Florida charters, ghost students

Charter schools in Florida that aim to rescue potential dropouts are raking in millions of state dollars for students who aren't showing up, according to this investigation by the Scripps Howard News Service. In 2006-07, such charters collected at least $25 million despite a daily average of 5,125 missing students, the story says. (The story does not say what percentage that is.)

The story emphasizes for-profit charters, and cites the Richard Milburn Academy schools in Hillsborough and Pasco, both of which were shut down by their districts. Sixty percent of students at the Hillsborough academy missed at least 2 days in 2004-05, giving the school the sixth highest truancy rate in Florida. (You can read more about those academy schools in this St. Pete Times story.)

Another charter chain with high rates of absenteeism, White Hat Management, which runs 11 Life Skills Center schools in Florida, offered this response:

"It is a constant challenge to keep our students in school – many of them have lost the discipline of daily attendance and almost all of them have other responsibilities such as jobs and families that make it harder for them to balance their schedules. There is absenteeism at Life Skills Centers as there is at public schools. It is surprising that it isn't higher."

The news service found the same issues in other states. For the national version of the story, click here.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Kiplinger's recognizes five Florida universities

The University of Florida and New College of Florida are among the top 10 public institutions that provide the best value in higher education, according to a report released today by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

Kiplinger’s ranked UF No. 2 among the 100 Best Values in public colleges for the fourth year in a row. It ranked New College of Florida as No. 8.

Florida state university system Chancellor Mark B. Rosenberg said in a news release that the SUS is proud of its ability to produce high-quality education and world-class research while charging the lowest tuition and fees in the nation.

Three other Florida universities made Kiplinger’s 100 Best. Florida State University came in at No. 17, the University of Central Florida was ranked No. 42, and the University of South Florida was ranked No. 75.

Kiplinger's examined more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities and ranked the schools by academic quality, cost and financial aid. Click here for the full report.

Donna Winchester, higher education reporter

USEP to district: Let's mediate instead

Just 10 days ago, the United School Employees of Pasco announced it had reached an impasse with the Pasco school district over contract negotiations. It asked for a magistrate to help the sides reach an agreement.

Now, the group is having second thoughts. Not about the impasse, but about the magistrate.

After meeting with a bargaining specialist this week, USEP leaders decided that bringing in a mediator might be the better route to a deal. Union president Lynne Webb sent the new request to the administration, asking for a response by Monday.

"Mediation will be less costly and contentious than a Magistrate hearing [and] … will expedite resolving our outstanding bargaining issues for both the teachers and SRP," Webb wrote.

How likely is it that the district will answer by Monday? Well, the School Board has scheduled an executive session on negotiations for Tuesday, and the administration has said it does not consider the talks truly at impasse because it asked to delay negotiations.

The union's initial pay package remains the only one on the table. The board has not responded to that, either. And the fact is, in the end the board retains sole authority to impose whatever contract terms it adopts. Stay tuned.

Voucher critics = chickenhawks?

Are Democrats who oppose vouchers but send their own kids to private schools as bad as Republicans who support wars but don’t send their own kids to fight? That argument is raised about Barack Obama (who sends his kids to private school) in this Rocky Mountain News op-ed.

For a survey of where Florida lawmakers send their kids to school, see this 2005 St. Petersburg Times story here. (It found Democrats with school-age children are more likely than Republicans to send their kids to private schools.)

Poll: Should schools cut the sugar?

Should schools ban the sale and distribution of sugary treats and drinks?
Yes, kids don't need soda and candy during class.
No, kids are going to get it somehow anyway.

Today's news

PASCO'S NOT ALONE: It's mentioned in this USA Today story about other school districts and governments that also are banning visible tattoos. (Times file photo)

WHO WILL BAIL OUT FLORIDA EDUCATION? Florida superintendents keep an eye on Alachua, where voters will decide Tuesday whether they're willing to tax themselves to support public education, Tallahassee Democrat columnist Bill Berlow writes.

IT'S A DEAL: Lee teachers agree to new contract terms, including a 3 percent raise, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. More from the Naples Daily News.

STILL NO JOB: Tiffany Shepherd, a former St. Lucie teacher who claims she was fired because of her job as a bikini mate, gets modeling offers but still wants to be a teacher, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

GOING FEDERAL: The Lee School Board considers hiring a firm to lobby Congress, the Cape Coral Daily Breeze reports.

