Pasco begins major rezoning effort

Pasco school officials took the first steps today toward a major revision of the district’s west-county middle and high school attendance zones.

The effort, which could affect thousands of students, started with a committee assigned to draw boundaries for a new high school that is to open in 2010 on Chicago Avenue at State Road 52. Representatives from Hudson and River Ridge high schools submitted proposals (EEE_Recommendation 1, EEE_Recommendation 2, EEE_Recommendation 3) and discussed those along with a suggested map from the district planning department.

“That gets the ball rolling,” planning director Chris Williams told the Gradebook.

USF installs emergency warning sirens on Tampa campus

TAMPA -- If the University of South Florida is ever the scene of a Virginia Tech-style rampage, students, faculty and staff will be alerted by eight emergency sirens recently installed around campus.

The sirens, a throwback to the civil defense warning systems of the Cold War, are being installed and will be tested in coming weeks, the university announced today. As soon as next week, people on campus could hear chimes or a few words being spoken over the loudspeakers as the system is hooked up.

Each has a siren, strobe light and loudspeaker and is capable of sending out a loud warning noise, followed by a very short message. The sirens are designed to give students and others a first warning about an emergency. Other information would be available through text messages, the school's Web site or digital signs on campus. The system could be used to send alerts on tornadoes, chemical spills or fires.

Lawmakers inch closer on preK-12 budget

The preK-12 budget conference committee just met, with the Senate providing its counteroffer to last night’s House bid. The sides appear to be moving quickly to agreement, though the talk today was about provisions in the budget, not the funding numbers themselves. That comes later today. New in the Senate offer:

• A pitch to preserve bonuses for all of Florida’s National Board certified teachers. The House plan was to limit the bonuses, which have been $5,000 a year, to classroom teachers in low-performing schools. “We don’t want to disenfranchise people who work hard,” said Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville.
• A proposal to waive green building requirements for school districts during the 2009-10 school year, which would let districts meet building standards but not have to spend more money on environmentally friendly materials.
• A plan to create a pilot study for English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, teacher training. The study would look at whether teachers with fewer hours of training could provide the same quality instruction as teachers receiving more training.

Layoff talk in Pasco is just talk, officials say

Rumors are flying fast and furious around Pasco County schools that this teacher or that bus driver is going to be out of a job come the end of the school year.

The United School Employees of Pasco spent the bulk of this week's representative council meeting reviewing the district rules for laying someone off, and how those compare to a reduction in force and an involuntary transfer.

But the bottom line remains: The district has not announced a single layoff.

"A lot of misperceptions are being communicated to people, or people are misunderstanding what they hear," USEP president Lynne Webb told the Gradebook.

Just the facts, please: Proposed law would limit school districts' advocacy role

A Senate bill that unexpectedly zipped through the House last night -- the House companion stalled out in committee -- would make it even harder for school districts (and other government entities) to campaign on behalf of issues that matter to them.

The proposal, which is headed back to the Senate for one more vote, prohibits the use of any government funds for ads or other types of electioneering relating to matters headed to the voters.

It sets forth exceptions for communications "limited to factual information" and makes clear that elected officials may voice their opinions "on any issue at any time."

Still, some school district folks worry that this legislation would limit their ability to promote a local sales tax for education, for instance, or to take a position on the class-size amendment if it returns to the ballot.

Of course, there's always that point that local government uses everyone's money, and not everyone supports the issues that the government wants to see enacted. This one flew under the radar for many in Tally, though, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Stay tuned.

Bright Futures benefits dimming...

Bright Futures won't be so bright next year for Florida's top university undergraduates, who are likely to be paying a greater percentage of their tuition costs.

The latest budget offer between the House and Senate on higher ed funding keeps the scholarships at current-year levels -- and does not increase the funding to match even the base increase tuition of 8 percent likely to be approved this session. On top of that, universities are about to get the green light to raise tuition by an additional 7 percent, for a total of 15 percent.

"We're trying really hard to hang on to the program, but the funding is making it difficult," said Sen. Evelyn Lynn, chair of the Senate's higher ed funding committee. We would love for it to cover that 8 percent, but we don't have the money. It's just not there."

FCAT writing scores show improvement

Perhaps it comes as no surprise, but the statewide FCAT Writing results continued to hold steady with slight variations from last year.

The average fourth-grade score was 4.0, up from 3.8. The average eighth-grade score rose to 4.3 from 4.2. The average tenth-grade score dipped from 3.9 to 3.8. The percentage of students scoring 4.0 or better continued to rise in fourth and eighth grade. (The scores are based on a six-point scale.)

Locally, the county averages looked like this:

Hernando: 3.9 (fourth grade), 4.1 (eighth grade) and 3.8 (tenth grade)
Hillsborough: 4.1 (fourth grade), 4.6 (eighth grade) and 4.0 (tenth grade)
Pasco: 3.8 (fourth grade), 4.1 (eighth grade) and 3.7 (tenth grade)
Pinellas: 4.0 (fourth grade), 4.3 (eighth grade) and 3.9 (tenth grade)

The fluctuations were minimal in each county. Hernando and Pasco fourth graders saw their average score increase by 0.2, while Hillsborough's went up 0.3. Many of the other average scores remained the same as last year, or changed by 0.1.

The full state report including school-by-school numbers are available on the Florida Department of Education Web site. The DOE does not plan to have a briefing to discuss the data.

Pinellas school district honors 2009 PRIDE award winners

The Pinellas County school district has recognized more than 400 fifth- and eighth-graders who excel in math, science, social studies, writing and world languages with PRIDE awards.

