, and you have to be able to navigate that world. But education is too important to be left to educators," he told reporter Donna Winchester. Read on for the full interview.

 You implemented a rigorous program for career technical education when you were school superintendent in Okaloosa County, which you say can – and should – be replicated in other districts. Are you satisfied with the efforts districts in the Tampa Bay area are making along these lines?

Let me repeat what I said today publicly. I believe that the conditions are present, that the possibility exists for Pinellas County to be the new model for Florida in career education. The ingredients that I think are present are, first of all, the most dynamic business community support for career education, for changing the way schools are delivering high school education. I see a business community that is poised and ready to reform Pinellas County high schools.

The Tampa Bay area is the economic muscle of Florida. This is the manufacturing center of the state. I think that creates fertile ground for career education. It won’t be your grandad’s vo-tech, or a dumping ground for troublesome students and employees. What’s called for here is career technical education that’s at least as good as the best college prep education. So I’m encouraged, particularly by what I see in business community leadership and business community insistence that our high schools be reformed and that education be more academically rigorous and more career relevant.

How does the 2007 legislation that established a comprehensive reform package aimed at bridging the gap between education and industry play into this?

Llama murder at Gaither High?

An eight-month old llama suffered trauma to the head and was found dead yesterday at Gaither High School, sheriff's deputies say. It appeared that a lock on the cage had been forced open.

School officials say the dead llama is one of four at Gaither, located in north Tampa.

Gov. Crist: Spend $3.4-mil to improve civics

It'll be a few hours until his press conference to outline in more detail the proposed 2008-09 budget he released earlier this month, but Gov. Charlie Crist started touting one priority first thing this morning.

While unveiling a partnership between governmental institutes at UCF and UF that aims to strengthen civic education in Florida, Crist stressed that he wants lawmakers to include $3.4 million that would "strengthen civic education through professional development opportunities for current and prospective teachers and grants to encourage innovative approaches to civics education."

Former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Bob Graham and former Congressman Lou Frey were with Crist at this morning's event, which announced the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at UCF and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at UF will work together to establish the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship.

“Educated and informed voters are the foundation of our nation’s democratic process," Crist said, fresh off a victorious primary Tuesday in which his Amendment 1 push and McCain endorsement proved a win-win. “Through sound civics education, we can ensure that Florida’s future leaders have the knowledge and skills to make their voices heard in the political process.”

‘There needs to be an alternative’

Public schools do a good job educating most black students, but in the cases where they don't, vouchers are worth trying, said state Rep. Frank Peterman (left), D-St Petersburg, the latest black lawmaker to defy his party's position and support a program that was championed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

"I believe in the public education system. I don’t fall away from supporting that system at all," he told The Gradebook. "But in those instances where there are kids who are not doing well in that system … there needs to be an alternative."

Peterman, who was recently elected chairman of the legislative black caucus, is a co-sponsor of a new bill that would triple the size of Florida's biggest voucher program (see previous post here). The state teachers union and other critics call the corporate tax-credit program a voucher program, but supporters, including Peterman, prefer the term "scholarship." "I don't see this a being a true voucher," he said. "There is no money going into the state treasury. I think there’s a difference. I really do."

Peterman took a leading role in creating the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, a statewide group that issued a report this month full of stark statistics. Black students, particularly black males, graduate at rates far lower than the overall Florida rate, which is itself one of the worst in the country. "Our kids, in some instances, are suffering … and not getting what they need in our public education system," Peterman said. "We have to start doing something that's going to be innovative and impactful."

Significant crossover by black lawmakers could ease passage of the new bill, which has the backing of legislative leadership. But it's hard to image anything having to do with vouchers sailing through without a fight. Stay tuned.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

COUNTING ON THAT PLEDGE: School leaders in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco start talking about the budget cuts they might make after the passage of Amendment 1. But they also plan to remind lawmakers and Gov. Crist about that promise to hold education harmless. (AP photo)

DO WHAT BUSINESS NEEDS: Senate Education Committee chairman Don Gaetz tells a group of Tampa Bay educators to focus more on career and technical education. Visit the Gradebook at noon today for an interview on the subject with Sen. Gaetz.

BOARD NO MATCH FOR KIDS: Hernando's Brain Bowl champs thump the School Board in a battle of wits.

IN THE RUNNING: Twenty Hernando teachers are candidates for teacher of the year.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES MUST DO MORE: The College Board says that two-year institutions need more money and better results, the AP reports.

NEVERMIND: The Palm Beach School Board reverses a decision to close a shrinking neighborhood school, moving instead to rebuild it, the Sun-Sentinel reports. See the Palm Beach Post version here.

"FLORIDA HAS GOT TO STEP UP": FSU president T.K. Wetherell calls on lawmakers to get more money to struggling universities, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic puts "everything on the table" as it looks at millions in cuts, the Palm Beach Post reports.

LET'S GO TO THE PARKING LOT: Facing more demands on their time and money, Florida schools are changing the way they go on field trips, the Gainesville Sun reports.

