Want to run a charter school?

Never mind that many counties want it to simply go away. The Florida Schools of Excellence Commission is looking to increase its presence throughout Florida.

The state agency, created by the Legislature in 2007, has announced it wants applicants to serve as co-sponsors to operate new charter schools. The co-sponsors must be able to (in the group's words):

• Handle administrative responsibilities as a charter school sponsor
• Develop and maintain charter schools of the highest academic quality
• Provide financial resources and staff to monitor and support charter schools
• Serve low income, low performing, gifted or underserved student populations
• Articulate annual academic and financial goals and expected outcomes for its charter schools

Already, the commission has approved 17 charter schools on its own, and joined with one co-sponsor - the City of Hialeah.

Now, there are those who argue that the commission unconstitutionally usurps the role of local school districts. Fourteen counties including Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando are fighting that battle in court. They want exclusive control, something that the State Board of Education only granted to a small handful of districts.

It looks like until the courts decide the matter, though, the FSE will continue on. So if you want to be a co-sponsor, you can find the information here. The deadline is August 1.

Florida charters get federal boost

The U.S. Department of Education is presenting Florida with a $33.6 million grant this morning to help develop new charter schools. USDOE Deputy Secretary Raymond Simon is in Orlando to announce the grant, which will be split into $11 million chunks over three years. Florida is No. 4 in the nation in the number of charter schools, and No. 2 in the number of students enrolled in them.

Charter consortium joins exclusivity debate

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools has entered the legal discussion over the state's role in granting charter school contracts, and guess which side it is supporting.

In a friend of the court brief, the consortium contends that the creation of the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission improves, rather than undercuts, the constitutional requirement for a uniform system of public education.

It would seem that the more equality there was for greater access to educational opportunities within and among districts, the more this supports the concept of a high quality and uniform system of education. Likewise, the more statewide consistency there is in the charter approval process, the more uniform over time will be the availability of charter options in every district.

The group also argues that the 14 districts pursuing the case mischaracterize the true nature of school boards' duties and powers under state law. Pasco School Board lawyer Dennis Alfonso, who was nice enough to forward the brief, told the Gradebook that it doesn't say anything unexpected. Duval County School Board et al v. State Board of Education is still chugging along in the First District Court of Appeal.

Same company, different school?

Because of budget cuts, the Pinellas County School Board wants to end its contract with Community Education Partners, the Nashville-based company that runs the Oak Park alternative school in Pinellas Park. But CEP has quickly offered up Plan B: A new charter school.

In a May 9 letter, CEP chief executive Randle Richardson says the company would like to open a charter school dropout prevention program in Pinellas that he says would save the district money and "demonstrate innovative leadership." "The Board can demonstrate that even in hard times it is not turning its back on students with the greatest needs," Richardson writes. "It can save money and save kids."

To save money, district officials are looking to redesign their alternative programs, including moving some of them to the fairly new building that houses Oak Park. The board briefly discussed the CEP charter idea at its workshop last Thursday, but took no action. It would need to expedite approval of a CEP application in order for the company to set up a charter by next school year.

CEP runs a handful of alternative schools around the country, including some in Orange County. An affiliate of CEP, Advanced Learning Systems of Tampa, is also developing dropout-prevention charters in Lee and Broward counties, according to this recent Fort Myers News-Press story.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

The state responds in charter case

Lawyers for the State Board of Education have fired back in the lawsuit where 14 school districts including Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando contend that they, and not the state, should have authority over the charter schools in their counties. The state contends that the districts' main argument, that the Florida Constitution grants them the sole control over all public schools in their bounds, creates a slippery slope that doesn't take into account reality and could lead to increasing litigation:

The education code is replete with provisions requiring close state-level involvement with public schools. If the Legislature's prerogative were narrowed, much of the code would be impacted and litigation would multiply.

Further, the state argues that the law creating the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission doesn't take away school district powers, anyway:

Significantly, the new law did not diminish the district school boards' authority to oversee charter schools under the pre-existing charter school law (§ 1002.33, Fla. Stat.); school boards retain the same authority to receive applications and to authorize charter schools. The Commission only has "concurrent" authority to authorize charter schools.

It's a lengthy answer to the original complaint. If you want more, read the full brief here. Enjoy.

Remember charter school exclusivity?

Way back in October and November, several school districts were making noise about suing the State Board of Education over the right to control which charter schools open within their counties. They contended that local school districts - and not a state agency (the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission) - have the constitutional authority to "operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district."

Well, they've gone off and actually done it. After joining forces under one lawyer, and consolidating several complaints into one within the First District Court of Appeal, 14 districts including Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando have filed their initial brief in the case of Duval County School Board et al v. State Board of Education.