HELP THE HOMELESS: Three Manatee middle schools compete to collect the most blankets and warm clothes for the Salvation Army, the Bradenton Herald reports.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE PREZ: The Tallahassee Democrat features Judy Ammons, the wife of FAMU president James Ammons.

MORE ON AMENDMENT 8: Still not sure about the proposal to let communities vote on whether to tax themselves for local colleges? The AP provides an overview (via Panama City News-Herald).

God, science and life on Earth

If your brain likes to chew on deep thoughts about the Big Picture, then you'll find no better treats than two upcoming lectures at Eckerd College.

On Sunday, University of Oxford scholar John Lennox, author of "God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?," will lecture on his view that modern science "most impressively supports traditional theistic religious belief," as an Eckerd press release puts it. Lennox recently tangled with leading atheist Richard Dawkins in a debate you can watch here.

On Nov. 13, Eckerd presents Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson, who'll give a talk on "The Future of Life." Wilson is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and recently launched "The Encyclopedia of Life," which aims to offer a Web site for each of the 1.8 million known species on the planet. Click here for a recent New York Times interview with Wilson.

Both lectures are free and open to the public. Lennox's begins at 8 p.m. in Fox Hall. Wilson's begins at 7:30 p.m. in Fox Hall. Eckerd is at 4200 54th Ave. S. For more information, call (727) 864-7979 or e-mail events@eckerd.edu.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Dear Mr. President: Please kill the FCAT

If you wrote to the next president, what would you say?

The National Writing Project asked young people to think about that with an initiative called "Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future". And to date 2,500 have responded, including 157 from Florida, including some from the eighth grade American History class at Hudson Middle in Pasco.

One student says the next president should allow gay couples to adopt. One wants more murderers executed. One wants marijuana legalized.

And what would a Florida student's wish list be without a big fat raspberry for the FCAT? "Kids are being pressured and schools are misgraded," writes Ashley P. from Cypress Creek High in Orlando. "Its (sic) obvious that FCAT is not the solution in measuring student abilities, let alone determine there (sic) chance of graduating."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

They did say 'no cell phones'

Here's one for Tampa Bay area school leaders and parents to ponder as they forge ahead with tough cell phone rules.

Over on the east coast, Brevard's Thomas Jefferson Middle had a similar stance: Students are not supposed to use their phones during school hours.

Then came a gas leak that forced the school to evacuate for hours. A handful of kids called their parents to let them know. And they got suspended, as Florida Today reports.

Hillsborough School Board race gets partisan too

Speaking of non-partisan School Board races and politically charged affairs ...

Blue and red politics are starting to bleed all over the race between Carol Kurdell and Stephen Gorham. Over the weekend, the Republican Party of Florida sent out a mailer noting that "your Republican leadership team needs you." Inside, Kurdell's name is on the list of GOP-approved local candidates.

Kurdell, who is seeking a fifth term in office, said she was not aware of the mailer until a reporter showed it to her. She declined to speak about her party affiliation, saying: "You know I can't talk about that."

Meanwhile, local Democrats are drumming up the beat for Gorham. His name appears among the candidates recommended by the Hillsborough Democratic Black Caucus, which is passing out its list to early voters.

Gorham's politics are no secret. He's widely known as the Democrat who did surprisingly well against conservative Ronda Storms in a state Senate race two years ago.

Will partisan politics shape the outcome of a School Board contest that's supposed to be anything but? Stay tuned...

Today's news

SO ENROLLMENT IS FLAT: Hillsborough will open four new schools in the eastern part of the county next fall to relieve crowding and prepare itself for future anticipated growth.

IMPROVING ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Tampa Prep welcomes educators from Indonesia as part of a State Department effort to promote understanding and collaboration between the United States and the Muslim world. (Times photo, Gen Yamaguchi)

'DUBIOUS STATISTICAL ACHIEVEMENTS': Pasco's elections, including the superintendent race, are filled with "campaign bunk" that voters must sort through while making their choices, the Times editorializes

 TOP OF THE CLASS: Marching bands vie for top ranking (Hillsborough schools); McKitrick plans night out to raise the roof

SELLING THE REFERENDUM: Collier district officials tell the public that art and sports could be among the first things to go if voters don't support a referendum to shift taxes from capital projects to general operations, the Naples Daily News reports.