PRIDE, which stands for Program to Recognize Initiative and Distinction in Education, was a Florida initiative that the district decided to continue after the state dropped its funding. Ditek Inc. of Largo has provided money for the awards for many years.

Fifth-graders must maintain an A average in their subject throughout the year to win a PRIDE award. They also must earn the highest score in their class on a county-developed test and demonstrate a positive attitude.

Eighth-graders must maintain a 3.5 average in their subject throughout middle school, show interest in it through participation in clubs, and exhibit good citizenship.

Here is the list of this year’s PRIDE Award Recipients.

Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

*

Today's education news: Field trips, spelling bees, charter school rules and more

HEADED TO THE BEE: Brandon Academy student Alina Meador can't say she's not good at spelling any more -- she's headed to the national spelling bee. (Times photo, Skip O'Rourke)

FOLLOW THE RULES: Hillsborough Community College needs to adhere to Ybor City's height restrictions if it wants to win approval for a new student services building.

125 AND GOING STRONG: St. Anthony Catholic School celebrates its continued success.

GETTING READY: Principal David Brown prepares Strawberry Crest High for its fall opening.

TO LIFE! Students at Longleaf Elementary spend 15 minutes a day learning about how to live a healthier, longer life -- the online studies are the highlight of their day.

GUILTY: A former PHCC instructor pleads guilty to forging her nurse's license, one of the credentials she needed to get hired.

IT'S GOOD TO BE STEINBRENNER: Hillsborough's new Steinbrenner High will have close ties to the Yankees, with plenty of sports-themed curriculum.

CHARTER SCHOOL FAILURE: Imagine School's plans for Riverview falter.

FOCUS: Northwest Florida State College needs to reset its priorities for student learning and away from political cronyism, the Times editorializes.

FEWER FIELD TRIPS: Florida schools are not alone in canceling student trips as a way to save money, USA Today reports.

FINGERS CROSSED: Florida university leaders are hoping for lesser budget cuts than initially proposed, but still are preparing for the worst, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • House budget negotiators did agree to come closer to the Senate higher ed spending plan, which made smaller reductions, the AP reports.

NEW CHARTER RULES: The Legislature sends a bill that would force more accountability on charter schools to the governor, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

THE NAME GAME: Manatee Community College president Lars Hafner says he did not violate the Sunshine Law in changing the school's name to State College of Florida, the Bradenton Herald reports.

FINISH UP AND MOVE ON: Florida lawmakers are considering whether to charge in-state college students extra tuition if they take too many credits, the Palm Beach Post reports.

RACIAL BALANCE THREATENED: A select committee finds that Orange's plan to close six schools would undermine the district's desegregation effort, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

STARTING OVER: A struggling Escambia school will get a brand new staff to give it new life, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

AP, IB funding safe; construction money, not so

Courtesy of Patricia Mazzei, Miami Herald:

In a win for school districts, leaders of the House and Senate committees hashing out a compromise pre-K-12 education budget agreed late Wednesday not to cut funding to Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other rigorous high school courses.

The Senate had originally proposed slashing money for the popular, college-level classes in half, as well as reducing the bonuses teachers receive when their students pass the course exams. School districts cried foul, saying that was unfair to do in a year when a new high school grading system will give more weight to those advanced course offerings.

Senators reversed their position earlier Wednesday, and House members accepted the change Wednesday night.

Graduation standards push is dead this year

The first major piece of education legislation declared dead this session is the push to raise graduation standards for high school students.

Senate sponsor Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, said tonight that SB 2654 won't be heard on the Senate floor --- though the proposal passed the House barely one week ago --- because there's just not time.

Imagine charter startup fails in Riverview

RIVERVIEW -- A new charter school that would have served at least 230 students will not open this fall, Hillsborough County schools officials said Wednesday.

The startup bid by Imagine Schools, a national charter school provider, was blocked after the company was unable to secure a loan to build a facility near U.S. 301 and Big Bend Road, said district supervisor Jenna Hodgens.

"They said it was due to the state of the economy, that people were just not loaning money," she added. "That’s why they backed out."

State releases latest quarterly financial reports

Folks have shown a great deal of interest in the latest FEFP report. Aiming to please, we'll provide the complete document for your review.

Among the highlights:

• Unweighted FTE increased by 4,271 to 2,618,006
• FEFP base funding increased by $19,736,062
• Total required local effort decreased by $9,085,093

Enjoy the numbers!

Senate budget offer has some good news

The first offer is in for the preK-12 budget conference committee, and the news is good, especially for the popular Virtual School. The Senate moves to the House position in a number of key areas:

• Per-student funding: Senate moves per-student funding to $6,893, about a $33 increase over the 2008-09 level. That offer is higher than either the previous Senate position (keeping constant at $6,860.36) or the House position ($6,890.46).

• Virtual School: The Senate backs away from a planned 15 percent cut to the Florida Virtual School's $116 million budget, using the House model to eliminate class size reduction funds and other measures. The total funds-per-student reduction is about 10 percent, the Senate says. The offer also kills the plan to scale back virtual offerings to just core high school courses, meaning no more summer programs, enrichment or credit recovery courses. "I've come to my senses," said Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, chair of the preK-12 budget conference committee.

• AP/IB funding: The Senate proposes keeping money for popular advanced placement and International Baccalaureate classes untouched, unlike its previous plan to halve funding for training and instructional materials and pare the teacher bonus for students who pass the rigorous course exams. School districts have been trying to ramp up AP and IB offerings to prepare for a new high school grading system next year that puts more weight on those courses.

Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said the Senate's offer looks good on first glance.

"We've kept our commitment to keep per-student spending at the same level," she said. "We'll have to spend some time going through it."

*

Pasco makes plans for two new principals

Candidates for Pasco's two principal vacancies will get to make their cases Monday, when the superintendent and her key staff will interview the hopefuls in advance of Tuesday's School Board meeting.

Just two candidates have applied for each post. They are:

Zephyrhills High -- Steve Van Gorden, currently principal of Hudson Middle; and Jennifer Crosby, currently assistant principal of Wesley Chapel High.

Sunray Elementary -- Judith Cosh, currently assistant principal of Chasco Elementary; and Lee Anne Yerkey, currently assistant principal of Richey Elementary.

Zephyrhills is being run by an assistant principal after Gerri Painter's abrupt resignation this month. Sunray needs a leader because Yvonne Reins is being reassigned to Cox Elementary.

Assistant superintendent Jim Davis told the Gradebook the staff could have its recommendation to the School Board ready for Tuesday, depending on how the conversations go.

*

New school partners with N.Y. Yankees

LUTZ -- Name a school after the right guy, get a little World Series magic.

That seems to be happening for the new George Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, which may soon have a lot more to do with the New York Yankees than simply being named for its owner.

Officials at the school say they'll offer a sports-themed career track for every student who wants it. Think sports medicine, marketing, agenting, turf management -- just about anything connected to the behind-the-scenes world of professional sports.

And the Yankees say the doors at their Tampa spring training facility are open for Steinbrenner students hoping to don the pinstripes for an internship, job shadowing experience or back-office mentor.

"There’s a thousand different fields you can go into that are related to sports in one way or another," said senior vice president Felix Lopez. "If they love the sports world, there are many opportunities to contribute and be part of that."

Lawmakers move to protect dependent information

Florida lawmakers today signed off on legislation designed to stem the outrage created last fall when a Polk County resident started requesting information about school district employees' dependent children.

HB 135 would exempt personal identifying information about the dependent children of all public agency employees from the state's open records law. Senators unanimously passed the measure this morning, just six days after it won unanimous support in the House.

Joel Chandler, the man whose information requests whipped up the frenzy, has said he doesn't think the bill goes far enough to protect the records. Most recently, Chandler wrote on his blog that he has found that several other groups and individuals have requested information similar to what he has been seeking.

*

House backs lose-a-book, pay-the-price idea

By a 111-6 vote, the House today approved a plan to require students who lose or damage instructional materials to pay schools 100 percent replacement costs.

SB 1248, passed unanimously by the Senate this month, changes current law, which requires students to repay costs for lost or damaged books at a rate of 50 to 75 percent if more than a year old.

The bill now heads back to the Senate because of an amendment by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, adding civics as a requirement for middle schoolers and a provison to promote service-learning programs in K-12 schools.

*

Bill to raise tuition headed to the governor

Two days after the Senate passed a bill to allow all state universities to raise tuition as much as 15 percent a year, the House followed suit today on a 101-17 vote. The measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Charlie Crist, who made it one of his legislative priorities for 2009.

SB 762 allows all 11 state universities to charge a tuition differential, or supplement, which is a power previously awarded to the University of Florida, Florida State, South Florida, Central Florida and Florida International.

Combined with base tuition, the increases cannot equal more than 15 percent a year and must be approved by the Board of Governors, the goal being to get Florida to the national average of more than $6,500 for tuition and fees. In-state tuition and fees for a full-time student in Florida are now less than $3,900 a year.

Pinellas has no plans to increase Title 1 schools

After reading that Brevard County is considering placing almost half its schools under the Title 1 umbrella in order to spread its federal stimulus dollars as far as possible, the Gradebook asked Pinellas officials if they were considering a similar plan.

Deputy superintendent Harry Brown said the district has been looking at ways to categorize school staffs to make the best use of the stimulus dollars earmarked for Title 1 schools, or those serving low-income students. But there are no plans to increase the number of Title 1 schools, Brown said.

In fact, he said, the district has been talking about reducing the number of Title 1 schools to give more money to the neediest students.

Today's education news: Virtual School, a song lawsuit, Twitter and more

WHY CUT WHAT WORKS? Education reform advocates around the country puzzle over why Florida leaders would want to scale back Florida Virtual School, one of the state's most successful and admired initiatives of the past decade. (Times photo, Kathleen Flynn)

LET'S MAKE A DEAL: Florida lawmakers begin to compromise on the state budget. Initial agreements call for reducing higher ed funding by $100 million more.

WASHING THEIR HANDS OF THE MESS: Northwest Florida State College trustees fire their president and terminate the airport project that got the president and the former Florida House speaker indicted.

ONLINE ACCESS FOR TEACHERS: Hillsborough considers how much personal use of computers during school time is too much.

TOP OF THE CLASS: Cool cats, hot coffee, hip verse • Coachman Middle School students win 24 math scholarships • Hernando salutes Eastside Elementary student for saving pal with Heimlich maneuver • Genesis Preparatory School valedictorian and salutatorian • Pasco High School valedictorian and salutatorian • Explorer K-8 pajama read-a-thon helps kids get comfortable with books • Head Start students in Hernando enjoy Day of the Book

GIVE US THE WAIVER: The U.S. DOE should grant Florida a waiver so the state can qualify for education stabilization funds even though state lawmakers don't always do right by public schools, the Palm Beach Post editorializes. • Then, the Florida Legislature should finally stand up for students, the Miami Herald editorializes.

