Today's news

NO MEAL PRICE HIKE: Pinellas students might have less variety in the cafeteria line, but district officials say that's a better option than asking them to pay more for meals. (Photo from US Office of Management and Budget)

TOUGH JOB AHEAD: Sheila McDevitt, new Board of Governors chairwoman, takes the helm at a time when the board's authority is under challenge. She relishes the opportunity.

KUDOS FOR SCHOOL LEADER: Gail Greene, director of Van Dyke United Methodist Church Day School, is named director of the year by the National Association of Child Care Professionals.

ENJOY IT: The FCAT might not be the best way to measure student achievement, but it's what Florida has, so the Hernando school district should revel in its A rating, the Times editorializes.

SUPPORT THE STUDENTS: The tight economy means fewer families can afford all the school supplies they need. Some Indian River charities are trying to make up the difference, the Vero Beach Press Journal reports.

SCHOOL GRADE NEWS: Amid all the reports of rising scores, 13 Florida schools never have earned anything better than a D, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Meanwhile, the state Department of Education rejects Manatee's claim that this year's school grading system had errors, the Bradenton Herald reports. The state's participation in a federal NCLB pilot project will help dozens of schools that earned an A or B but didn't make "adequate yearly progress," Florida Today reports.

DROP THE ABSTINENCE EDUCATION: The ACLU is pressuring Volusia schools to teach safe sex instead of abstinence, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

BUDGET ROUNDUP: A Florida A&M trustee writes a letter to the governor asking him to dip into reserve funds to help out the struggling university, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Putnam slashes administrative positions to save close to $1-million, the Palatka Daily News reports. Collier convenes a special task force to look into its finances and determine whether the district really needs voters to change the district's local property tax rates, the Naples Daily News reports.

FEWER NURSES, MORE WORK: Schools need nurses, but they don't have as many as they used to. Teachers are left to pick up the slack, the AP reports.

Comments

[Hillsborough knows how to fix the nursing shortage problem]

Written by Marilyn Brown, Tampa Tribune, August 30, 2007

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBPLN2QY5F.html

One nurse covers a school that she doesn't even know where it is.

Excerpt from article:

"List Of Nurses Turns Up 'Placeholders'"

"Despite the cutbacks, Nelson Luis, who oversees health services, said he is confident children are safe and schools are covered.

"No child's going to go without care," Luis said. "I'm convinced we are doing what we need to be doing - with less people, with cutbacks."

Luis, the district's general director for student support and federal programs, said Monday morning that there is a health professional at every school. On Tuesday morning, he produced a list showing at least one person's name beside each school. Luis said the list was valid as of last week, although subject to change.

The first name The Tampa Tribune checked out was Tanski. The list shows her as the sole health care provider assigned to the South County Career Center.

"I don't even know where that is," Tanski said Tuesday. Her assigned schools are Dowdell Middle and Clair-Mel and Palm River elementary schools, with Summerfield Elementary added this year, she said."