APPLY TODAY: It's the last day to get in on Florida's Prepaid College Tuition plan for the season. If you wait until next round, the cost could rise 8 percent or more, the Miami Herald reports.

THANKS FOR TRYING - YOU'RE DEMOTED: A Lake assistant superintendent who had applied for the district's top job instead gets assigned to a principal's job, complete with $12,000 pay cut, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Before you worry about Amendment 1 ...

The state still has troubles with the current budget before it can start looking at the 2008-09 spending plan, Senate Education Appropriations chairman Stephen Wise tells the Gradebook.

"I've got to cut about $500-million out of the budget between now and the second week of session," Wise said. "We're going to kind of go through it and take it out where it least affects students."

An example: The state didn't end up with as many students as expected this year, so lawmakers can cut back funding for class-size reduction without impacting anyone. Wise said technical issues like that will make up the bulk of the ideas, which are in preliminary discussion now.

After dealing with this round of cuts, the reductions will only continue. The latest projections show a budget dip of another $1-billion to $1.5-billion for next fiscal year.

"This is not going to be a year for the faint of heart," Wise said.

Goal remains to hold education harmless

Florida's school district officials remain nervous that the passage of Amendment 1 will cost education millions. Legislative leaders want to reassure them that a promise is a promise, even if it's tough to carry out.

"Our goal is to not harm education. When we get back to Tallahassee, we're going to have to reprioritize the budget," state Rep. Will Weatherford (left), the Wesley Chapel Republican who's in line to become speaker in a few years, told the Gradebook. "I think everything is on the table. At least, in my opinion it should be."

Weatherford, who sits on the Policy and Budget Council, said that he sees the new tax law as a way to lift some of the burden of education funding off local property taxes and put it back in the state's hands.

He added that a proposal to scale back the class-size amendment to school averages, now in the hands of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, only could help the effort by freeing up resources that otherwise will go to school construction.

"I would love to see an amendment to do that," Weatherford said. "That would be a real victory for the state of Florida."

Senate Majority Whip Paula Dockery (right), R-Lakeland, told the Gradebook it's going to be tough to continue funding education at the same level, especially since local taxpayers increasingly have shouldered a bigger share over the past decade. Yet Dockery, who sits on the Senate Education Appropriations Committee, said she and others remain committed to that goal.

"The state is going to need to make up the difference," she said.

Asked for specifics on how to get there, Dockery pointed to $491-million in the budget slated to help CSX improve its track system. It's a for-profit company that made a profit, she said, and it can use its own money for that purpose. "There's one."

"Properly fund our schools"

Florida Education Association president Andy Ford wasted no time in responding to the passage of Amendment 1, which he fought to defeat. Even before all the votes were counted, Ford issued a statement congratulating Gov. Crist on his victory and urging him to hold education financially harmless from the new tax cuts, as Crist and others promised before and during the campaign.

Here's what Ford had to say:

Tonight the voters of Florida have indicated that they are strapped financially and that they need immediate relief … even at the cost of funding our schools and other vital services. I congratulate the governor on his victory tonight and hope that he recognizes the message that voters are sending about the state of Florida's economy. Additionally, there are now significant revenue challenges that lie ahead as a result of the passage of Amendment 1.

While we have agreed to disagree about this amendment, I'm hopeful that we can now work with Governor Crist to find the necessary resources to properly fund our public schools. It's vitally important that we join together in making sure that Florida provides the resources necessary to make the required investments in our state’s most important asset … the students in our public schools.

Today's news

STATE VOTERS CUT TAXES: The first constitutional amendment to face a 60 percent support hurdle clears the bar, reducing property taxes and, as a result, funding for schools and local governments.

PINELLAS VOTERS RENEW LOCAL TAX: Nearly two-thirds of voters back a continued property tax of 0.50 mills to support Pinellas school district operations. This prompts the Times editorial board to wonder if voters really are so intent on lowering their taxes, or keeping quality education. (Times photo, Joseph Garnett Jr.)

ON THE HOT SEAT: Hillsborough School Board members field questions from a panel of high school students.

PLAYING IT SAFE: The Hernando School Board made the right move in preserving courtesy bus rides for students who didn't qualify for transportation funding, the Times editorializes.

TOP OF THE CLASS: Principal is on a new mission (Fuguitt Elementary); Growing in their garden (Chester Ochs 4-H Educational Center); Providing safe passage (Seven Springs Middle)

MAYOR RESIGNS FAMU BOARD: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, embroiled in his own political problems, quits the FAMU Foundation board of directors, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

OUT OF THEIR HANDS: Collier teachers and school board representatives make their case to a special magistrate about a proposed salary schedule that the teachers have rejected, the Naples Daily News reports.

"BOMBARD THEM": Palm Beach high schools drop their junior science curriculum to focus solely on FCAT skills, the Palm Beach Post reports.

ENROLLMENT DECLINES: Palm Beach expects a third straight year of lower enrollment, the Palm Beach Post reports. Favorite sentence - "... the district should expect at least one more year of smaller student bodies." Will they get smaller desks, too?

WILL THERE BE FIELD TRIPS? Broward Community College plans to open a branch in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Miami Herald reports.