STILL THE CHEAPEST: Tuition increases continue to outpace inflation nationwide, but the price to attend Florida's public institutions remains the lowest in the country, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW: Five Broward high schools compete for the chance to have one of their lawmakers sponsor a bill that students write, the Miami Herald reports.

UP ON THE ROOF: The principal of Kathleen High in Polk is spending a week on the school roof to thank students for turning the school around, Fox 13 reports.

NO CONFIDENCE: Broward teachers express their lack of support in superintendent Jim Notter's handling of contract negotiations, the Miami Herald reports

 UNEXPECTED SUCCESS: A sixth-grade intervention program works so well that it's expanding into more Duval schools, the Florida Times-Union reports.

USF biologists link amphibian decline, global warming

A group of University of South Florida biologists have confirmed that worldwide amphibian declines are consistent with the introduction and spread of chytrid fungus, possibly the most deadly invasive species on the planet next to humans.

USF biologist and assistant professor Jason Rohr, left, and his colleagues concluded that the pattern of amphibian extinction was positively correlated with increased temperatures associated with global warming.

“More than 32 percent of amphibian species are threatened and more than 43 percent are experiencing some form of population decline,” Rohr said in a news release. “Unlike past mass extinctions, this one is driven by human activities.”

Chytrid fungi were long thought to be capable of infecting only invertebrates and vascular plants. In 1999, a new species, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, was discovered. It has since been linked with amphibian population declines on every amphibian-inhabited continent.

Rohr’s research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. The results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online Early Edition.

Donna Winchester, higher education reporter

Hillsborough an "A" district after appeal

Florida’s schools already celebrated their grades. Now Hillsborough wants its 15 minutes.

After winning a grade appeal, Hillsborough is officially an A-rated district. Pasco and Hernando boast the same distinction, which is based on how well students and schools performed last year on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Pinellas schools received a B.

Democrats endorse in non-partisan Pinellas board races

Careful observers of Pinellas politics have pointed out to the Gradebook that the Pinellas County Democratic Party has chosen to endorse candidates in two of three nonpartisan School Board races, in addition to the usual partisan contests.

The party has endorsed Janet Clark (left) over Jennifer Crockett in the countywide District 1 race. Clark is a registered Democrat who recently changed her status from "No party affiliation." Crockett is a registered Republican.

In the District 2 countywide race, the party selected Nina Hayden (right) over Sean O'Flannery. Hayden is a registered Democrat and was elected Democratic precinct committeewoman in the Aug. 26 primary. O'Flannery is, you guessed it, a Republican.

Conspicuously absent on the party's official list of endorsements is a candidate in the North Pinellas District 4 School Board race. Wonder what gives? Both candidates in that race – Ken Peluso and Robin Wikle – are registered Republicans.

- Donna Winchester, education reporter

The next step in early grades

You probably haven't heard much about the Florida Department of Education's major new effort in the early grades. But you will in coming years.

Called "Bright Beginnings," the initiative is designed to improve on the early grades foundation built during the Jeb era. It includes better assessments to gauge where kids are falling short in reading and math, and better interventions to make sure they catch up and keep up.

Information about Bright Beginnings has been coming out in drips and drabs at Board of Education meetings, but this recent memo from K-12 Chancellor Frances Haithcock to superintendents sums it up.

This attachment includes a time line for when the five phases kick in. It also includes a handful of meaty factoids – like how much it costs the state each year to retain third graders who fall short on the FCAT. (Answer: $672 million between 2002-03 and 2006-07.)

To learn more about the new assessments, see this story.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Does the headline neutralize the text?

We know the race for Pasco superintendent is heated, with passions high for both incumbent Heather Fiorentino and challenger Stephen Donaldson.

But we're not sure what to make of this odd election recommendation from the Suncoast News.

The headline reads, "Fiorentino for superintendent." The text concludes, "The Suncoast News recommends Stephen Donaldson for Superintendent of Schools in the Nov. 4 general election."

Now ponder that as you go vote.

Early release day in Hillsborough

Just in case anyone needs a reminder...