The argument is a simple one: "Charter schools are public schools and as such, they are subject to the authority of the local school boards under the Constitution. Allowing the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission to sponsor and operate charter schools within a school district violates article IX, section 4(b)."

The lawyers filed the brief on April 18. The state has 30 days to respond. To read the full brief, click here.

A charter school conundrum

So here's a question that's been floating around for years: Why does Pinellas County have so relatively few charter schools?

Sunday's St. Petersburg Times story didn't try to answer that question, but it did note that the Hillsborough school district – a district that isn't much bigger, student-wise – has four times as many charters.

Among the state's seven big urban districts, only Duval County, with five charter schools, has fewer than Pinellas' six. Miami-Dade has 63, Broward has 49, Palm Beach has 35 and Orange has 18. And plenty of smaller districts have more than Pinellas: Polk, for example, has 23. See for yourself here.

State Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, offered this possibility to The Gradebook: "One school of thought is that Pinellas County is doing a decent job of providing school choice in its existing schools," said Legg, who co-founded a charter school in Pasco, Dayspring Academy , that was modeled in part on the Academie Da Vinci charter school in Dunedin.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Jeb's charter could close

  When it opened in 1996, the Liberty City Charter School sparked a movement.

Headed by Jeb Bush (left), not yet governor, and T. Willard Fair (right), not yet State Board of Education chairman, the school in an impoverished section of Miami signaled the beginning of Florida's new initiative in which private groups would get public funds to run schools and be held to state accountability measures.

''Our opening had national implications,'' principal Katrina Wilson-Davis recalled to the Miami Herald. "I remember CNN and MSNBC coming down to our school site. Everybody wanted to see what accountability was all about. We were leading the charge.''

Hundreds of other charters followed, as did the rise in state politics for Bush and Fair.

Today, the charter movement continues. But the Miami-Dade School Board will consider shutting down Liberty City Charter, the Miami Herald reports. The school has faced a "financial emergency" for two years.

"I understand the position that the School Board is in, but I wish they would give us a little more time to get our finances in order,'' Wilson-Davis told the Herald. "We've done enough good work over the last 12 years to merit a second look.''

If not, the school's 200 or so students will be transferred to other schools in the district.

Joining forces in charter dispute

Twenty cases challenging the state's right to deny school districts exclusive authority over charter schools soon could become one.

Lawyers for both the Department of Education and the 20 districts challenging the department's action denying their charter school powers have agreed to consolidate the several court appeals into a single case in the 1st District Court of Appeal.

"It's an effort to conserve judicial time," not to mention the time and money of the several school districts that all are fighting the same fight, said Ron Meyer, the high-powered lawyer who is working the matter for the Florida School Boards Association. "The parties are agreeing that it ought to be done. The court gets to decide."

Meyer expected the court to rule on the proposal in January.

Ready to defend

They're still reviewing all their legal arguments. But lawyers for the State Board of Education are gearing up to fight the school districts that claim the state has no right to override local control of charter schools.

At issue is the State Board's denial of 38 school districts' request for exclusive authority to grant or deny charters within their boundaries. Twenty districts have filed notices that they will appeal the denials, including Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Hernando, which now has asked the court of appeals to pass the case directly to the Florida Supreme Court for review of the underlying constitutional question.

The districts contend that the law allowing for an outside agency - the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission - to approve or reject charters violates Article IX, Section 4 of the state constitution, which states local school districts "operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district."

Debby Kearney, the State Board's general counsel, tells the Gradebook that she and other lawyers have started working on their strategy. The department is getting some assistance, she adds: "We have contracted with the Attorney General's Office. They are representing us."

Challenge brewing

One by one, school districts are stepping up to fight the State Board of Education's decision to deny them the exclusive authority to grant or deny charter school contracts. Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Hillsborough, as well as several others including Miami-Dade, Duval and Palm Beach have voted to ask the board to overturn the State Board's ruling.

More than that, a group of them is working with lawyers to determine whether - more likely when - to sue the state over the constitutionality of the law that creates the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission as an alternative to local control of charters.

They have until Dec. 3 to file their notice to appeal the State Board decision. But "there never is a deadline for challenging constitutional language," says Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association, which is spearheading the lawsuit drive.

Blanton tells the Gradebook that several superintendents and school board lawyers will meet in Tampa next week to plot out strategy.

"Then we're going to file," he says. "My guess is, it will be some time in December or early January."

Related story: Lawsuits may decide future of Florida charter schools, Sun-Sentinel, 11/30/2007

Exclusivity fight payback?

While many school districts are gearing up to fight the State Board of Education's denial of their exclusive right to authorize charter schools, Pinellas superintendent Clayton Wilcox (left) is suggesting his School Board might want to think twice before getting into it.