PARENTS SUE AGAIN: Fresh from winning an injunction against the song In God We Still Trust, some St. Johns parents go to court to ban their school from performing Chatter With the Angels, the Florida Times-Union reports.

THE TWITTERING CLASS: Collier becomes the latest Florida school district to use Twitter, the Naples Daily News reports.

DOUBLE DIPPING: St. Lucie teachers criticize the district for rehiring an administrator who had just retired from the same job under DROP, the Port St. Lucie Tribune reports.

DID THEY DO IT RIGHT? Legal experts question whether Manatee Community College acted properly in choosing a new name, the Bradenton Herald reports.

COSTLY BENEFITS: Seminole can't avoid insurance cost increases, which likely means higher fees for district employees, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

STIMULUS PLANS: Brevard outlines how it would use federal stimulus money in its application for nearly $17 million, Florida Today reports.

AROUND THE NATION: Some colleges are looking into their applicants' social network sites, the LA Times reports. • AP teachers worry that the program is losing is luster as it grows too rapidly, the NY Times reports.

*

Seminole High School marching band invited to 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Somehow, Seminole High School marching band director Dan Wood managed to keep it a secret for an entire week that the Warhawk Marching Band is one of 10 high school bands in the country invited to perform in the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Wood found out about the invitation last Tuesday but kept it to himself until tonight, when incoming and returning band students and their parents met for the first time in the school auditorium.

The 2010 trip will be the first time a Pinellas County high school band has participated in the Macy’s parade.

“I’ve been applying for a lot of years,” Wood said Tuesday afternoon before the announcement. “I’ve been humbled by the rejection letters.”

San Antonio parents will have to keep waiting on after-school program

Parents hoping to have answers to their after-school child care needs at San Antonio Elementary won't be getting any final results by May 5, as the School Board had hoped.

"I'm not going to make the board's deadline," board member Joanne Hurley, assigned by her colleagues to mediate a solution, told the Gradebook.

Hurley sat with several top-level district administrators to discuss the fate of the popular Coaches' Camp, which superintendent Heather Fiorentino has proposed ousting in favor of the district-run Place program. What she found was "a whole lot of possibilities that come into play."

These require more review and conversation before coming up with a compromise or any other type of solution to the standoff between the district and the parents over child care, Hurley said. "I will ask to continue this past the board meeting."

*

Pasco union, district agree on terms to let reading coaches keep jobs

After the Pasco School Board redefined the job descriptions of about 100 reading and literacy teachers, those educators feared they might be let go if they didn't win one of the newly minted positions.

In negotiations that lasted all day Monday, representatives of the district and the United School Employees of Pasco arrived at terms that would ensure everyone who currently has a job and still wants one will have one, USEP president Lynne Webb told the Gradebook.

"Some of them have been with the district 25 or 30 years," Webb said. "They certainly are not going to be out on the street."

Pinellas County career technical education students shine in state contest

Pinellas County students have returned home from the 42nd annual Florida SkillsUSA competition in Manatee County with 15 medals: four gold, seven silver and four bronze.

Students from the Clearwater and St. Petersburg campuses of the Pinellas Technical Education Centers received 75 medals at the competition, which involved high school and post-secondary career technical students from throughout the state in more than 100 technical skills and leadership competitions.

The four gold medal winners – Kelly Francis, Seminole vocational Education Center; John Strong, East Lake High; Tony Taylor, Pinellas Park High; and Samantha Robertson, Pinellas Park High – will compete at the national level in June in Kansas City.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers, and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. Its mission is to provide quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development.

Donna Winchester, Pinellas Education Reporter

*

Voucher bill headed to governor's desk

The folks that bring you Florida's corporate tax credit scholarships took no time in announcing the Senate's 26-11 passage of HB 453, which would permit insurance companies to participate and make it easier for families to apply.

Unlike in the House, where half the Democratic members backed the measure, Senate Democratic support was more muted. But Step Up For Students leaders took heart in the fact that half the legislative Black Caucus and the entire Hispanic Caucus voted for the bill.

Way back in the beginning (2001), the concept was created with just one Democrat on board.

“It’s so gratifying to see how far we have come politically,” Step Up for Students founder John Kirtley (in the yellow shirt) said in a news release. “The more that people know about our program, the more they can see that we’re a partner with public schools, that our goal is to help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity.”

Currently, about 23,400 low-income families use the scholarship program to send their children to about 1,000 different private schools.

*

The superintendent is out of the office

Pasco superintendent Heather Fiorentino is taking an unexpected weeklong bereavement leave after the death of her father-in-law.

Business continues in the district, and the ever hands-on Fiorentino remains in touch. But she has canceled all her appointments and won't be making the daily trek to Land O'Lakes so she can tend to family business.

So if you're looking for any decisions out of the third floor this week, you might be wise to wait. The School Board does meet next week, at which time it will iron out any details that need attention.

*

Saggy-pants penalty removed from bill

Courtesy of the Associated Press:

The Florida Senate today dropped language from SB 1540 that would have set up punishments for students who repeatedly wear really low-riding pants exposing their underwear. To violate the statute, students would have had to wear their pants so low that they expose their "covered or uncovered sexual organs in a vulgar and indecent manner."

The bill would have suspended a student for up to 10 days in some cases.

*

American kids doing better in reading, 'rithmetic

Maybe it's more accountability and standardized testing. Maybe it's smaller class sizes. Whatever the reason, test results released this morning show the nation's students are doing better in math and reading than they were four years ago.