Today is the first of the early release days negotiated into the school calendar this year by the Hillsborough teachers union. Union and school leaders agreed to send students home two hours early to give teachers extra planning time each month.

Some parents weren't thrilled about the short notice on the new schedule, which required adjustments to after-school care arrangements. Wonder if they change their minds after getting some extra quality time with the kiddos this afternoon? Or maybe teachers with great lesson plans tomorrow will do the trick.

Outstanding Educator semifinalists named

The Pinellas School District has announced 25 semifinalists in this year’s Outstanding Educators Recognition program. The teachers were selected from 130 nominations in five categories.

A winner in each category and the 2009 Outstanding Educator will be announced Feb. 25 at the Outstanding Educator Awards show sponsored by the Pinellas Education Foundation.

To see the semifinalists, read on.

Donna Winchester, higher education reporter

Just say no

It's Red Ribbon Week in many Florida schools, a time when teachers remind kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The event, which started in 1985 in the California hometown of murdered DEA agent Enrique Camarena, went national in 1988.

Is it working?

Here's what the 2007 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey says: "The longer-term pattern is one of declining use. Between 2000 and 2007, prevalence rates among Florida students dropped across the all but one ATOD [alcohol, tobacco and other drug] category. Most notably, past-30-day cigarette, marijuana, alcohol and smokeless tobacco use declined 9.0, 3.4, 3.1 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively."

If you want to see more results, including county by county breakdowns, click here.

(Image from US Department of Justice Red Ribbon Web site)

Today's news

STUDENTS PAY THE PRICE: A group of East Bay High IB students studying the presidential election get penalized for attending Obama and McCain rallies during school hours, as the district rules the field trips were not official school business. (Times photo, Melissa Lyttle)

LONGER HOURS, SAME PAY: Pinellas middle school teachers complain that a schedule change, aimed in part at saving millions, is wearing them down.

SMALLER RAISE OFFERED: But that's okay with Hernando teachers, who don't want to see anyone laid off just so others can make more money.

ALL IN THE WORDING: Pasco schools have seen a decrease in dropouts. But the Republicans get it wrong in an ad supporting superintendent Heather Fiorentino's reelection when they claim that the district's dropout rate has declined by 37 percent.

A STUDY IN CONTRAST: Nina Hayden and Sean O'Flannery have some real differences in their views as they compete for Pinellas School Board District 2.

TOP OF THE CLASS: Sixth-grade project is a real head turner (Hernando Fox Chapel Middle); Teens, youngsters care about election (Hernando Central High); 25 educators making a difference (Pinellas schools); Exceptional students find their niche (Pasco Wesley Chapel High)

LONG-DISTANCE LESSONS: A Fort Myers woman teaches Latin lessons to high school students in Connecticut from her Florida condo, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

STUDENTS RALLY FOR AMENDMENT 8: They say their community colleges need more funding to deal with difficult economic times, the Miami Herald reports.

BUSING THE VOTE: Palm Beach joins Broward in taking voting-age students by bus to early voting stations, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

DOWN TO BUSINESS: Manatee's new superintendent, Tim McGonegal, begins visiting schools to get to know the academic side of the district. A finance guy, he's never taught a class, the Bradenton Herald reports.

ECONOMY HITS PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Most see increases in the numbers of families requesting financial aid, and several see their enrollment shrink, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

AROUND THE NATION: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tells educators to prepare for immediate deep cuts to the school system - perhaps as much as $4-billion - in order to deal with the state's huge deficit, the LA Times reports. The US Department of Education issues new NCLB rules aimed at improving graduation rates, the Washington Post reports.

Show them the benefits

Loads of Pasco teachers and support personnel have been e-mailing School Board members complaining about their health insurance benefits. Their concern? The open enrollment period ends Nov. 7, yet there's no formal deal in place to guarantee the district will pay the $191 increased cost per employee.

"Our employees need a signed agreement for their benefits," USEP president Lynne Webb told the Gradebook. "There are wastebaskets all over cluttered with broken promises."

Retiring board member Marge Whaley said she's urging teachers who contact her not to worry, as the issue is not on the table for the board.

"Last year it wasn't signed off until after open enrollment was over, and nobody said a word," Whaley told the Gradebook, attributing this year's more militant stance to the pending superintendent's election. "It's going to be signed when the contract is going to be signed."