"The real question is, do we want, even though we made the initial application, do we even want to be the exclusive granter of charter schools in this county?" Wilcox told his board as it discussed the issue Tuesday. "Do we want that, given the rules the DOE is putting on us? A significant number of superintendents don't want to be in this fight. I'm not sure I have an opinion yet."

Board member Jane Gallucci noted that the battle appeared to be one of local control, prompting others to ask Wilcox what his concerns might be. What, they asked, were Wilcox and the other superintendents he alluded to trying to say?

"There is some fear among many of us there will be downstream consequences we haven't fully anticipated related to funding or to our ability to work with the department. None of us feel very confident right now about the situation in Tallahassee," Wilcox responded. He later added: "I don't think anyone can make the case we’re  not open to alternatives to the traditional model. The question from my perspective is, do we want to do that regardless of the political landscape?"

What that "political landscape" is has yet to become clear. Any ideas out there?

(For the record, the School Board did decide to reserve its right to appeal the State Board's decision. For more on the topic, click here.)

- Donna Winchester and Jeff Solochek

Will they challenge?

In mid-October, a month after taking up the debate, the State Board of Education decided not to grant the exclusive right to authorize local charter schools to the vast majority of the 40 school districts that requested that right.

Just three county districts - Sarasota, Orange and Polk - won sole authorization rights.

Now several of those that lost are considering whether to sue the state. About 15 members of the Florida School Boards Association met to discuss the issue on Monday, the Miami Herald reports. The Palm Beach School Board - by many accounts one of the most peeved at the State Board decision - is scheduled to decide whether to sue later this week, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

At issue is what some say is the clear language of the Florida Constitution, Article IX, which states that local school boards "shall operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district." That provision, they say, is at odds with the law that creates the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission to allow charter schools - which are public schools - that a local district does not approve.

The FSBA talked about suing when the law first passed. But it was advised to wait until it had something tangible to sue over, rather than just a concept. That time, apparently, has come.

For more information on the exclusive control issue from the Department of Education, click here. For more Gradebook coverage of the topic, including interviews with FSBA executive director Wayne Blanton and bill sponsor Rep. John Legg, click here.

A weekend interview with ...

... Florida School Boards Association executive director Wayne Blanton. The FSBA has been knee-deep in some of the biggest education controversies of the past week - charter school exclusive authority and property tax reform. Blanton spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about the two topics.

The board now has allowed three districts to have exclusivity, and the rest it has denied. Where does that put the school districts in terms of fighting the issue? Or is the fight not going to happen?

The fight is going to happen. I think it's just a matter of some districts making up their mind about how we want to pursue this. As you remember, we had pending litigation that we withdrew about six months ago based on the judge having some conversation with us that at that time there was no damages, there was nothing you could go to court and prove other than just test the constitutional language. I've had enough phone calls to know that there's going to be some type of action involving local school districts and the state board. I think first of all there's going to have to be some appeals process that the districts are going to have to go through, because obviously if you go to court you've got to have exhausted all your appeals. But I can virtually assure you there's going to be some type of legal action coming from a district or a number of districts.

Which districts are showing the greatest signs of discomfort right now?

Well, Palm Beach, Hillsborough and Volusia aren't real happy. Let's start with that. I don't want to speak for them. None of them have voted to do anything. I want to be clear on that. But, in conversation with some of their representatives, they obviously are not very happy with the results. I don't know where they're going yet. I think they have to have their discussions locally. And then at some point we will bring people together and see what's going to happen.

What's the big gripe?

Exclusive control

Forty school districts asked the State Board to let them have sole authority over charter schools in their counties. Just three prevailed.

Now, if charter school operators wish, they can ask the state-sponsored Florida Schools of Excellence Commission for permission to run the publicly-funded, privately run schools - unless they want to do business in Sarasota, Orange and Polk counties. Those were the three that rated high enough in a state evaluation of services to win the exclusive oversight that so many wanted. To see how each county rated, visit this searchable web site.

The board discussed altering the criteria, which might have meant giving more districts full control. But in the end, only board member Roberto Martinez supported exclusivity for more than the three.

Before you raise the issue, we understand the concerns by some that Florida's constitution allows only the county school districts to operate public schools. But so far, the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission hasn't done anything to be challenged legally. So until someone files that suit, we're going to keep reporting on it as an entity that's currently legal in statute.

A weekend interview with ...

... state Rep. John Legg. The New Port Richey Republican serves on the House Schools and Learning Council, and runs a charter school in Pasco County. He spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about a growing controversy over whether the State Board of Education should grant school districts exclusive authority to issue charter school contracts. (It's item 4 on the board agenda.)

What is the issue at hand?

You've kind of got to go back a little bit on the issue. What are charter schools? Basically, charter schools are a unique way to provide education for students. But the way they are set up is through a contract. Since it's a contract, basically the school district acts as a contract manager. And I think sometimes the school districts forget that process that they are not in the job of running the school ... they are in the job of basically being the contract manager, which is definitely a new role for them.