Scores for 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds were up in both subjects, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the "nation's report card."

The NAEP long-term trend report, based on representative samples of students in those age groups, offered some hopeful signs for those worried about academic stagnation. Reading scores for 13-year-olds showed the biggest incremental jump since 1992 and tied for the biggest overall jump since NAEP began conducting the tests in 1971. Meanwhile, 17-year-olds made their biggest gains since 1984.

On the down side: The trend lines for 17-year-olds have been essentially flat for 37 years. And the trend lines for 9-year-olds appear to be petering out.

The long-term NAEP doesn't include state-by-state breakdowns, but you can read about Florida's gains here.

Ron Matus, State Education Reporter

*

FCAT results season about to commence

The first round of scores for Florida's FCAT exams will appear Thursday, the state Department of Education says.

As usual, they'll be writing results for the state's fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders. And the school, district and state numbers will be available before kids (and their parents) learn their individual outcome.

The expected next release is for the students who could be held back by their failure to achieve at grade level -- third-graders and high school seniors. Those scores should come in mid May, DOE spokesman Tom Butler told the Gradebook, with the remaining results due out in late May.

Butler had no information yet on when school grades might come. (Probably late June or early July, though, if history is any guide.)

Check back Thursday for results. If you have suggestions for the best way to provide info, please let us know.

*

Today's education news: Sports cuts, tuition increases, reading assessments and more

TUITION ON THE RISE: The Florida Senate passes a bill that would let all public universities increase tuition by up to 15 percent. The bill is expected to be accepted in the House and signed by the governor. University leaders say it isn't enough. • Some Hillsborough students attending a college fair worry they won't be able to afford a higher education. (Times photo, Martha Rial)

LESS SPORTS: The FHSAA reduces the number of high school athletic events for the next two seasons. Budget implications to be determined.

USF INVENTORS: Some USF engineers develop a wheelchair for off-road use.

EXPANDING TITLE I: Brevard considers placing almost half its schools under the Title I umbrella in order to spread its federal stimulus money as wide as possible, Florida Today reports.

NO PLANS FOR GROWTH: Sustainability is the key for FIU as it moves ahead, the Miami Herald reports.

CAN THEY READ? Florida will launch a new statewide reading assessment with the help of some seed money from the AT&T Foundation, the Bradenton Herald reports.

FAILING FLORIDA: State leaders do the state a disservice with their unwillingness to fully fund education, the Lakeland Ledger editorializes. One problem the Ledger points out is the state's slowness to apply for its federal education stabilization funds, something done only over the weekend, as the Orlando Sentinel reports.

GO AHEAD AND ASK: The Florida Senate approves a bill that would allow Miami-Dade College to seek a tax referendum for additional local funding, the Miami Herald reports.

FORGET IT: Collier's teachers reject a proposal to reduce their benefits, the Naples Daily News reports.

NO LAYOFFS: That's the latest word from the Palm Beach district, the Palm Beach Post reports.

TELL IT TO THE KIDS: Broward parents ask their board tough questions about budget cuts in schools that they say already lack some basics, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

SO PARENTS AND KIDS HATE IT: Orange's schedule change saves money, and that was the point, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

CELL PHONE USE: Leon will consider a controversial policy limiting phone use on campus, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

ARE YOU A GOOD CITIZEN? Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham talks civics with some Volusia seventh-graders, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The district will require a yearlong seventh-grade civics course beginning next year.

*

Hillsborough Schools: Cover up that sneeze

TAMPA -- So far, there have been no reported cases of swine flu in the 190,000-student Hillsborough County Schools, or anywhere else in Florida.

But just to be safe, the district is sending out a letter this afternoon warning parents to be on the lookout for fevers or other flu-like symptoms, and to take normal precautions -- frequent handwashing, sneezing into elbow or sleeve rather than hands -- to prevent spreading germs.

"Parents are encouraged to seek medical attention for children who show symptoms, and to keep those children home while the symptoms persist," the district said in a statement.

Don't slash AP funding, group pleads

Count ENLACE among the growing chorus of voices (including Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia and Florida education commissioner Eric J. Smith) decrying the Legislature's plans to cut funding for Advanced Placement programs.

"Another deep cut would inflict serious harm," says the group, which promotes college readiness for Latinos and African Americans, in a policy alert this afternoon.

"We expect our elected officials to make touch decisions in tough economic times, but drastic reductions to a proven success story is not tough; it's just wrong."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Senate okays bid to raise tuition up to 15%

State university students will face tuition hikes of up to 15 percent annually under legislation that passed the Florida Senate this afternoon on a 30-7 vote.

Sen. Ken Pruitt’s bill allows all 11 state universities to charge a tuition differential, which combined with base tuition increases cannot equal more than a 15 percent a year, the goal being to get Florida to the national average of more than $6,500 for tuition and fees. In-state tuition and fees for a full-time student in Florida are now less than $3,900 a year.

The bill awaits expected House approval and will certainly be signed by Gov. Charlie Crist, who has made the measure one of his legislative priorities for 2009.

Previously, UF, FSU, USF, UCF and FIU were given the authority to charge a tuition differential with approval from the Board of Governors.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, was one of the seven nay votes, saying, "What we will be doing with this bill is moving college out of reach for a vast segment of our population."

Tweet. Tweet. Pinellas schools enter the age of Twitter

Want to know the latest about the Pinellas district -- directly from the district?

You can join the 282 (and growing) followers of the district's Twitter feed.

