A weekend interview with ...

... Sami Leigh Scott, president of the Pinellas School Advisory Council Association. Since taking the helm of this countywide organization, Scott has taken some high profile positions, such as writing local lawmakers to urge them to stop cutting education funding. She spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about her goals for the organization and about parents role in education.

What exactly are your plans for the SAC committee? And this is an overarching committee, correct?

Yes, it is. It is the Pinellas School Advisory Council Association. I became involved in the school and the different government issues, policy issues, as soon as I enrolled my daughters in 2002 in elementary school. I learned of SAC and became a member at Gulf Beaches and then chair at Madiera Beach, John Hopkins and then vice chair at Gibbs. What I learned first as a member was how little parents knew of this committee and also what purpose it served as a parent in being involved. I sought out training to become a better parent advocate and learned that there was nothing out there. So I basically started joining the district advisory council and I started following the School Board members. I would check to see where I could go and who to talk to when I had problems.

So when you did all of that, did you find that there was a lot that needed to be done?

I learned that there were things being done, but not in the interest of our kids. And sitting as a parent on these SAC committees, the principals basically ran the show. And as a parent I noticed that we were intimidated, sitting in these schools talking and our children being enrolled and now knowing better because the parents are involved. We were just basically rubber stampers. Whenever she would announce something she needed our vote on, we just waited for the cue and our arms went up with no real understanding of what we were voting.

And now with the overarching committee and the different SACs, your goal is to get people more informed and to be active?

That's exactly right. I learned at the Pinellas SAC, and they were just meeting. I got on board and told them of my plight of trying to get help. In an attempt to make a difference, I asked them to do the training session for SACs. Now we put on a basic workshop, budgeting workshops. We put on bylaws workshops. We really try to inform SAC parents and members what we are able to do on the SAC committees and really become strong advocates, learned advocates. That's really what PSAC does now.

I saw you sent letters to the lawmakers speaking on behalf of the schools and students for finances. What prompted you to take that action?

Can they force you to wear a uniform?

The automated call comes while you're preparing dinner. It's a recording of your Hillsborough elementary school principal, informing you that the school's parents have voted to have students wear uniforms in the new academic year.

They're mandatory.

Stop by the school to see what they look like. Hope your kids look good in khakis and collared shirts (which cost $12 at a small private provider about 15 miles away).

What's not said is that the conforming clothing really is not mandatory at all.

Stranded indoors? Blame the summer reading list.

Too many summers ago, within earshot of waves crashing on a Wisconsin beach, a fifteen-year-old sat down and unhappily opened a book to these words:

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously."

I don't recall whether Charles Dickens' favorite novel, David Copperfield, was completely up to the task of making that teenager forget that he was being forced to read an 896-page novel over his so-called summer vacation. But I'll give Dickens this much: it's the only thing I remember about that summer.

Mandatory summer reading lists, like Coca Cola out of 10-ounce bottles, are hard to find these days. But for students or parents hungry for a few titles, here's the Florida Department of Education's list of recommendations for elementary, middle and high school readers.

It's a decidedly eclectic mix. To be sure, there are a few classics, like Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. But they're bumping shoulders on the high school list with Flush, Carl Hiassen's ode to gambling, or something.

Give us your Tolstoy or Vonnegut memories from those summer reading lists of yore. The Gradebook wants to know. 

-- Tom Marshall, Times staff writer

Parents can get FCAT results (really)

The FCAT Parent Network was supposed to give parents access to their children's FCAT writing scores beginning yesterday. It didn't work.

"A software upgrade resulted in a slower upload time of the files. A patch from the software company solved the problem," Florida Department of Education spokesman Tom Butler told the Gradebook.

So now it works. If you have a log-in, have at it. And stay tuned for more scores to come in the next few weeks.

New online help for struggling students

Are your kids having trouble mastering the Sunshine State Standards? Do they need homework help?

The Florida Department of Education has created two new web sites that feature real-time assistance by trained tutors. Kids can submit their questions and get answers, as well as search educational web sites and talk on a bulletin board to other students, teachers, parents and registered participants.