What we've seen is, since there is some ambiguity in the state constitution - it depends on who you talk to, they'll give you a different perspective. But my perspective is that the state constitution says, one, that education is under the purview of the State Board of Education. Another provision of the state constitution says that local schools are under the purview of the local school board.

Because there are conflicting issues, we began to address that. One of the issues is this concept that charter schools in some counties could be perceived as competition to the traditional public schools, and they view that as a threat. Some of them do. Others embrace it as a way of providing unique learning experiences for students. What we've seen in certain districts, because of that potentially hostile environment, in order to make charter schools more efficient ... multiple authorizers are in order. States such as Colorado, cities such as Indianapolis, Washington D.C., have multiple authorizers. In those areas with multiple authorizers, the quality of the charter schools, according to the studies, tend to be higher quality....

And that's why you created the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission?

When is a house not a home?

When the school is home, of course.

That's the novel answer to the knotty problem South Lake Charter Elementary School in Clermont faced this week. The school had enrolled 26 seventh-graders, even though its contract with the Lake County School Board didn't allow it. And the board told the school to find someplace else for the students by week's end.

The school did just that - kind of. It removed the students from its rolls, but let them stay after their parents advised the district that the children would be home-schooled. At South Lake Charter Elementary.

   "You can home-school from any facility that you choose," Christian Cascone, the Central Florida development director of the school's management company, told the Orlando Sentinel.

To read the full story, click here.

Just saying no

Maybe there's a lesson here for the Pasco County School Board.

A week ago, the Pasco board let the Athenian Academy, a charter school, keep about 40 students on its rolls contrary to the school's contract with the board. It simply amended the contract to increase the school's enrollment figures. (Read post here.)

This week, the Lake County School Board faced a similar situation. One of its charter schools, South Lake Charter Elementary, had "illegally" admitted 26 seventh-graders, even though the school's contract didn't allow for a seventh grade. So what did the board do?

It gave the seventh-graders' parents until Friday to find another school, according to the Orlando Sentinel. And members scolded the charter school for creating a difficult situation for the children. "It's a very bad quandary for the children," School Board member Cindy Barrow said to the Sentinel. "Had we made any other decision last night [Monday], it would've been an irresponsible decision."

Can't let the charter operators think they can just do what they want and seek absolution after the fact, it seems - at least in Lake County.

Of note, South Lake Charter Elementary is run by Imagine Schools, with which the Pasco School Board recently started negotiating a new charter. Wonder what that contract will look like.

Next time we might slap your wrist

The Pasco School Board took an interesting approach today in dealing with a charter school that had violated its contract with the board. It rewrote the contract to make the violation okay.

Board members criticized the Athenian Academy for enrolling more students than its agreement allowed. They talked about how some of the county's charter schools - especially the poorly run ones - too frequently break the rules and then come in after the fact seeking absolution. And those who blame the district for their woes generally have only themselves to blame, board member Frank Parker said, advising the administration to closely monitor the charter schools' business activities.

"At some point in time, we really need to stop doing this," chairwoman Marge Whaley said of the board's willingness to let the charter schools get away with contract violations. Contracts need to mean something, she added.

Just not this time.

Noting the district is convening a charter school task force, which should help improve communications with the schools, the board unanimously voted to amend the Athenian Academy's agreement so it could have the 268 children it has enrolled. Since the school had room, it made no sense to uproot the children, board member Allen Altman reasoned.

But next time, the schools better watch out, Whaley said. "The message we're trying to send to the charter schools is ... if they keep doing this, there's going to come a time when we're going to say, you have to send the kids home," she said. "It will be soon."

Hillsborough charter school gets national award

Terrace Community Middle School, a charter school, was named a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School today, one of only 16 in Florida and 287 nationwide to earn the honor this year. Schools must be nominated for the award, which is given to those that are either "academically superior" or show dramatic gains in student achievement. Terrace Community Middle School has earned A grades from the state six years in a row and met tough No Child standards four years in a row. To see the 2007 list of Blue Ribbon winners, click here. To read more about Terrace Community Middle and its outspoken principal, click on this St. Petersburg Times story here.

Charter school rule

It seemed like a simple enough endeavor. Forty Florida school districts wanted exclusive rule over charter school operations in their counties. State law allowed it. And the State Board of Education stood ready to act on the requests.

Then came the public.

Who knew they cared so passionately about the issue?

Charter school proponents and operators urged the board to hold off, saying school districts don't treat them fairly now. District officials, including Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia, pressed the counties' position, saying they want to maintain that so-called even playing field when it comes to the privately run yet publicly funded schools.

