Wednesday is...pull up your britches day?!?

His legislation went nowhere this past spring, but Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, is trying again.

The Senate's Pre K-12 committee tomorrow will consider his proposed bill that would force kids to pull up droopy, underwear-revealing britches or face penalties.

“This bill aids in the creation of a professional environment, eliminating one of the many distractions found in public schools,” Siplin said. “It puts the focus where it should be: on the blackboard, not the backside.”   

He proposes that students caught exposing their underwear be warned the first time, face a 3 day in-school suspension on the second offense, face 10 days of in-school suspension on the third offense, and be suspended out of school if caught for a fourth time.

Identical legislation is being sponsored in the House by Representative Ed Bullard (D-Miami).

A look at the education budget cuts

Lawmakers in Tallahassee have hammered out a proposed $71-billion budget, and will sit on it for three days as required by law before voting on it Friday.

Here's the basics of what the cuts look like for K-12 and higher education:

$268-million less in per-student funding for K-12 students, or about $100 less per child.

$930,000 less for private colleges and universities

$31-million less for community colleges

$84-million less for state universities

Dazed and confused

They don't call it the muddle in the middle for nothing. The vast majority of middle school students think they're destined to graduate from high school, but the vast majority also have no idea what classes they're supposed to take to get it done, according to a survey released this week by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Phi Delta Kappa International. The poll found 93 percent believe there’s "no chance" they'll drop out, which is encouraging but also out of synch with stats that show only about 70 percent of students graduate nationally - and even fewer in Florida.

Other survey responses may shed light on some of the reasons why: 83 percent said they know little or nothing about the classes they need to graduate, and less than a third said they knew much about what classes they need for college. And here's where it gets disturbing: More than 70 percent said they only had 1 to 5 teachers - during their entire time in school - who were helpful. To see more results, click here.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Promises kept

   
Four years ago, the St. Petersburg-based Academy Prep private school bought a beat-up old grammar school in a rough patch of Ybor City and made big promises to the neighborhood: It would enroll a handful of local kids, free of charge, and help them open doors to a brighter future.

Tomorrow, the school will offer proof that it's making good on lofty goals. Its first group of eighth graders - 18 in all - will move on to high school. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is even on tap to give the commencement address. But here's the bigger news: 14 of the 18 earned scholarships to prep schools including Jesuit, Tampa Prep and Academy of the Holy Names. The other four have enrolled in public school magnet programs. Academy Prep has a reputation for churning out high-achievers with a regimen that includes a longer school day (11 hours every weekday) and a longer school year (5 hours daily through June.) School head Lincoln Tamayo isn't shy about describing the results: "What we have done," he told The Gradebook, "probably cannot be matched by any inner city middle school in … all of Tampa and St. Petersburg."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter
(Photo of grads courtesy of Academy Prep)

Today's news

NOT QUITE CANDID CAMERA: The kids reportedly were out of control on the school bus. The driver could lose his for not doing anything. It's becoming a war of words, though, as the security cameras installed on the bus did not work.

CHOOSE A NEW PATH: Calling Pinellas County's school choice plan a miserable failure, the editorial board offers some recommendations for fixing it. In the balance: neighborhoods and racial diversity.

SOME CANDIDATES REMAIN: Not everyone in the hunt to become Hernando County's superintendent has resume conflicts. The Times profiles two of the hopefuls, who will visit this week for interviews with the board. The editorial board, meanwhile, suggests slowing the process to make sure the candidates are who they say they are.

END STAR WARS: House and Senate bills for revamping teacher performance pay rules don't jibe yet. The Times editorial board backs the Senate version, saying chairman Don Gaetz has found a resolution that bridges the gap between the capital and the classroom. Broward County's interim superintendent, meanwhile, writes why he recommended deferral on the program in the Sun-Sentinel.

LOBBYING AGAINST CLASS SIZE: Lee and Collier counties are unlikely to meet the class-by-class requirements of the 2002 class-size amendment. That's why their leaders are pushing to keep the measure at the school level, the Naples Daily News reports. You can bet other counties are saying the same. But Gov. Charlie Crist has shown no intent to overturn the voter mandate.

FORGET THE RESEARCH PAPER: Sixth graders at a California middle school write rap songs based on their history lessons, the LA Times reports. The class is cutting its second single.

MOVING FROM MIDDLES: The Milwaukee Public School system is phasing out middle schools, favoring K-8 schools instead, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. It's a trend gaining strength across the country, but there's a debate over which model is better.