AUDIT SPANKS PRINCIPALS: The leaders of a Miami-Dade charter school personally guaranteed a loan for the school and took home $37,000 in the deal, the Miami Herald reports.

SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS: Osceola voters ditch at-large School Board membership in favor of single-member districts, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

PROJECTS DELAYED: Facing a slumping economy, the Volusia School Board considers postponing $75-million of construction projects, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Pinellas renews school tax

Pinellas voters overwhelmingly favored renewal of a special property tax for schools Tuesday, even as they showed strong support for the constitutional amendment that will reduce their total tax bill. It appeared from unofficial results that the margin of victory could exceed that of 2004, when the tax first passed with 64 percent of the vote.

The tax of 50 cents on every $1,000 of assessed value will raise a total of $145-million in its first four-year cycle, which ends with the 2008-09 fiscal year. The renewal will carry the tax through 2012-13, continuing to provide millions for teacher raises and art, music, technology and reading programs.

Peterman supports voucher bill

Count Rep. Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg, as another black Democrat who's bucking his party on an education initiative it has long opposed: Private-school vouchers.

Peterman is a co-sponsor of a House bill filed last week (see Gradebook post here) that would triple the size of the state's biggest voucher program by increasing the cap on corporate tax-credit scholarships from $88 million now to $238 million by 2012. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville and chair of the Senate education committee, introduced the companion bill today.

Several black Democrats are supporting the legislation, including Reps. Peterman and Terry Fields in the House, and Sens. Al Lawson and Gary Siplin in the Senate. Others are expected to join them. The fact that black Democrats in the Legislature are slowly but surely embracing vouchers is a development that has been largely overlooked by the media (though not by The Gradebook; see one of last summer's posts here.)

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Senate takes aim at LSD-like sage, college fad

A proposed Senate bill would outlaw a rare variety of sage that is growing in popularity among college students, who smoke it for its hallucinogenic effects.

The bill would add Salvia divinorum, known as "salvia" among users, to the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances in Florida - effectively making it illegal.

It's apparently sold mostly in head shops or online and can bring on hallucinations that are "as great if not greater" than LSD. It's unclear how prevalent use is in Florida, because it's a relatively new trend and existing surveys and other measures don't ask about it. But UF researchers rated its prevalence among students there to be 6.5 percent, according to a Senate analysis.

The Web site sagewisdom.com had this to say:

"Because Salvia divinorum can alter perception and behavior, it must never be used in a public environment--doing so could draw unwelcome attention. When the effects are intense, people often become immersed in a dream-like inner visionary state of awareness. Sometimes people in this state will move around as if sleepwalking. For this reason, you should always have a sober sitter present when using strong doses. The sitter is there to make sure that you don't do anything dangerous, like knocking over lit candles, or falling over furniture.

When Salvia is smoked the effects come on very quickly, in less than a minute. The effects are only strong for 5-6 minutes, and then they quickly taper off over another 20-30 minutes."

The bill will be considered next week by the Senate criminal justice committee. But there is no House companion yet. Stay tuned.

A Jeb program in line for cuts?

Maybe so. The state's budget picture is bad enough that the Legislature might have to look at cutting one of former Gov. Bush's pet programs, the "school recognition money" used to reward schools with high and/or improving FCAT scores, state Rep. Joe Pickens, chairman of the House Education Council, told The Gradebook.

The same goes for other high-profile programs, Pickens said, citing the MAP performance-pay plan; the bonus program for national board-certified teachers; and the teacher LEAD program, which gives teachers about $250 to purchase classroom supplies. "I don’t think anyone's considering the elimination of those," said Pickens, R-Palatka, but "those are certainly the types of things we’ll look at first."

Last year, more than 1,600 Florida schools got $129.3 million in school recognition money.

Pickens wouldn’t use the word "bad" to describe the revenue projections, but he said the likely cuts are "definitely going to be felt." At this point, lawmakers are looking at $2 billion less than last year, which probably means an ed budget that is leaner by several hundred million dollars. "This could be a year where even good legislation is put on hold because we can’t fund it," he said.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Pickens: Expect evolution bills

Another key lawmaker says it's likely the Legislature will weigh in on the evolution controversy. And in this case, the lawmaker, Rep. Joe Pickens, R-Palatka, says he has concerns about the proposed state standards himself.

"If it becomes a matter for legislative discussion, then I would have opinions that if it's going to be presented, it's presented … in a manner that is not potentially exclusive of any other theory," including creationism, said Pickens, the powerful chair of the House Schools and Learning Council.

Pickens said he has heard from other lawmakers who are concerned about the proposed standards - which refer to evolution as the fundamental concept underlying all of biology – but none told him they were planning to file legislation. Still, he said, "I would be very surprised if there weren't some individual legislators that feel so strongly about the issue that they individually file bills that address that."

Pickens' comments echo those of Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, the House minority leader, who made similar predictions to The Gradebook a month ago (see post here.)

Among scientists, there is virtually no debate about the fundamental soundness of Darwin's theory. "But far and away," Pickens said, "most of the people who are our constituents, and who vote for us, are not scientists." Pickens' home county of Putnam, in North Florida, is among those with school boards that may be considering resolutions criticizing the proposed standards (see Florida Times Union story here.)