State Reps. Trey Traviesa of Tampa and John Legg of New Port Richey, who wrote the law, meanwhile suggested that the board wait a year before granting exclusivity to districts. The Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, which has yet to get up and running, should have a chance to issue charters at the state level and see if that system works first, they posited.

The discussion took hours.

Faced with such commentary and criticism, the board decided not to decide. It tabled the discussion until October when, perhaps, it will take action without having to listen to everyone again. To see a backgrounder on the issue, as prepared by the department, click here.

Give them 15 years

Charter schools where students perform well year after year could get a boost in their efforts to stay alive. The House moved a bill (HB 1569) forward today that would automatically grant charters that earn an A or B grade from the state for three of four years a 15-year contract renewal. Right now, the schools often have to fight for a five-year renewal. The change, if approved, would give the charter schools a more stable financial footing if they seek to build or grow - something that's hard to do now, especially given that the state does not give them money for construction. Several school districts, which serve as the primary sponsors of most charter schools, don't like the provision, saying it's hard enough to control charters as it is. Others note, though, that they would retain the ability to close a charter school down for poor performance. The bill's fate remains uncertain, though, as the Senate companion (SB 2878) is losing traction because of opposition to other parts of the legislation relating to retirement benefits. One week to go.

Today's news

NEW TUITION PLAN: Lawmakers agree to let Florida's three national research universities - UF, USF and FSU - increase their rates by as much as 40 percent, marking a major change in the way they have looked at tuition and the universities' financial needs. Gov. Charlie Crist has vowed to veto anything that makes college cost more.

THE SURVEY SAYS ... Pinellas County school employees have a much higher opinion of the superintendent and School Board. They also say the climate has improved at many schools where morale had been low.

TEACHERS PICKET: Hillsborough high school teachers continue to protest the administration's plan to make them teach six periods a day instead of five. The School Board and superintendent show no sign of budging. This issue looms over pending contract negotiations. (link to come)

BOARD CLOSES CHARTER: The Language Academy in New Port Richey had staved off attempts to shutter its doors for months, promising to fix its financial problems. School Board members finally pulled the plug Tuesday.

KIDS HELPING KIDS: Peer mediation started as a trial in a handful of middle schools in 1991. Now it's in just about every school in Pinellas County.

FAMU AUDIT OUT: The university's explanations about missing money and questionable transactions failed to convince the state auditor, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

SCHOOLS BUDGET: Lawmakers appear set to let school districts take advantage of continued growth in local property values, even as they criticize other local governments for wanting to do the same thing, the Palm Beach Post reports.

CLASS SIZE SCANDAL (UPDATE): We've been keeping tabs on the story of the Santa Ana, Calif., school district that lied about class size figures to claim state funding. Well, the state has finally caught up with the district, and it looks like the district will lose $2-million, the LA Times reports.

TEACH HOW, THEN WHY: A Chicago teacher offers his views in the Chicago Tribune on why so many kids can't do advanced math.

Today's news

ARE FLORIDA CAMPUSES SAFE? University and college security officials take a closer look at their emergency plans in the aftermath of a gunman's murderous rampage at Virginia Tech. While they've improved things since Columbine and 9/11, they admit their schools are far from immune from attack.

PLEASE GIVE US SIXTH GRADE: Parents of fifth graders at a Pasco County charter school that teaches some classes in Greek are asking the School Board to let the school add another grade. District administrators say the Athenian Academy is making strides, but it's not ready to expand yet.

YOUR KID CAN'T COME: It used to be that if a Hernando County student gained a seat in a magnet school, his or her siblings got a pass in, too. The School Board quietly changed the policy amid complaints that siblings, not applicants, were filling the magnets. Now parents of the siblings are griping, and the School Board is reconsidering.

FACULTY RAISES AT USF: Faculty members and the university agree on 4.5 percent raises, retroactive to October.

FLORIDA KIDS DON'T VOLUNTEER: A national study puts Florida's youth at 50th when it comes to giving their time, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

STUDENT LEADERS SUPPORT FEE HIKE: The university students like that the money would go to improving technology, and say they will urge others to support SB 850, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

WHEN DOES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL END? Parents in Los Angeles argue that sixth graders aren't ready for the transition to middle school, and are pushing for an expansion of elementary school to include them, the LA Times reports. The debate over how schools should be configured is gaining steam across the country.

Today's news

CONSEQUENCE STANDS: The Pinellas County kid who mooned his teacher, got transferred to a new high school and then sued will have to live with the results, a judge rules. In fact, the judge says, he's lucky the punishment wasn't worse.

THEY SING, TOO: By day, they teach. But some of the Pine View Middle School teachers in Land O'Lakes are karaoke addicts by night. (Some are actually good, too.) They merge their loves to raise money for cancer research with a school version of American Idol. Some of the kids are tougher judges than Simon.