From Klan leader to Klan buster

The Duval County School Board may finally change the name of one of Jacksonville's most notorious high schools – the one named for Nathan Bedford Forrest (left), an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. And as a Forrest grad (class of '86), I'd like to humbly offer the board another option for consideration:

How about Stetson Kennedy High?

Stetson Kennedy (right) is an American folk hero, an author and activist best known for infiltrating the Klan in the 1940s. The guy knows more about Florida than just about anybody. He hung out with Zora Neale Hurston (lucky dog!). And unlike Forrest, a Civil War general with Mississippi roots, Kennedy is a Jacksonville native, which would seem to make re-naming the school after him even more appropriate.

The best part about a Kennedy High: The students could still call themselves the "Rebels," and it would be spot on.   

According to this story in the Florida Times Union, the school advisory council voted to rename the school Firestone High, after the bland little road it sits on.

Yawn. Please, no. A few years back, there was talk of re-naming the school after Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher , a Forrest grad who was shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War and who remains missing. That'd work, too.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

NCLB to target dropout rates

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is in South Carolina today to announce the latest changes to No Child Left Behind. The new twist is that schools now will have to improve their dropout rates in order to attain adequate yearly progress, or AYP, under the federal law.

And it's not just a school's overall rate that must decline, the AP reports (via USA Today). The new regulations will apply to all demographic subgroups, so Hispanic students, for example, do not fall behind while the rest of the student body shows gains. And for the first time, all states will be required to measure dropouts using the same formula.

"We haven't really tackled high school accountability, and this is a giant step toward doing that," Spellings told the AP.

NCLB remains controversial, with some groups calling for even bigger changes and others pushing for its demise. Congress has yet to renew the legislation, and the Bush administration is on its way out. Who knows where this really is headed.

Spellings plans to make her formal announcement at noon. Interested? You can catch the Web cast live by clicking here at noon. To see the DOE's press release on the new rules, click here. To read an interesting take from the Fordham Foundation, click here.

Delaney tapped to take chancellor's duties

With Mark Rosenberg on his way out as the chancellor of Florida's university system, the Board of Governors needed someone to run the ship as it looked for the next permanent leader.

Board chairwoman Sheila McDevitt has found that man in John Delaney.

She is recommending that the University of North Florida president (and former Jacksonville mayor) become "president in residence," assuming many of the chancellor's duties while remaining in charge at UNF, the BOG announced moments ago.

"I am grateful to President Delaney and UNF for agreeing to assist the Board of Governors during this time of transition," McDevitt said in a news release. "This is an important time for the board and for the State University System, and his service will be invaluable."

The recommendation will go to the full board in November. Delaney, who said he will not seek the chancellor's job, said he looked forward to the job.

"UNF's strategy in Tallahassee has always been consistent with the Board of Governors' priorities, and our Board of  Trustees at UNF wants to assist the university system during this time in transition and budgetary climate," he said in a news release.

Be creative

Whenever money gets tight in schools, we always hear about how teachers in the classroom are "creative" and "resourceful" - code words meaning they'll find ways to do more with less, or they'll just spend their own money to make ends meet.

Maybe Florida education leaders should do the same, the Port St. Lucie Tribune editorializes.

In an editorial headlined "Schools can't save any more? Don't drink school officials' Cool-aid," the paper suggests that districts' tinkering around the edges of budgets won't do any longer. If they say they've run out of places to cut, the paper contends, they aren't looking hard enough.

"Every expense that doesn't directly relate to classroom instruction demands scrutiny. This ranges from big-ticket items such as transportation to the smallest cell phone bill. As long as busing programs and personal spiffs like district-paid mobile phones roll on unabated, the taxpaying public will remain unimpressed by officials' professions of poverty."

We've heard school employee groups say much the same as they push for raises. Notably, though, the tax-paying general public hasn't made a lot of noise during the school district budget hearings that we've attended.

With more cuts looming, and the general outlook bleak, we look forward to seeing how districts respond. Equally interesting will be how the affected parties - if any - react. We've met booster club members before. Stay tuned.

Today's news

THE ROUTES REMAIN THE SAME: Hillsborough won't make any more sweeping bus route changes next year, following this year's transportation fiasco.