"Yes. We're tweeting," district spokeswoman and Twitterer Andrea Zahn told the Gradebook. "It's another way that we can communicate good things that are happening in the school district to the community, to parents and even to employees."

Pinellas was the second Florida school district to join the latest online trend of sending 140-character updates out into the world. Broward schools got there first, and Lee schools have since followed. Hillsborough is looking into the idea, while Pasco has no such plans on tap.

Zahn said she aims to tweet at least one item daily, whether it's a reminder of a board meeting, celebration of a school event or perhaps an alert of an issue needing immediate attention.

"It's something we do in addition to everything else we do" for communication, she said. "We expect additional people to come online as the word spreads. We're in the middle of marketing now."

State applies for education stimulus money

After taking heat last week for a delay in applying for federal education stimulus funds, Gov. Charlie Crist submitted the state's application Friday night.

The 17-page application is signed by Crist and Education Commissioner Eric Smith. The federal government has said it can take two weeks to be processed. Because lawmakers are relying on $2 billion in stimulus funds to shore up the education budget, the news can't come soon enough.

Crist signed the section when it indicates Florida needs a waiver because the state hasn't maintained education spending at 2005-06 levels, as required by the federal stimulus program.

Armwood kids' pitch to crack down on teacher sexual misconduct passes House

The students of Armwood High School scored a victory today against sexual misconduct by teachers.

Their runner-up entry in Rep. Kevin Ambler's "Ought to Be a Law" bill-drafting competition turned into a bill sponsored by Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and it passed the House today on a 110-3 vote.

HB 659 reclassifies the felony degree of a sexual offense if the offense is committed by an authority figure at an educational institution against a student.

Stargel, who has five children, was a judge at the competition and said the issue is a big concern to her. 

"We need to send a strong signal to our educational people in authority over these kids that this is not acceptable and there are lines that you can't cross," Stargel said earlier this month when the bill passed committee.

The students' original pitch was to have mandatory minimums, but Stargel said that after talking with lawyers they went with reclassifing felonies.

"They had PowerPoints, they talked specifically about the one teacher ... who was too pretty to go to jail," Stargel said, referring to Debra Lafave. "The kids saw this as problem." 

Just read, Florida: State to kick off new K-2 reading program

The details are thin right now, as both the Governor's Office and Department of Education want to do a big reveal during an afternoon school visit and news conference in Tallahassee.

The Gradebook can tell you, though, that AT&T is donating a substantial chunk of money to the state to implement a statewide system aimed at helping primary-level teachers more quickly identify students' reading strengths and weaknesses, then target their lessons accordingly.

The money is supposed to go toward lots of Dell computers.

If you're in Tally and want to check things out firsthand, Gov. Crist, education commissioner Eric J. Smith and others will be at Hartsfield Elementary at 1 p.m. Otherwise, we'll post more info when we get it.

(Times file photo)

Today's education news: Gambling funds, technology fees, special education needs and more

POETIC LICENSE: Some Wesley Chapel High students find their muse for the school's first-ever poetry jam. It proved so successful the school is looking into the next event. (Times photo, Jeffrey S. Solochek)

A REAL GAMBLE: Florida has a spotty track record when it comes to pledging revenue from gambling to public education, the Miami Herald reports. Lotto, anyone?

SEEKING UNITARY STATUS: Orange schools continue to operate under a 45-year-old desegregation order, and they want out, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

WHAT'S IN A GRADE? Mississippi schools move to a 10-point grading system like Florida's, yet some look at the lack of Florida's improved results because of it as a reason to question Mississippi's move, the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.

A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE: A group of Collier parents whose children have special education needs criticizes the school district for not listening to or dealing with their concerns, the Naples Daily News reports.

BEYOND THE FAT: Broward begins hitting key services at its elementary schools as the district cuts its budget, the Miami Herald reports.

PAYING FOR THOSE PC's: Florida universities may begin implementing technology fees to pay for computer and related upgrades, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

AUTISM PROGRAM THREATENED: FSU's plan to close its Panama City campus would kill a unique program that helps autistic Bay children to succeed, the Panama City News Herald reports.

SEEKING A CHARTER RENEWAL: A Flagler charter school operator with a poor reputation seeks to win over the School Board and gain a contract extension, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Coming up: Day off for Hillsborough and Pasco, Board of Governors to consider tuition, last day of school and more

Monday: Florida Legislature in full session all week

Friday: No school for Hillsborough, Pasco

May 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m. • Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m. •  Hernando School Board, 2 p.m. workshop, 7 p.m. meeting

May 7: Board of Governors, 9 a.m., Tallahassee • Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Mary

May 8: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Mary

May 12: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m. • Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.

May 19: Hernando School Board, 2 p.m. workshop, 7 p.m. meeting • Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m. • Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

May 25: Memorial Day

May 26: Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.

June 2: Last day of school for Pinellas

June 3: Last day of school for Pasco, Hernando

June 4: Last day of school for Hillsborough

Monday: Florida Legislature in full session all week

Friday: No school for Hillsborough, Pasco

May 5: Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m. • Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m. •  Hernando School Board, 2 p.m. workshop, 7 p.m. meeting

May 7: Board of Governors, 9 a.m., Tallahassee • Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Mary

May 8: Commission for Independent Education, 9 a.m., Lake Mary

May 12: Pinellas School Board, 10 a.m. • Hillsborough School Board, 5:30 p.m.

May 19: Hernando School Board, 2 p.m. workshop, 7 p.m. meeting • Hillsborough School Board, 3 p.m. • Pasco School Board, 6 p.m.