ON THE OP-ED PAGES: Sure, Wal-Mart can build a supercenter just steps from a school complex. But Hernando County officials ought to think hard about whether it's best for the youth before approving the project, guest columnist Arnold Silver writes.

PASCO CHARTER NEWS: The school district recommends closure of one charter school, citing irreparable financial problems, and denial of the proposed expansion of another.

BAD TEACHER: Charles F. Taylor was a popular teacher at Tyrone Middle in St. Petersburg. But he also appears to have enjoyed child pornography while at home.

PARENTS SWAY GIFTED DEBATE: The Gradebook has detailed the Legislature's changing winds on how to fund gifted education for next year. Active Sarasota parents played a big role in the debate, the Herald-Tribune reports.

VOUCHER RALLY: Thousands show up in Tallahassee to support school choice, the Florida Times-Union reports.

WARFORD FOR COMMISSIONER: Ousted by and highly critical of the Bush administration, former K-12 chancellor Jim Warford is a leading candidate to take over the Department of Education, the Palm Beach Post reports.

CALI CLASS SIZE SCANDAL GROWS: Santa Ana (Cal.) school officials said the phantom classes and other misstatements designed to get class-size reduction funds were limited to the elementary level. Now it turns out there were problems in the ninth grade, too, the LA Times reports.

Today's news

WALL STREET EDUCATION: Several proposed changes to Florida's education system sound like they come from the corporate world more than the classroom. Lawmakers look to tailor the curriculum to community industry, for instance, and to give tax credits to businesses that provide internships. "It's to make sure students who graduate can move on to good jobs," says Senate Education chairman Don Gaetz.

FOCUS ON THE WORLD: Another set of proposals seeks to make Florida students more globally competitive, pushing such programs as additional foreign language instruction, the Palm Beach Post reports.

THINK FIRST: The Hi-Five program helps elementary students build self-esteem and focus on their education. Some former students, now in college, use of some the skills to this day.

GIVE ME THE MONEY: Lawmakers from northern Florida fought to create a school funding plan that made the price of education per student close to the same statewide. Now some lawmakers from southern Florida, where it costs more to do just about everything, are talking about changing the law back, the Florida Times-Union reports.

GROWING KIPP: The well regarded charter school firm, which started in one Houston location, is now in 17 states and looking to grow more, the Houston Chronicle reports. Hey, they're not in Florida yet.

Today's news

DONE HAULING KIDS: Retired school buses still can haul, though. Just ask Robbie Aaron, who buys them up and races them at the Bronson Motor Speedway. Watch the action by clicking here.

DONE HELPING KIDS: Retired college computers still can help crime fighting. St. Petersburg College is donating about 1,000 obsolete computers to law enforcement agencies in Guatemala.

FAMU UPDATE: New president James Ammons pledges fiscal integrity and accountability are his top priorities as he takes the helm. There's a lively conversation on FAMU going on here. Meanwhile, the Tallahassee Democrat reports that lawmakers will give financial control of FAMU's College of Engineering to nearby Florida State University.

STAR, MAP, WHATEVER: Pasco County teachers aren't really interested in rushing into a new performance pay plan. They'd rather take some time, do it right. District officials hope to grab the state cash, and prepare to begin negotiations next week. Gov. Crist signed the new performance pay law yesterday. Texas lawmakers, by contrast, rejected a statewide performance pay law, moving instead to put more money into teacher raises, the Dallas Morning News reports.

FROM THE EDITORIAL PAGE: Lawmakers' engage in "doublespeak" as they defend their plans for public school funding and property taxes, the editorial board says.

FIX CHARTERS: Looks like lawmakers read the Orlando Sentinel's investigative project about charter schools. The Sentinel now reports that education committee leaders are calling for fixes.

GETTING IN IS HARD TO DO: Harvard College rejected 91 percent of applicants this year, its highest rate ever, Bloomberg News reports.

NOT WITH THEIR PAPERS: The anti-plagiarism company Turnitin uses a vast database of student writings to help schools and colleges determine if students are cheating on their papers. A group of students from Virginia and Arizona are suing, saying they never gave the company permission to use their work, the Washington Post reports.

Today's news

CHARTER UPHEAVAL: The Language Academy, under threat of closure by the Pasco school district, fires its principal, saying she isn't up to the task. Two board members also resign.

QUALITY COUNTS: Many states focus on quality when deciding whether to approve charter schools, while Florida doesn't even require closure of failing charters, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

CLASS SIZE CHANGES? A measure moving through the House to scale back the amendment,  doesn't have much support in the Senate, where it heads to committee next, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

FOLLOWING FLORIDA: California adopts a growth model to assess whether schools are making progress with all groups of students, which could cause school grades to drop like a rock. If schools don't close the achievement gap, they won't make the grade, the LA Times reports.