CIVIC LEADERS VIE FOR SEAT: Ken Peluso and Robin Wikle aim to distinguish themselves as they seek votes for Pinellas School Board District 4.

BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME: Pasco's John Long Middle helps students understand the importance of the presidential election with a student-run debate that's broadcast into every classroom. (Times photo, Lance Aram Rothstein)

WHO'S IT GOING TO BE? The State University System is expected to name its interim chancellor today, the Palm Beach Post reports.

BUSING THE VOTE: Broward gives voting-age students bus rides to early polling stations, the Miami Herald reports.

UNACCOUNTED FOR: Audits turn up $13-million in missing property from Broward schools, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

CHEAPER TO REBUILD: Manatee will knock down part of historic Manatee High, despite pleas from some alumni, because it's less expensive to rebuild the aging structure than fix it up, the Herald-Tribune reports.

NEW SUPERINTENDENT: Tim McGonegal, Manatee's assistant superintendent for finances, will move up to the top spot, the Bradenton Herald reports.

HARDER TO GET IN: Admissions fall but applications rise at the University of Florida medical school, the Independent Alligator reports.

Chancellor deadline: July 1

The Board of Governor's chancellor search committee hopes to have a full-time replacement for outgoing Mark Rosenberg (left) in place no later than July 1, members said during the group's first meeting this morning.

Until then, the board will consider doling out some of Rosenberg's duties to one of the system's university presidents, with an announcement coming perhaps as early as this week, the Orlando Sentinel's education blog reports. Whoever fills in will not be a candidate for the full-time job, though.

Rosenberg leaves the post on Feb. 13.

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McCain wants to take Florida voucher nationwide

To help students with special needs, John McCain says he would use Florida's McKay vouchers as a starting point for other states to develop their own programs that allow parents to choose public or private schools, with federal funding following the child. This story offers a bit more about what both McCain and Barack Obama would do for students with disabilities.

Ron Matus, state education reporter

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Upgrading ESOL

This afternoon, the Florida Department of Education holds a public hearing on new rules for the teaching of English as a second language.

Ordinarily, such meetings come and go without much notice. But some South Florida educators, notably former Miami-Dade board member and retired FIU professor Rosa Castro-Feinberg and her colleagues, are raising the red flag on the effort.

Their concerns are many, and they range from procedure to content.

Today's news

MORE WOMEN THAN MEN: In Florida and nationally, women outpace men in attending and completing college. And the divide is growing. (Times photo, Kainaz Amaria)

SPEAKING OF GENDER EQUITY: Florida Gulf Coast University is one school where women outnumber men in almost every category. Yet it is working out everyone's roles and status amid a series of lawsuits, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

CONCERN ABOUT CHARTERS: Some parents worry that charter schools are taking money away from the traditional system at a time the districts least can afford it, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

ELECT OR APPOINT? Marion voters will decide whether to keep on choosing their school superintendent or give the choice to the School Board, the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

HEY, KID. WANT TO TAKE A TEST? The Manatee school district is looking for volunteers to participate in its random drug-testing program. Parents can sign up their kids, or teens can join up themselves, the Herald-Tribune reports.

NO COSTUMES ON CAMPUS: FAMU says students should dress normally despite Halloween, for safety reasons, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

SLIP IN STUDENTS: Brevard schools see a third straight year of declining enrollment, Florida Today reports.

PICKING THE RIGHT COLLEGE: It's getting tougher to do as families endure the tight economy, USA Today reports. Many are looking to public schools instead of the more expensive private ones, USA Today reports.

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Coming up

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Monday: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 9 a.m.; State University System, chancellor search committee, 10 a.m. conference call; Department of Education, public hearing on ESOL and reading inservice requirements, 1 p.m., Tallahassee

Tuesday: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.; Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.; Florida Board of Governors/Division of Community Colleges joint workshop, 10 a.m., Jacksonville

Wednesday: State University System, facilities and real estate committee, 2 p.m. conference call; Distance Learning Task Force, 9:30 a.m. conference call

Thursday: State University System, academic programs team, 8:30 a.m. conference call; State University System, legislative, governmental and community affairs committee, 3 p.m. conference call

Nov. 3: Distance Learning Task Force, 2 p.m. conference call

Nov. 4: Election Day, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Distance Learning Task Force, 10 a.m. conference call

Nov. 6: Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Buena Vista

Nov. 11: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m.; Veterans Day, No school for students in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco

Nov. 13: Hillsborough School Board, workshop, 1:30 p.m.; State Apprenticeship Advisory Council, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College

Nov. 18: Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.; Hernando School Board, workshop 2 p.m., meeting 7 p.m.; Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

Nov. 25: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Pinellas schools

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving holiday begins for Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando schools

Today's news

ASK THE COMPUTER: Hillsborough schools have plenty of seats for all the students. The seats just aren't always where the students attend. So the district has hired a consultant to help redraw the map.