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

NO REGRETS: Former Webb Middle School principal Carmen Aguero, once accused of stealing money from the school, tells her side of the story and says she has no hard feelings against the district or the staff that accused her.

GET ON THE BUS: Despite the cost, the Hernando School Board decides to continue offering courtesy bus rides to nearly 1,800 students who don't otherwise qualify for transportation. "I don't think it's worth one child's life," said member Pat Fagan.

KILL IT QUICKLY: The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission should shoot down a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn Article I, Section 3 of the Florida Constitution or at least call it what it is - an attempt to get public money to private religious schools, the Palm Beach Post editorializes.

PASS THE FCAT, SKIP FINALS: The Palm Beach School Board will consider a proposal for allowing students who pass the state test to have exemptions for their semester exams, the Palm Beach Post reports.

ASK THE PARENTS: The kids and staff of Galaxy Elementary in Boynton Beach don't worry about the recommended closure of their school. That's the community's issue, as the Sun-Sentinel reports.

TRY AGAIN: A former Palm Beach charter school founder who was accused of misusing state funds aims to open a new charter school, the Palm Beach Post reports.

RECYCLING UP: Leon schools recycled only 4 percent of materials last year. After a new campaign, recycling has increased 91 percent in city schools, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

COME ONE, COME ALL: The St. Lucie school district is running an ad campaign in an effort to lure students away from its most crowded high schools and to the smallest ones, the Palm Beach Post reports.

MANATEE BOARD WILL LISTEN: With angry parents in their faces, the Manatee School Board agrees to meet for a conversation about whether to keep or cancel a special language program, the Bradenton Herald reports.

REPUBLICANS CLAP, DEMOCRATS LAUGH: That's the reaction when President Bush urges Congress to reauthorize No Child Left Behind, the AP reports (see end of story).

Gifted in Florida "all over the board"

If you want to know how much school districts spend on gifted education, many district officials can't tell you. That's one of the many findings in a recently released OPPAGA report.

The report, conducted at the Legislature's request, indicates that many Florida district's don't track their gifted funding costs or expenditures. It's just mixed in with special education funding. Many parents don't even know that their gifted students fall under exceptional student education and can get protections as a result of it.

State Rep. John Legg, R-New Port Richey, has bill on the issue (HB 297). He suggests that the report and its recommendation - to study the issue more - doesn't go nearly far enough.

"It was very helpful, but it just confirmed what we already knew, that gifted programs are all over the board in the state of Florida," Legg said. "I agree with the recommendations but I think we need to go further."

His bill aims to overhaul the state's gifted program, adding such provisions as universal screening of all students and changing the accounting structure for easier tracking of whether the money follows the students. He presented the bill to two committees last week in hopes of easing the path to adoption.

"I'm definitely willing to compromise," Legg told the Gradebook."I'm hoping to have a revision with the committees' input in a week to two weeks."

Former Webb principal defends her name

TAMPA -- Former Webb Middle School principal Carmen Aguero wants people to know her side of the story about her retirement this fall, which came as investigators reviewed complaints that she stole small amounts of money from the Town 'N Country school.

No formal actions were brought against her. The State Attorney's Office did not file charges in the case, saying investigators "were unable to meet the burden of proof." The Florida Department of Education also determined that no action was warranted against her teaching certifications.

Aguero says the accusations, made by staff members at Webb, came as a surprise. No one forced her to retire, a move she had been planning in about a year. A diabetic, she says she opted to leave early out of concerns about the stress and her health.

Aguero, who turns 56 on Friday, worked for 34 years in Hillsborough schools and says many former colleagues have supported her. More than 135 people attended her retirement on the day that local newspapers reported the accusations, she says.

"They know who I am. I know who I am. My purpose today is to clear the Aguero name," she says. "I've done nothing wrong."

-- Letitia Stein

Pinellas has state's top counselors

The Florida School Counselor Association has named Karalia Baldwin (right), Pinellas County Schools’ guidance supervisor, as Florida’s 2007 Guidance Supervisor of the Year.

The association has recognized Pamela D. Houle, sixth-grade counselor at Oak Grove Middle School, as Florida’s 2007 Middle School Counselor of the Year.

The honors come as the organization prepares to celebrate National School Counseling Week Feb. 4-8. The theme for the 2008 observance is "School Counselors: Creating Pathways to Success."

Organization leaders say the week helps focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems and highlights the impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Baldwin has been the district’s K-12 guidance supervisor since July 2005. Houle has been at Oak Grove Middle for 23 years.

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

Did FCAT really eat the arts?

It's repeated so often it's taken as gospel: Florida's fixation on FCAT basics has forced schools to drastically cut back on art, music, social studies and other subjects. But has it really?

Maybe not, at least not with art classes, suggests a report prepared by the Senate Education Committee and presented to the committee last week. Looking at information that school districts submitted to the Department of Education's data warehouse, the committee staff found that between 1999-2000 and 2006-2007, the percentage of students enrolled in arts classes jumped a lot in grades 3-5; increased a little in grades 6-7; and decreased a little in grades 8-10.