GET OUT: Parents in a D.C. suburb are pushing to ban military recruiters from school hallways, cafeterias and sporting events, the Washington Post reports.

UTAH VOUCHERS: A group's effort to force a referendum on the nation's first universal school voucher program will not stop the program, according to the Utah attorney general, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Today's news

GOVERNOR P.E.: Charlie Crist visited Tampa to tout his plans for all elementary school kids to have 30 minutes of physical activity daily. Excuses about money don't bug him. "How much is it costing us, and more importantly our young people, not to be encouraging them?" he said.

PART OF THE EXPERIMENT: Children at Lake Myrtle Elementary in Pasco County love the days they get to discover new things in the school science lab. Little do they know they're part of a study, too, into the best way to teach science in the youngest grades.

SPEAKING OF SCIENCE: If you have any question that kids learning science matters, look no farther than St. Johns County. That's where two high school students determined that the pesticides from cabbage farms are contaminating the air, prompting the local government to investigate.

PETS IN SCHOOL: Not during classes, though. Pinellas County schools will let family pets into three schools when they're being used as storm shelters.

CHARTER SCHOOL REPORT: The Orlando Sentinel is in its third day of reporting on the status of charter schools in Florida. The reporters find a lack of state accountability, and several schools that take advantage. Check out the entire project here.

CLASS SIZE, AGAIN: The Florida House plans to take one more shot at scaling back the class-size amendment, which moves to a classroom count next year, the Gainesville Sun reports.

EXPANDING GIFTED COURSES: Miami-Dade schools seek to reach a more diverse set of students with its gifted programs, noting that minority and low-income students are underrepresented in the classes, the Miami Herald reports. It's a problem across the state and nation.

IS THAT TEST VALID? That's not an easy question to answer, the Washington Post reports. But it's an important one, as NCLB requires tests that provide reliable and valid data to measure annual student progress.

Today's news

FORGET EQUAL ACCESS: A group of black Pinellas County residents argues that black children deserve special treatment as a group if the district truly intends to eliminate the achievement gap. School district officials contend that a color-blind approach is better. A lawsuit exploring the issue is set for trial July 9.

DO YOU KNOW MAX THOMPSON? Pasco County teachers do. They're training in his teaching methods, which the school district has adopted for everyone to use, at a cost of $4.5-million. Some love the system. Some are so upset they've filed a grievance against its implementation.

DISAPPOINTED AND ANGRY: Students of the Richard Milburn Academy and their parents decry the loss of their charter high school, which closes in June. It had been their only alternative to the mainstream Pasco County school system.

NOT QUITE A DEGREE: The University of Florida finds a way to honor former governor Jeb Bush, after all. The school makes him an honorary alum, even though he couldn't find a way to earn his honorary degree.

TEACHER TALK: Often isolated in their classrooms, teachers increasingly turn to blogs, listservs and other forms of electronic communication to keep up with their peers and their profession, the Miami Herald reports.

CHARTER SCHOOL PAINS: The publicly funded, privately run schools serve a smaller proportion of poor, minority and disabled students now than when the movement began a decade ago, the Orlando Sentinel reports. That despite the state's recent brag that charters help close the achievement gap because of their diversity.

A GOOD TEACHER IS HARD TO FIND: So Duval County is joining a growing list of districts looking overseas to fill the ranks, the Florida Times-Union reports.

A TEST YOU CAN'T STUDY FOR: A growing number of school districts adopt random drug testing for students who want to participate in extracurriculars. The New York Times looks at the pros and cons, noting several studies question whether the policy actually works.

Today's news

THE TROUBLE WITH TOILETS: Kids stuff them with paper, scrawl graffiti on the walls, sometimes have sex there. And then they wonder why school officials try to control access to the restrooms.

CRIST TO SIGN: The governor says he's pleased with the new Merit Award Program that lawmakers overwhelmingly approved this week. Here's the Miami Herald version of the story.

PRIVATE FEEL, PUBLIC SCHOOL: Students and parents who don't want to get lost in the crowd of a super-sized public high school are taking a close look at 300-student Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School, a charter school that opens in the fall.

KIDS ARE JUST KIDS: Even if they're in high school. So says the newest high school principal in Hillsborough County.

SCHOOL JANITOR ARRESTED: For inappropriately touching an 11-year-old girl at a Clearwater school. Enough said.

WHAT A LESSON: Some Palm Beach County students studying marine biology in the keys make a detour to save three stranded fishermen, the Palm Beach Post reports.

WHEN YOU THINK YOUR BOARD IS BAD ... Just think about this guy. The Orange County, Calif., school board member goes on about conspiracy theories, refuses to participate in many votes and discussions, and generally makes himself disliked to the point where parents are trying to remove him, the LA Times reports.

