Today's news

BLAINE AMENDMENT GOES TO VOTERS: The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission puts the state's controversial "no-aid" amendment, which prevents the state from funding religious programs, to the voters for a repeal. Some critics see the provision as a back door way to put education vouchers back in play, the Herald-Tribune reports.

"ACADEMIC FREEDOM" BILL CLEARS FIRST HURDLE: A bill that would open the door to teachers casting significant doubt on the state's newly established curriculum standard setting evolution as a key idea underpinning biology gets through the Senate education committee. Changes to the proposal helped quiet some critics, the Miami Herald reports.

SHOW THEM THE MONEY: Leaders of Pasco's teachers association reject the superintendent's request that they hold off on their annual step increases, saying the administration should look to cut elsewhere first.

THINK AGAIN: Pinellas School Board members suggest superintendent Clayton Wilcox should reconsider his policy of forcing out teachers who have reached their deferred retirement deadline but want to stay on the job.

SEEKING PROTECTION: Florida's universities compile a list of things to do to make their campuses safer. The cost: $18-million, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

CITY MIGHT SUE SCHOOLS: The Lauderdale Lakes city commission ponders a lawsuit against the Broward district, saying the students in the city's lone high school receive a subpar education, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

SMILE. YOU'RE ON CANDID CAMERA: Who needs SRO's? The Cape Coral police will be watching what's going on inside three city-run charter schools once new wireless security cameras are installed, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

FCAT IS ALREADY A GAMBLE, SO ... If Florida wants to rely on gambling money to fund education, why not teach gambling in Florida schools, Palm Beach Post columnist Jac Wilder VerSteeg wonders in a (we think) tongue-in-cheek piece.

CAN'T AFFORD THESE CUTS: The arts in education matter in ways that lawmakers must think about closely before deciding to slash the programs, the Daytona Beach News-Journal editorializes.

CALENDAR WOES: The Palm Beach school district has troubles deciding when to set midterm exams, vacation days and holidays under new state rules mandating a later start to the school year, the Palm Beach Post reports.

SINGLE-GENDER NO MORE: The suburban Atlanta school district that wanted to segregate its students by gender has dumped the plan under heavy parental opposition, the AP reports.

Comments

[marisia]

Re: O'donnell -- if you bend the rules for one teacher and not others then you open yourself to accusations of favoritism. There needs to be a policy that is either adhered to or not. The super seems to be trying to adhere to a policy that the board suggested, now the board wants to change policy because affluent parents at an affluent school are raising he**. If this was a South St. Pete school this debate wouldn't be happening, but the rich are accustomed to getting what