TRUE OR FALSE? The Times evaluates some of the claims made by Pasco superintendent candidates Stephen Donaldson and Heather Fiorentino.

CLARK VS. CROCKETT: The race for Pinellas School Board District 1 has focused on style, but a debate turns up some differences on substance as well.

A WINNING IDEA: Presidents of the 12 SEC universities, including the University of Florida, decide to use athletics revenue to bolster academic programs, a smart move all around, the Times editorializes.

ESOL FIGHT CONTINUES: The Florida Department of Education considers changes to ESOL teacher training that could dilute the standards, something the state can ill afford, Miami Herald columnist Myriam Marquez writes.

READY FOR REFERENDUM: Collier officials face strong opposition to a proposal that would decrease the district's capital tax rate and transfer the amount to the operating fund, the Naples Daily News reports. With sidebar.

MORE MEALS: The demand for free and reduced-price lunches in Treasure Coast schools rises to unprecedented levels, and more kid are buying cafeteria meals as food prices skyrocket, the Vero Beach Press-Journal reports.

DREAM DELAYED: The economic downturn is forcing Floridians to rethink their college options, the Miami Herald reports.

'GREEN' DEGREES: Palm Beach Community College begins offering programs in alternative energies, the Palm Beach Post reports.

A SENSE OF LEARNING: A preschool in Manatee adopts a teaching philosophy, established in Italy, that emphasizes touch, movement, seeing, listening and hearing, the Bradenton Herald reports.

NEW MATH CONCERNS: The state's latest math requirements call for ninth-graders to be ready for algebra. But many won't be there, and Leon counselors are looking at how to help, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

A weekend interview with ...

... Jennifer Baggerly, a University of South Florida assistant professor for counselor education. She spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about her recent research report, The Impact of the 2004 Hurricanes on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Scores: Implications for School Counselor.

First off, just tell me a little bit about how you decided you wanted to study the effects you studied.

Previous research studies have shown that after hurricanes, children have emotional distress, psychological distress, and children have even said that they have a hard time concentrating in school and they don't do as well on tests after hurricanes. So I wondered if children's concerns and disruptions after hurricanes would disrupt their FCAT scores. Because I heard after ... the 2004 hurricanes - Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan - that many people were afraid the students' FCAT scores would plummet.

Did you look at students who were directly affected by the hurricanes, or everyone in Florida?

What I did was I looked at students who were directly impacted by the hurricanes and compared them to the students who were not in a direct hit area. So I looked at students who were in schools that had a direct hit of a hurricane in their area, from one of the four 2004 hurricanes, vs. students who lived in Florida but did not have a direct hit in their area.

And you found what?

I found that practically, basically, there was no practical difference. There was a small difference in their FCAT scores, but not enough difference to have really any practical significance. I'm trying to explain it in layman's terms. Not enough to make a big difference in their actual test scores.

Does that take into account the students who were so affected that they had to move away?

Today's news

THE RISING PRICE OF PROGRESS: Pinellas, like many other Florida districts, increases the cost of obtaining a GED. For many low-income adults seeking to get ahead, the $20 hike is a lot. (Times photo, Willie J. Allen Jr.)

SOME SHOW AND TELL: A Clearwater kindergartner brings his grandparents' gun to school to show his friends. No one was hurt. Policy dictates that the 6-year-old be recommended for expulsion.

LEAVE NCLB BEHIND: The national education "reform" effort undermines childhood and destroys some kids' self-esteem, Hillsborough mom Susan Green writes in an op-ed piece.

MENTORS IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS: That's just one idea Jill Biden, wife of Democrat VP hopeful Joe Biden, talks about in an education discussion with the Florida Times-Union.