Students in grades K-5 can get tutoring from 3-7 p.m. (EST) Monday through Thursday, while those in grades 6-12 can get help from 5-9 p.m. (EST). The Florida Learning Network is for the entire state, while the Florida Tutor Network is aimed at students in northern Florida.

"The projects are a targeted initiative to help the students in Florida who are having trouble with their homework and mastering the Sunshine State Standards," DOE spokesman Tom Butler told the Gradebook. "These sites are a result of that initiative."

The sites already are up and running. "Students, parents and librarians can sign up to use the sites through a simple registration process that is initiated by clicking the link 'click here to get started' and following the displayed directions," Butler said. "Teachers and district administrators will be emailed their login information in the near future."

Home-schoolers, "un-schoolers" join forces

This is a California story. But Florida, where home schooling is pretty popular (Don't believe it? Check out their savvy lobbying-oriented web site as but one example.), might want to take note of the home school battle taking place out west.

An appellate court has ruled that credentialed teachers must lead home schooling in California. As the case moves ahead on appeals, a perhaps unexpected coalition has emerged.

See, home schooling is not solely the realm of ultra-religious parents who want to instill the Bible into all their children's lessons. Increasingly, free-spirited liberal families seeking a less regimented learning experience are turning away from mainstream schools, too.

Though they differ on many things, the home-schoolers and the un-schoolers have the common goal of retaining the freedom to educate their children as they - and not the government - sees fit.

So they're teaming up to fight the California ruling, the LA Times reports. It's a compelling and interesting story that makes you think about whether folks really mean it when they talk about the parents being the first and most important teacher. Just wanted to share.

Crist announces autism task force

Two Tampa Bay area residents will serve on Gov. Charlie Crist's new Task Force on Autism Spectrum Disorders. They are Karen A. Berkman of Tampa, director of USF's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, and Richard LaBelle of Dunedin, executive director of Family Network.

Crist established the task force with an executive order to deal with the "growing health crisis" that autism represents in Florida.

"Children are the future of our state and one of our most valuable resources," Crist said in a news release.  "This task force will work to bring together experts in the field of autism spectrum disorders to create a collective resource that will empower parents, teachers and communities, and establish a support system.  I am committed to giving our children the best possible means for success, and I understand the toll this disorder can take on a family."

Yes, there are couch potatoes in England too

Move away from the telly, kids.

That stern message is being broadcast across the United Kingdom today by government ministers concerned over rising levels of childhood obesity. From Ascot to Worcestershire, couch potatoes are being urged to rise and break a sweat.

"It is tempting to stay in, turn on the telly and tuck into a family box of chocolates during this time of year," admitted Kevin Brennan, minister of children, schools and families. "(But) the holiday season is a great chance to spend quality time together, be active with your children and work off some of the Christmas excess.”

American kids could use the same advice, according to a report last spring by a blue-ribbon panel that included representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and American Academy of Family Physicians.

The U.S. doctors got in some hot water over their use of the term "obese" to describe children who weigh above the 95th percentile on pediatric growth charts. But panelists said they needed to send a clear message about the health risks facing seriously overweight kids.

"The rest of the world uses that terminology already," said Dr. Reginald Washington, medical director of Rocky Mountain Pediatric Cardiology in Denver. "It's not necessary to address the child or family in these terms, but as far as medical terms, a child above the 95th percentile is obese."

Weather forecasters say it won't get warmer than 53 degrees Fahrenheit today in London.

But Floridians have no such excuse, with temperatures pushing 80 degrees today in Tampa. The sky is blue, and there's a nice breeze coming off the Gulf of Mexico.

So listen up, kiddos: Get up, get outta the house!

-- Tom Marshall, Times staff writer; Image, The Daily Mail

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).

Getting parents riled up

If ever there was a hot-button issue in education, it would be school attendance zones.