More specifically, the percentage enrolled in arts in third grade jumped from 54.6 to 71.1, while the percentage in ninth grade fell from 20.3 to 16.2. "The data is insufficient to establish a causal link between the FCAT and arts enrollment," the report concluded. To see the report, click here and go to page 24.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

LUCKY TO HAVE HIM: Folks at Seven Springs Middle in Pasco are sad to see principal Chris Christoff (left) go, but say his new school couldn't ask for better. (Times photo, Stephen J. Coddington)

WHAT'S MY SCHOOL? Pinellas parents won't find out for about two months which school their children are zoned for under the district's new student assignment plan.

IN THE MIX: Lee superintendent James Browder, whom the School Board has tried to keep with financial incentives, makes the short list of finalists to lead the FHSAA, the Naples Daily News reports.

PART-TIME PROFESSORS: Colleges and universities in Florida and elsewhere increasingly use adjunct professors to teach classes, saving lots of money in tight financial times, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

HITTING THE MIDDLE CLASS: When universities cut, they hear from constituents. Pending tuition increases and enrollment caps in Florida's higher education system could backfire, Tallahassee Democrat columnist Bill Cotterell writes.

SEEKING TOUGHER STANDARDS: Fifteen states including Florida are looking to boost the penalties for educators who take advantage of students, the AP reports.

WHEN IS A QUIZ NOT A QUIZ? When it's a game, of course. Many schools are turning to audience response technology - you know, the clickers like they use on Jeopardy! - to get students more excited about the whole affair, the NY Times reports.

FIGHTING ROBIN HOOD: A small Texas school district challenges the state's school finance program in which wealthier districts send money to the state to help support poorer ones, the Dallas Morning News reports. Other states including Florida have like programs. Ever wonder if a similar revolt could happen here?

Coming up

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, student forum, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8: Florida House and Senate committee week

Feb. 4: State Board of Education, conference call, 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

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

Feb. 19: State Board of Education, Tallahassee; Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, student forum, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8: Florida House and Senate committee week

Feb. 4: State Board of Education, conference call, 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

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

Feb. 19: State Board of Education, Tallahassee; Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, student forum, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8: Florida House and Senate committee week

Feb. 4: State Board of Education, conference call, 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

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

Feb. 19: State Board of Education, Tallahassee; Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, student forum, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8: Florida House and Senate committee week

Feb. 4: State Board of Education, conference call, 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

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

Feb. 19: State Board of Education, Tallahassee; Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, student forum, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 4-8: Florida House and Senate committee week

Feb. 4: State Board of Education, conference call, 3 p.m.

Feb. 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, 7 p.m.

Feb. 7: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

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

Feb. 19: State Board of Education, Tallahassee; Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Today's news

TAKE A HIKE: The Hernando School Board will consider eliminating courtesy bus rides, forcing nearly 1,800 more kids to walk to school. The change could save close to $1-million. (Times photo, 2004)

DISASTER IN THE AIR: Florida's public universities already rank among the worst nationally in class sizes and financial resources. Further cuts could decimate the schools, FSU English teacher Erin Belieu writes in an op-ed piece.

FCAT BLACKOUT: Some school districts, most notably Broward, have abandoned the "FCAT frenzy" of never-ending test prep. But for others, like Palm Beach, the high stakes test takes hold now, as the Palm Beach Post reports.

NEVER TOO SOON: Some Leon County fourth-graders learn to pick stocks in lessons about the economy, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Probably a lot of adult investors are wishing they had this knowledge about now.

CREATING AN IDENTITY: Called LLL for months, Broward's newest high school has a mascot, team colors and a logo as it strives to establish itself and bring kids who once attended rival schools together, the Miami Herald reports.

LOCAL EFFORT UP: Brevard's property taxes for schools have risen 89 percent in the past seven years because of legislative actions, Florida Today reports.

DON'T GO: After graduation, college grads must decide where to live - a new home of their own or back with mom and dad are the usual choices. Some colleges are providing a third path - apartments on campus, the NY Times reports.

A weekend interview with ...

... Bonnie Lang, president of Kids Come First, Florida chapter. Lang, based in Polk County, makes frequent presentations on internet safety for schools, and also advises law enforcement agencies on the topic. She talked about internet education with reporter Jeff Solochek the day after the Times published a story about how some Pasco middle school students accessed pornography through a MySpace friend of their school resource officer. Check the end for helpful links.

Tell me a little bit about your concerns about the story you saw about Officer Nohejl.

I think the facts were a little bit skewed. What you have to understand is, if we have a MySpace page, we can't control what is posted on a friend's page. It is our responsibility to maintain what is on our page. It is our responsibility to be aware of who we add. But once we add them, we cannot tell when a page has been changed. We cannot tell when something has been added.

So if somebody is going there and looking at these pages, there is no way of knowing what is there?

Once you add someone as a friend, unless you continually check their page every day, you assume that page is going to stay the same.

So what is the value of adding friends who, in this instance, are not students of the school that the page is supposed to be reaching?