May 25: Memorial Day

May 26: Pinellas School Board, 5 p.m.

June 2: Last day of school for Pinellas

June 3: Last day of school for Pasco, Hernando

June 4: Last day of school for Hillsborough

Today's education news: Churches in schools, desegregation orders, rollercoaster science and more

JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM: Slapped down for proposing cuts based on budget unknowns, Hernando leaders focus on the figures they are relatively certain about as the prepare next year's spending plan.

NO MORE FREE RIDE: Congress needs to end the system that lets banks deal in student loans without risk, the Times editorializes.

STILL DREAMING: Florida immigrant families continue to press for the DREAM Act, which would guarantee undocumented illegal alien children the right to become citizen and go to college, the Cape Coral Daily Breeze reports.

CHANCELLOR BECOMES PRESIDENT: Former state university chancellor Mark Rosenberg wins the FIU president's job after the last remaining competition drops out of the running, the Miami Herald reports.

MORALE BUSTER: St. Lucie teachers react negatively to their superintendent's last-minute canceling of their Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work participation, the Fort Pierce Tribune reports

FUNDING THREAT: Fast-growing Florida Virtual School faces a potential 15 percent funding cut under a plan moving through the Florida Legislature, the Naples Daily News reports. • Popular AP courses also might be slashed even as the state pushes to increase their availability, the Bradenton Herald reports.

LESS SCHOOL FOR LESS MONEY: Duval considers shortening the school day for its middle and high schools, and also reducing the number of required credits for graduation, the Florida Times-Union reports.

CONTROL WITHOUT COSTS: The Palm Beach School Board wants to keep its grip on a local radio and television channel but not have to pay for their operations, the Palm Beach Post reports.

OOPS LEADS TO MORE OVERSIGHT: Orange's failure to comply with a federal court deseg order might hurt the district's chances of coming out from under it, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

MAKING PHYSICS FUN: Some Sarasota students turn Busch Gardens into a big science and math laboratory, the Herald-Tribune reports.

SEX SERMONS: A church's focus on sex might get it tossed out of the Brevard school it rents for Sunday services, Florida Today reports.

AROUND THE NATION: A Georgia advisory panel recommends several politically volatile ideas to change the state's education system, the Florida Times-Union reports. • Interest in private New York preschools wanes as the economy swoons, the NY Times reports.

A weekend interview with Skardon Bliss, executive director of the Florida Council of Independent Schools

As Florida lawmakers fight over the state's education budget, the fate of Florida Virtual School has come into play. Proposals call for the distance learning program to scale back its course offerings, and would allow other private providers to step into the void. Several groups, including home school parents and independent schools, have risen to oppose the changes. FCIS executive director Skardon Bliss spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about his organization's perspective on Florida Virtual School.

What part of the Florida Virtual legislation are you most concerned with?

There are really two parts. That is where the funding is set up so it will be in competition with private providers who are basically curriculum programs rather than actual teaching with certified Florida teachers behind them. So it will be the quality of the program which the private providers will be able to offer less expensively because they don't have the staff and the Florida requirements. And with the funding streams from the Florida school districts, they get to keep what's left of the FTE from what they pay any one of the private providers or the Virtual School. Obviously they're going to go with the cheapest program to keep the most money for the districts. Also, this bill limits the Florida Virtual School to the core curriculum.

What's wrong with that? I've heard a lot of people complaining about that.

Well, the core curriculum is just English, math, the basic requirements for graduation. They wouldn't be able to offer the elementary programs, they wouldn't be able to offer all kinds of extra things, fine arts and stuff like that they do.

And those things benefit the students in ways that their schools can't provide? Is that the argument?

Today's education news: Higher education funding, charter school accountability, stimulus spending and more

WHAT DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? Beyond vegetables, the joint project between Lakewood Elementary and Eckerd College develops relationships between the college students and the kids they came to help out. (Times photo, Chris Zuppa)

GRIDLOCK: Florida House and Senate negotiators call off weekend budget discussions, saying they need a break before getting back to the issues that divide their plans by more than half a billion dollars.

SPIRALING DOWNWARD: Florida needs strong universities, something the Legislature seems unable or unwilling to pay for, columnist Howard Troxler writes. • The Board of Governors urges the public to impress upon lawmakers the importance of higher ed funding, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

COOKING WITH GAS: Tarpon Springs High unveils its new culinary arts academy.

UNDER THREAT: Programs focused on women and minorities face elimination at Florida's universities, the Palm Beach Post reports.

INSIDER VS. OUTSIDER: That's the decision facing FIU as it chooses its new president, the Miami Herald reports.

CHARTER CONTROL: Legislation to place greater accountability measures on Florida charter schools makes slow progress in the Senate, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

LOVE THE SCHOOL, HATE THE NAME: Criticism of Manatee Community College's chosen new name — State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota — mounts in the communities it serves, the Bradenton Herald reports.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: Palm Beach finds a way to create new jobs and programs by getting "creative" with its new federal funding, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • Meanwhile, Broward looks at cutting 900 teaching jobs, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • And UF graduates are having a tough time finding employment anywhere, the Gainesville Sun reports.

COULDN'T HAPPEN IN FLORIDA: To save money, MIT cuts eight sports teams, the NY Times reports.

Visit the Gradebook at noon for an interview about online education with Skardon Bliss, executive director of the Florida Council of Independent Schools.

Flood the phone lines, university leaders urge

The Board of Governors held an emergency conference call this morning to organize opposition to proposed university system budget cuts.