Sure, you can make a case for high-stakes testing, teacher performance pay and a long list of others. But anyone who makes a career of covering school districts (as we do) will tell you, nothing gets parents more agitated and active than when some administrator tells them that sorry, your kid will have to move to a different school.

Look no farther than Pinellas schools, where the School Board has dealt lately with whether to close some schools to save money (parents protested) and whether to change its assignment policy to create more neighborhood schools (parents protested). Or consider Hillsborough County schools, where the superintendent's proposal about two years ago to shift kids among nearly 20 schools motivated giant neighborhoods to, yes, protest.

Most of the time, the parents end their complaining after the School Board gavels the matter closed. Better to move on and give their kids a sense that the move will be good for them than to keep the flames stoked with anger.

Then there's this group in Orange County. So peeved were they that their children were zoned out of Ocoee High that they've sued the school district, the Orlando Sentinel reports. They say the public wasn't involved in the decision.

Many districts aim to avoid this by including parents from the start. (See this Times story about how Pasco deals with the issue.) But ultimately, as the Miami Herald reports about a heated boundary fight in Broward, someone will end up unhappy. It just depends how unhappy as to what they'll do next, it appears.

She really didn't like the school

Some parents who are unhappy with their child's education talk to the teacher or, if necessary, the principal. Often, they'll join the PTA or similar organization to push for changes. Once in a while, they complain to the school board.

But many have come to recognize the power of the Web, where anyone with access to a computer and a log-on can have a soap box. If they figure out how to game the search engines, they might even have an audience.

An Orlando private school has found itself on the receiving end, and it's complaining itself. In court.

The Orlando Sentinel reported this weekend about New School of Orlando, which is suing Sonjia McSween for her blog that's highly critical of the school and her daughter's kindergarten experience there.  The school says McSween's lies caused its enrollment to drop. McSween says she was simply sharing what she saw, so others could decide for themselves.

So what should it be? Should mom back down? Or should the school just get used to the world of the Web?

Time for the Teach-In

Every November, schools around the country bring volunteers from their communities into their classrooms to tell kids about what they do in the "real world." This year, the Great American Teach-In takes place on Wednesday. And it's not too late for you to sign up to speak.

Why would you want to do such a thing? We asked Donna Houchen, who spearheads the Hillsborough County effort, for some perspective.

What is the importance of this event every year?

It exposes our students to opportunities. It lets people know what's going on in the community, what the future might hold, what careers and hobbies and skills are out there for them to look at. The second piece of it is, it gives the community the opportunity to come into our schools. Many of us have not been back to an elementary, middle or high school since they were actually in school. ... So it gives them the opportunity to see what's going on in the educational system today.

What do you encourage these people to talk about when they come and speak to classes?

Whatever it is they're passionate about. Often it will be careers. What is their career? What do they do? How do you prepare for it? What are the things they know about? It might be skills or hobbies they have as well. So that they can share all of those with students and have the opportunity to let them know all the details about what's going on in their lives and what the opportunities are for students in the future. As I like to say, How do you know what you want to be when you grow up, when you don't know what there is to be when you grow up?

Why would you want, then, people to talk about hobbies?

Often those hobbies can be important things. Let's talk about rocks and minerals. Let's talk about butterfly collections. Let's talk about some of the things that might be important in the areas in which we live, as well. It may be in voluntarism, and the importance of that and what it's meant to them in their lives. So, certainly as we look at providing well rounded students and members of society, hobbies are certainly one piece of that.

Ready to commit that hour? Contact any local school and ask for the teach-in coordinator. They'll know what to do with you.

A weekend interview with ...

... Sheila Weiss, director of public relations for Voss & Associates, an education communications firm. Weiss, formerly spokeswoman for the Sarasota school district, is making the rounds encouraging Florida's school boards to adopt the Be There campaign, which focuses on parental involvement. Pinellas schools already have signed up, and Pasco is assessing its options. Weiss spoke with reporter Jeff Solochek about the campaign.

Tell me what the Be There program is.

OK. It's not a program. It's not curriculum. It's a campaign. And it's a multimedia, research-based campaign that inspires parents to become involved in their children's education and their children's lives.