What if you have a parent who has a child? What if you have a parent who has a friend who has a child? And that child gets in trouble. They say, "I know where you can turn to. I have a friend on my page." They still have access to that friend.

And so the value of having an officer have a MySpace page is what?

It acts as a deterrent to online predators. Because if you have two children sitting there, and one has a law enforcement official on their page and one does not, who do you think a predator is more likely to contact? A predator is more likely to contact a child who does not have a police officer on their page. You've just added a layer of protection to yourself.

So the school resource officers in doing this are helping kids in their school?

Today's news

TEACHER NO MORE: Daniel Ray Madril loses his Florida teaching license after getting caught peeping on the girl's locker room in his Hernando County middle school three years ago.

MARTIN SUPERINTENDENT TO RETIRE: Sara Wilcox, who has held the job for 14 years, will not seek reelection, the Palm Beach Post reports.

TEXAS DOES IT BIGGER: Florida's student-athlete drug testing program has turned up just one violator, the Houston Chronicle reports. Texas officials, who start a similar program this year, say they'll catch more because their effort is broader.

CRIST SAYS AMENDMENT 1 WON'T HURT SCHOOLS: "Approval of Amendment 1 on Tuesday can make a difference for Florida's homeowners — and for those who long to be homeowners. But it doesn't have to make a difference in funding for our students," the governor writes in an op-ed piece for the Sun-Sentinel.

OFF TO IRAQ: The principal of a Broward charter school takes a leave of absence to do a tour of duty. His dad, also an educator, will run the school in his absence, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

TEACHERS FOR SLOTS: The Miami-Dade teachers union endorses a referendum to allow slot machines at the county's dog and horse tracks and jai-alai frontons, saying the school district needs the projected revenue, the Miami Herald reports.

MIDTERMS OVER, FCAT NEXT: Lee County schools have scaled back activities to give students time to study during the testing season, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

EXPANDING CHOICES: Brevard schools receive more funding than any other Florida district to launch new career academies, Florida Today reports.

AMENDMENT COULD AFFECT VOUCHERS: A committee of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission supports a proposal that could pave the way for additional funding of education vouchers to private, religious schools, the AP reports. (To see the proposal, click here and go to CP0020)

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Bonnie Lang, president of Kids Come First Florida chapter.

Bright Futures for scientists, teachers

Who knows how far this will go, but sophomore Democratic Sen. Jeremy Ring wants to base the amount of Bright Futures awards on whether a student studies, say, philosophy or engineering.

SB 1320 has no House sponsor yet, but Ring says Republican Rep. Frank  Attkisson will file the companion soon.

Bright Futures now covers all tuition and fees for the brightest Florida High School graduates, plus $300 per semester for expenses like books. It covers 75 percent for students with slightly lower GPAs and SATs. Ring, calling his proposal an "economic development tool," wants to encourage more students to study the sciences by awarding less to the English majors and more to the education or science majors.

Science-engineer types would get 110 percent of tuition and fees covered, plus $330 a semester for expenses, while those philosophers would get a scholarship covering between just 55 and 80 percent of tuition and fees.

"I anticipate there will be some students and parents who are disturbed," Ring told the Buzz. "But if you’re a philosophy major and you’re going to get 80 percent of your tuition covered, it’s still a good deal.”

Peeping gym teacher loses license

BROOKSVILLE -- Here's one thing you can't do and keep your teacher's license.

You can't creep up into the ceiling over the girl's locker room, and then claim it was all just a misunderstanding.

On Friday, former Hernando County teacher Daniel Ray Madril was permanently stripped of his Florida teacher's license by the state Education Practices Commission. The ruling comes nearly three years after his arrest on three misdemeanor charges of voyeurism.

Madril, then a 39-year-old physical education teacher at D.S. Parrott Middle School,  was shimmying from a hole in the ceiling to a shelf in the equipment room on the morning of March 3, 2005, when a female colleague walked in and asked him what he was up to.

He claimed he'd just been playing a prank, throwing a basketball into the adjoining office of a female colleague to scare students in the adjoining locker room, according to police reports.

But there was no basketball, and female students and teachers had been changing or using the toilet at the time. Police said they would have been clearly visible through air vents to the prying eyes of, say, a gym teacher up in the crawlspace.

Madril received community service time and probation under a pretrial intervention agreement with the State Attorney's office, and was fired by the School Board in May 2005.

He could not be reached for comment Friday on the loss of his teaching certificate.

-- Tom Marshall, Times staff writer

Tuition proposed by Central Fla. lawmakers benefits UCF

You knew this was coming.

Sen. Lee Constantine, UCF graduate, and Winter Garden Rep. Steve Precourt, have proposed a change to last year's "differential tuition" bill that would immediately benefit UCF, the mammoth university located in the lawmakers' Central Florida region.

The differential tuition bill as it stands allows UF, USF and FSU to charge between 30 and 40 percent above the base undergraduate, in-state tuition. It gives those institutions the privilege based on their state lead in the areas of research dollars, doctoral degrees awarded, graduation rates and other success factors.