Chair Sheila McDevitt implored board members and university presidents to talk to everyone they could and encourage e-mails, phone calls and visits to lawmakers negotiating the state's budget.

"Sometimes at the end (of session), quantity becomes more important," she said.

Under the House proposal, the 11 state universities would lose a total of $260 million in recurring state funding. The Senate's proposal is more generous than the House's, adding $120 million, but that comes from using federal stimulus dollars that run out in three years.

Poll: Strip searches at school

Should schools be allowed to strip-search students when looking for drugs and weapons?
Yes. Safety first.
No. That's too intrusive.

Young Pasco petitioner snags an important signature

Gov. Charlie Crist signs Jessica Howard's petition seeking a change in the state's virtual education law. Courtesy of the Howard family.

Pasco County second-grader Jessica Howard got some important support this week for her request to amend Florida law to allow her to use the state's distance learning program without enrolling in a public school first.

Gov. Charlie Crist put his name on the dotted line when Jessica visited Tallahassee this week seeking to turn her grassroots idea into reality. Some key lawmakers said they'd try to add her proposal to legislation during conference discussions.

It will be interesting to see if Crist will sign a bill containing the idea, which past lawmakers rejected as potentially too expensive, if it ever crosses his desk.

Civics and justice for all!

Enough of legislators being called Congressman So-and-So, says Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville. Let's teach Florida's youth about government and its history by requiring civics class for all middle school students.

McBurney's stalled efforts were resurrected Thursday when the requirement was tucked into two bills that passed the House. It would apply to all middle school students beginning with those entering grade 6 in the year 2011-12.

It's been a long road for McBurney, who has pushed the measure since shortly after 8 a.m. Nov. 19, 2008, the first day bills could be filed for the 2009 session.

After it was postponed at committee last month, he talked up the effort, got a timely endorsement from former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, renamed it the Sandra Day O’Connor Civic Education Act and reintroduced it Thursday as an amendment on two bills.
 
“I would have put it on a transportation bill if I thought it could help,” he said, expressing reasonable hope that the Senate would adopt the measure, too.

School accountability bill waits on Senate

In the flurry of education bills passing the House on Thursday was a much talked about push to extend federal accountability requirements to all of the state's public schools.

HB 991, sponsored by Rep. Tom Grady, R-Naples, puts state policy in line with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, forcing schools to pay even more attention to the gains made by each demographic group and outlining steps for the state to deal with chronically low-performing schools.

It passed the House on a 77-39 vote, with Democrats objecting to the bill as a potentially unfunded mandade.

Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, said he liked parts of the bill, though it's "almost like reading a good novel, but the ending of it sucks."

The Senate version, sponsored by Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, gets taken up today.

Don't bring your children to work?

Kids around Florida missed school yesterday to visit their parents' job sites as part of the annual Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work event.

It's a nationally recognized activity designed to help children better understand the opportunities they have after they finish school. Schools don't even count the students absent if they participate.

But to hear St. Lucie officials tell it, the idea is academically bankrupt.

St. Lucie superintendent Michael Lannon told district employees they could not bring their children to work on Thursday, saying the exercise is not "educationally valid," the Fort Pierce Tribune reports.

"One of the things we're trying to do is have kids stay in school, in their classrooms," Lannon told the paper. "For that reason, I don't think it should be taking place on a school day anywhere across America."

Today's education news: Zero tolerance, athletic participation fees, college cuts and more

BUT IT'S FOR THE SCHOOLS: Facing opposition to his plan to expand gambling, Gov. Crist makes a pitch for the plan outside a Miami elementary school, saying education would benefit. The response was tepid. "Gambling is not good for society. It's an addiction," said Octavio Ochoa, who was picking up his son.

WHOLE LOTTA BILLS: Florida lawmakers clear more than a dozen bills that would change state education policy.

GET RID OF HIM: Hernando would not miss superintendent Wayne Alexander and his penchant to alienate people, columnist Dan DeWitt writes.

JUST SHOW UP: Pasco board member Cathi Martin should not spend time trying to get her colleagues to approve a policy that would let board members attend meetings via phone, the Times editorializes.

PROTECT THE ARTS: Florida's quality of life would suffer if FSU shutters the Ringling Museum of Art because of dwindling university finances, the Times editorializes.

POSITIONS CUT: Jackson schools plan to eliminate 60 jobs but not scale back programs, WJHG.com reports. • Collier plans to cut employees to save programs, too, the Naples Daily News reports. • Santa Rosa teachers, some of whom will lose their jobs through cuts, rally against the state budget, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

PAY TO PLAY: Volusia will begin charging a participation fee for athletics, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. • Treasure Coast schools are simply cutting back after-school activities, the Stuart News reports.

KEEP UP THE HEAT: Florida's university presidents show up at the Capitol to warn against pending major cuts to higher ed funding, the Orlando Sentinel reports. • Key senators agree that the House budget would irreparably harm higher education, and urge the school leaders to keep lobbying for more, the Florida Times-Union reports.

A LITTLE MORE TOLERANCE: A proposal in Tallahassee that would give schools more leeway in punishing students who do "goofy things" is losing support over addition of a saggy pants ban added at the last minute, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

RUMORS EVERYWHERE: Confusion reigns at Northwest Florida State College in the aftermath of president Bob Richburg's indictment and arrest for official misconduct and perjury, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.

BEEFCAKE FOR SALE: Some male Brevard teachers show their pecs for a fundraising calendar that "a lot of the moms like," Florida Today reports.