Today's news

STAR NO MORE: School districts could develop their own teacher bonus plans. Every teacher and administrator could qualify. House and Senate education leaders jointly have released new pay for performance legislation that offers flexibility that angry teachers and school boards demanded. Read the full story here. To see the House version, click here. For the Senate version, click here. To read the Sun-Sentinel's account, click here.

NCLB TUTORING ISSUES: Thousands of children have taken advantage of extra tutoring offered when their schools have failed to meet federal progress standards. Yet, as The Gradebook reported yesterday, most states don't have the funding to figure out if the tutoring is working. Here's a fuller version of the story.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: Five came in. Just one will emerge victorious. The candidates for Hernando superintendent are in town for site visits and interviews, with the board set to pick a successor to Wendy Tellone as early as tonight.

CHARTER TO CLOSE: Pasco County's lone charter high school, which serves 149 at-risk teens, plans to close after graduation this spring. Its leaders cite a bad working relationship with the district administration as the root of the problem. The Gradebook gave you bare bones yesterday, so here's the rest of the story.

HE DIDN'T ROB A BANK: Ethics scholars weigh in on the Charlotte County teacher who bared all for art and now faces dismissal from his job. The teacher, meanwhile, doesn't think he'll be out of work in the end, the Herald-Tribune reports.

TOO BIG TO FIX? Any time you start thinking Florida's education system is a costly mess, just think about California. The LA Times reports today about a series of studies recommending that, to mend that state's "haphazard" education system, it would require $1.5-trillion a year.

Charter calls it quits

NEW PORT RICHEY - The Richard Milburn Academy, which has operated a charter high school in Pasco County since 2002, will close its doors when the school year ends, the Massachusetts-based company announced Wednesday. The school's directors decided not to seek renewal of its charter because of what it called a "punitive and adversarial" attitude from the school district. To read the board's letter to the school district, click here. Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said the charter school had made a business decision, and the school district will focus on ensuring that its 149 students are well served. The Pasco School Board had placed the Richard Milburn Academy on probation because of financial and curriculum concerns. Last year, the Hillsborough County school district forced the Richard Milburn Academy to close a charter school there, stating the school was failing academically.

Today's news

STAR UPDATE: More teachers would qualify for performance pay under a bill approved in a key House committee on Tuesday. The proposal would allow districts to give bonuses to any teacher whose students show improvement, rather than capping the percentage of teachers who qualify. The Senate Education Committee tackles the controversial issue today.

CHARTER CONCERNS: A new charter school for children with autism is raising concerns in some of the counties it would serve. Not because of its programs. Because of politics. The charter school announced it would operate in six counties after winning approval in just one.

NOT COVERED: Parents had hoped the Hernando school district would pay their medical expenses after their children were overcome by fumes in a Brooksville school. The district's insurance doesn't cover mystery smells, though.

SPENDING TOO MUCH: An audit finds the Citrus County school district overspent its budget twice in the past year. It also discovered several buildings in poor condition, and teachers who had nt gone through new background checks.

JUST SAY NO: A bill to randomly test high school athletes for steroid use sails through its first committee hearing, the Palm Beach Post reports. A remaining worry: how to keep the records private.

NOT JUST FOR HIGH SCHOOL ANYMORE: Animal dissection gains in popularity, even in some elementary schools, the Washington Post reports.  And for the squeamish, there's a computer version.

PARENTAL PERMISSION: Utah's governor is poised to sign a bill that would require parental permission to participate in school clubs, Education Week reports. The rule emerged as a reaction to the growth of gay-straight clubs, opponents claim. Sound familiar, Hillsborough County?

A shot across the bow

Florida charter schools get tax money for educating kids, the same amount that the mainstream public schools do. They don't, however, get tax money to build schools. That explains why you find so many of them in converted warehouses and storefronts. Well, state Rep. John Legg, who runs a charter school in New Port Richey, wants that to change. Legg - deputy House majority whip and a member of the Schools and Learning Council - is drafting a bill that would give charters with a proven success rate, say, a school grade of B or better plus no financial troubles over three years, a share of the local tax revenue dedicated to school construction projects. That would weed out the fly-by-nights and give the good ones a better chance of long-term success. He figures that some district leaders will go "absolutely crazy" on hearing the idea. But charter schools are a reality, he says, and they deserve support. "I'm putting this out there to let the school district folks know I'm serious," Legg told the Gradebook today.

There's often a disconnect between charter schools and their sponsoring agencies. But when there are two local governments involved, the issues can get complicated. The Sun-Sentinel reports about the city of Pembroke Pines' effort to get more money from the Broward County School Board for the city's charter system, and the school district's resistance. Is this what we have to look forward to in school "reform" – bickering over cash? Read about it here