Constantine and Precourt propose a tweak that extends the differential to any university that brings in $100-million or more a year in research dollars.

UCF, no coincidence, received a record $121.4 million in outside research funding in the 2006-07 budget year -- an 18 percent hike from the year before. The number will only grow as UCF's fledgling medical school gets going.

School site linked to porn is shut down

NEW PORT RICHEY — As far as Gulf Middle School principal Stan Trapp knew, his school’s web site “resources” page offered links designed to help students and parents.

But as he learned Friday morning, one of the links that was to provide free clip art actually directed users to a gay porn site.

The Pasco school district’s information technology department disabled the web site immediately after learning of the connection. The district also shut down internet access for students and staff at the school in order to launch a review of what happened.

“Obviously, we’re going to investigate this,” Trapp said early in the day. “I’m hoping that there will be some legal recourse. It’s outrageous.”

By late Friday, district technology experts believed they had the answer. It appeared that the site in question had an educational bent until the end of 2007, when the domain name expired, they said. A gay porn operator then purchased the address and changed the content.

The activity on the Gulf Middle site came just days after state and local law enforcement launched an investigation into how a friend with links to pornography arrived on the MySpace page of the school’s resource officer.

Internet experts said the two incidents reveal just how easy it is to put inappropriate materials in front of children on the internet, despite the best intentions.

“Even if someone could somehow verify all those pages were ‘clean’ at one point in time, they could change at any time, and not under your control,” Lauren Weinstein, co-founder of California-based People for Internet Responsibility, wrote in an e-mail to the Times.

Weinstein discovered the link on Gulf’s site after reading about the school resource officer on a national internet-oriented web site. He told Paul Levy, a lawyer who had been following the story at Washington D.C.-based Public Citizen, the watchdog agency founded by Ralph Nader.

Levy sent the information along to the Times.

Gaetz on school grades

In the most detailed sign yet that Florida's school grading formula is in for a shake-up, state Sen. Don Gaetz (left), the influential chair of the Senate Education Committee, told The Gradebook this morning that graduation rates, AP scores and the number of vocational students earning industry certifications are among the factors he'll seek to include in the formula during the legislative session that begins March 4. Gaetz said those recommendations will be included in a bill he expects to file within 10 days.

Currently, Florida schools are graded on FCAT scores alone. And the bulk of a high school's grade is based on the reading, writing and math tests that its ninth and tenth graders take. "Half the students in a high school take the FCAT. Half don't," said Gaetz, R-Niceville. "I think a more comprehensive and more realistic view of the high school would be obtained if we looked into more doors to see what's going on in more classes."

Gaetz's vision dovetails with recent comments from new Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith (see Gradebook post here) and addresses some of the criticism that has been persistently leveled at the school-grading formula that former Gov. Jeb Bush put into place.

More specifically, Gaetz said he wants school grades to include AP scores, overall AP participation rates and participation rates for poor and minority students. He said SAT and ACT scores should be in the mix. And he said including national industry certifications is key because it better factors in the performance of vocational students.

Gaetz apparently isn't out to revamp school grades completely, though. In committee this week, he voted to shoot down a bill by Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, that would have replaced A-F letter grades with "excellent," "above average," "satisfactory," "less than satisfactory" and "failing." The bill failed on a 3-3, party-line vote. She's tried and failed to get that bill passed five straight years.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Behind the scenes: Why "no" on Amendment 1?

Were you surprised when the Hillsborough School Board this week came out strongly against the property tax amendment?

The teachers union wasn't. The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association put in a flurry of phone calls to Board members before a special-called meeting of the School Board on Tuesday.

"We were disappointed that they had not taken a position," HCTA president Jean Clements said. "Based on conversations that we had had with different Board members, we felt that a majority of them felt as we did that this is the wrong fix."

Echoing sentiments voiced by Board members, Clements said the downsides of the amendment outweighed the savings to taxpayers. After the vote, the teachers union immediately sent out an e-mail notifying its school-based representatives, calling the decision "courageous."

The Board voted 5-1 to oppose the amendment, bucking the don't-criticize-until-asked approach of many other government officials. Board chairwoman Jennifer Faliero opposed the decision, which she felt had become a partisan issue and was not appropriate to the office. Member Doretha Edgecomb was absent.

UT gets $3-million from alumnus

University of Tampa officials are celebrating a $3-million gift from alumnus Frank P. Urso, a retired pathologist and Ybor City native whose name will now grace one of the private college's newer residence halls.

Urso, a 1957 graduate, said he is giving the donation because "UT changed my life."

In return, UT will rename the 11-story, 182-bed Kennedy Place residence hall as the Frank P. Urso, M.D. Hall.

After he graduated, Urso went to the University of Miami medical school, where he graduated with honors. Urso served as the director of pathology and clinical laboratories at three major hospitals, and worked as professor of pathology at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

After retiring,  he published a 2005 memoir, A Stranger in the Barrio: Memoir of a Tampa Sicilian that describes his life growing up here. Each student in the residence hall will receive a copy of Urso’s book.

UT will hold a dedication ceremony Feb. 22 in the dorm lobby. 