STILL FIGHTING OVER RAISES: Polk teachers and the administration reach impasse over contract talks, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

'10% FOR ONE, 10% FOR ALL': That's the new slogan for FAU profs, who want the same percentage raise that campus president Frank Brogan got, the Palm Beach Post reports.

IS ANYBODY LISTENING? Outgoing Lake superintendent Anna Cowin offers up some new ideas to save money, much to the annoyance of the School Board that wants her gone, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview with Jennifer Baggerly, USF assistant professor of counselor education, who recently studied the effects of hurricanes on FCAT performance.

Why we didn't run lists ranking teachers

Tens of thousands of teachers. All listed by name. All ranked by the state.

What a gold mine.

What newspaper would obtain a list like that and not run it? Well, this one.

Today's story about teachers being rated by the FCAT noted in passing that the St. Petersburg Times had obtained rankings that the state Department of Education put together, for free, to satisfy a request from one of Jeb Bush's education foundations.

Publishing the rankings would have been potentially explosive. But we didn't do it. And we wanted to explain why.

What's in a certificate?

During the race for Pasco superintendent, critics of incumbent Heather Fiorentino have argued she lacks the academic credentials to hold the school district's top job. (Nevermind that the state Constitution sets forth limited qualifications.)

In fact, Fiorentino -- though a teacher and former lawmaker -- doesn't meet the minimum requirements to hold an assistant principal's job in Pasco schools. She would need a master's degree for that. Challenger Stephen Donaldson, by contrast, has his master's in education leadership and time spent as a military officer.

To counter the attack, Fiorentino has noted that while actually doing the job -- a qualification of its own -- she completed not just basic superintendent training through the state superintendent's association during her tenure, but also the group's second-level CEO leadership program.

In turn, some of our readers have asked for more explanation of these certification programs. Just not familiar with them, you said. So we dug up the information on the programs, which superintendent's association executive director (and retired Leon superintendent) Bill Montford calls "legit," and present them to you now.

For more details, read on.

Report card payola

School districts are doing it in Chicago, New York, D.C. and elsewhere. Florida lawmakers have toyed with the idea from time to time, too. So we ask you:

Should school systems pay students for good grades?
Yes, it's a way to encourage academic excellence
No, it's bribery

Where students skip, teachers skip?

The national report that prompted this story in today's St. Petersburg Times also mentioned this fact: Teachers are more likely to have higher rates of absences in schools where students have higher rates of absences.

"This makes sense if student attendance is thought of as a barometer of teachers' working conditions," the report says. "It also makes sense in that the student absence rate is standing in for an indicator of school poverty."

But here's a question that gives researchers pause: Are teachers in high-poverty schools more likely to be absent because the job is more stressful? Or could it be, because of the way some districts shuffle around sub-par teachers, that high-poverty schools have more teachers who aren't as motivated as most of their peers?

Today's news

FLORIDA'S BEST? Using the FCAT as a guide, Jeb Bush's foundation offers awards to teachers the group considers the "best." Though outcomes are increasingly used to determine an educators' skill, the question about how to use test scores remains a hotly contested issue. (Times photo, Mike Pease)

ABSENCES AND ACHIEVEMENT: New research suggests that teacher absences are higher at high-poverty schools, where performance lags; data from Pinellas appears to confirm the report.

TOP COUNSELOR: Linda Sullivan of Safety Harbor Middle is named Florida Middle School Counselor of the Year.

NEW SCHOOL OKAYED: Pasco approves construction plans for a new high school in Hudson despite neighbors' concerns about increased traffic.

TEACHER PLEADS GUILTY: Former Middleton High teacher Christina Butler says she's guilty of the charges that she had sex with a 16-year-old student.

LEARNING ABOUT LOSS: Some Miramar High students see their stocks sink as they play the national Stock Market Game during the crash, the Miami Herald reports. One hundred shares of Wachovia, anyone? At least their portfolio wasn't real.

GOING BACKWARD: Florida students are less likely to graduate from high school than their parents, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

ECONOMY STICKS IT TO FLORIDA'S UNIVERSITIES: The Medill News Service offers an overview of the ripple effect that the state's budget woes are having on higher education.

THEIR CHOICE IS TO STAY: Fewer Broward students at Title I schools that didn't make adequate yearly progress choose to mo