FLDOE's new, more expensive, leadership

In removing the "interim" from Will Holcombe's title as community college chancellor, the Florida Department of Education has completed its permanent leadership. If you think that, in these tight financial times, its salary package is less than that of the team it follows, you're wrong.

As a group, commissioner Eric J. Smith (left), K-12 chancellor Frances Haithcock and Holcombe will earn $625,000 annually. That's $12,065 more than the team of John Winn (right), Cheri Yecke and David Armstrong.

The biggest reason? Smith's deal.

Smith, who took over the department in December, makes $275,000 a year, compared to Winn's $254,925. The two other newcomers receive slightly less than their predecessors. Haithcock is getting $160,000 a year, while Yecke made $162,822. And Holcombe will receive $190,000, compared to Armstrong's $195,188.

FAMU is 'accountable for every dollar'

FAMU Police arrested a FAMU administrative assistant, Teria Coverson, on grand theft charges this week, prompting President James Ammons to issue a statement saying, "We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior."

According to a press release, the arrest came after the FAMU Division of Audit and Compliance reviewed cash management practices at the two FAMU pharmacy clinics in Tallahassee and "discovered that numerous cash deposits did not reflect true and accurate deposit amounts in relation to actual amounts received by the clinics." Coverson allegedly stole $55,344, the release said. For a few more details, see this morning's Tallahassee Democrat story here.

Continued Ammons in the statement: "It is important that we have a system and process in place to make sure that we are able to uncover these kinds of discrepancies. We want to be accountable for every dollar. I commend the Division of Audit and Compliance and the FAMU Police Department for conducting a thorough investigation."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

TUITION UP, ENROLLMENT DOWN: The Board of Governors aims to boost the quality of Florida's public universities, saying it can't continue to do more with less.

MAKING CHANGE PAINLESS: Principal Kathleen Flanagan hopes to make the transition easy for students who come to Smith Middle, Hillsborough County's newest middle school, when it opens in the fall.

REALTORS WRONG: The West Pasco Board of Realtors was off-base in accusing Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino of breaking the law with her Amendment 1 information campaign, the Times editorializes.

STUDYING THE N-WORD: A Gibbs High senior seeks to learn where the charged racial epithet came from and why it's now used by teens so casually. His teacher reluctantly agrees. The results are surprising.

MAKING THE ELECTION MATTER: South Florida teachers are fashioning lessons to show their students that the politics of the day actually mean something to them, the Sun-Sentinel reports. At one Miami-Dade charter school, students pretend to be the presidential candidates and stage a debate of their own, the Miami Herald reports. (AP photo)

TEACH FOR JACKSONVILLE: Teach for America's Duval County initiative moves toward a fall debut with the naming of a local executive director, the Florida Times-Union reports. The group hopes to have 50 teachers in at least 10 at-risk schools this fall.

HERE WE GO AGAIN? An unnamed Duval teacher is facing investigation after the Council on American-Islamic Relations complains that the teacher discriminated against Muslims in class, the Florida Times-Union reports.

"TRYING TO FORCE A SQUARE PEG INTO A ROUND HOLE": The Port St. Lucie Planning and Zoning Board recommends denial of Imagine charter school's plans for a new campus, saying the selected site is too small for the number of projected students, the Stuart News reports.

GO AHEAD AND PRAY: The Orange school district reopens its elementary schools, free of charge, to after-hours Bible study clubs, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

NOT FUNNY: A top Lee County student is expelled after playing a practical joke on some teachers, the Naples Daily News reports. His parents are, of course, fighting the penalty.

LEARN AND EARN: Two Georgia schools are paying students who are struggling in math and science to attend study hall for four hours weekly, the AP reports. Critics contend the idea could work in the short term, but once the money dries up, so too might the motivation.

Money dangers for USF Lakeland?

Boy, this isn't what USF officials wanted to hear:

With money so tight, maybe building a new campus for USF in Lakeland isn't so wise, said Board of Governors member John Dasburg.

"I question whether we should move forward with the Lakeland campus," Dasburg said. "I would hope we're facile enough that when times change, we're willing to look at things differently. Maybe this is not the right time to invest this kind of money in another campus while we're in a process...of curtailing the investments in our existing core of universities."

Board members Zach Zachariah and Arlen Chase echoed Dasburg's sentiment.

USF wants $15-million in state construction money to build the Lakeland campus, but the Board has ranked it last among a list of 41 prioritized projects.

USF president Judy Genshaft said the money is crucial because USF is running out of time to finalize the takeover of 537 acres donated for the proposed campus near  I-4.

BOG poised to cut enrollment, raise tuition annually

Update: The Board just voted to raise tuition by only 8 percent, and only next year. That's $186 more in tuition for two semesters. It would generate $32-million more next year.

The board in charge of Florida's 11 public universities is poised to give college leaders the green light to slash overall enrollment, lay off faculty and staff, and take other painful money-cutting measures -- all of them aimed at preserving the value of a four-year degree.

The Board of Governors, meeting right now at FAMU, also appears likely to raise undergraduate, in-state tuition and fees by roughly 13 per