Don't we already have parents involved?

We certainly have many parents involved. But as the school districts know, less and less parents have the time to become involved at the school, to come in and volunteer at the school, or even to come to parent information night. And this is a way to just remind parents when they're doing every day routines of life to stop for a moment and connect with their child, give their child a hug, ask a question, impart their knowledge, be their favorite teacher. And in so doing that will make the ordinary routines extraordinary.

What kinds of things are you suggesting that schools would do in this effort?

We're asking the schools to carry the banner, the Be There banner. In essence, to use the components that we've developed to get the word out to parents. There are written components, there are public service announcements, there are posters and newsletter articles, and lots of components that schools can use.

You said there are several districts already joining up to do this. Which ones are involved?

Ask, and you shall receive

Parents told Hillsborough school officials that they needed more information about programs for kids offered by the district, the University of South Florida and the Department of Juvenile Justice. This weekend, the district will provide.

Working with area pastors, as well as educators from USF and DJJ, the school district is presenting its Faith-Based and Community Education Summit beginning at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Mt. Olive Community and Technology Resource Center, 604 W. Ball St., in Plant City.

The program is free and open to the public. It's also considered a model for the rest of the state. Its director presented the concept this past week during the Department of Education's K-12 Innovation Conference, where it was recognized as an outstanding initiative.

Too early

Is it just me, or was anybody else just slightly disturbed by the weekend newspaper ads this Sunday? Heck, it's barely mid-July, and already one of our leading retailers was marketing school supplies. And school doesn't even start for a month, thanks to our lawmakers who decided that kids needed more summer.

So there were my neighbors, toting home bags filled with glue sticks, spiral notebooks and crayons, muttering about how school is coming too early even as it's slated to start later than any time in the past five years. Meanwhile, newspapers keep writing about all the things you can do to keep your kids occupied while they spend another four weeks out of the classroom. Maybe they can sort supplies.

How about a parenting FCAT?

It's not often that a stunningly good idea comes buried in a press release. And The Gradebook sure as heck didn't expect to find one in a press release titled, "PREPARE TOMORROW'S PARENTS LAUNCHES SIXTH ANNUAL 'PREPARE TOMORROW'S PARENTS MONTH.' " But here it is: Given the powerful links between parental involvement and student academic success, shouldn't we be doing a whole lot more to teach kids how to be good parents?

The Boca Raton-based Prepare Tomorrow's Parents suggests those lessons can be integrated into existing coursework, at all grade levels. "One of society's deep-seated assumptions is that teaching a skill in school is the best way for a child to learn it," Myriam Miedzian, the group's co-founder, said in the press release. "Isn't it strange that the most important and difficult task so many people face - raising children - goes untaught? By making both boys and girls aware of the importance and complexity of child rearing, classes could bring down teenage pregnancy rates, reduce the number of deadbeat dads, and promote caring, responsible mothering and fathering. Regardless of how much detail these boys and girls remember by the time they become parents, the class has imbued them with a deep sense of the reality of parenting, of the sacrifices and demands as well as the joys."

By the way: Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month starts today - Mother's Day - and continues through June 17 - Father's Day.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

HELPING HAND: The Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board wants to expand a program that offers tutoring and extra aid, sometimes in the home, to needy students and their families throughout the county.

COPS WANTED: Turnover at the University of South Florida police department is alarming officials, especially as they seek to boost campus security in light of the recent massacre at Virginia Tech.

FROM THE OP-ED PAGES: The FCAT reading cut score for high school sophomores is too high and needs to be more in line with the students' real abilities, the editorial board says.

HOW MUCH TO BUILD A SCHOOL? Broward County taxpayers soon might be longing for the days of a $90-million high school. The next one on the books looks to be costing closer to $130-million, the Sun-Sentinel reports. (Remember when folks thought a $40-million high school was extravagant, about four years ago?)

LIFE SKILLS NEEDED: But now that the state has dropped the life management skills health class as a graduation requirement, many students who need to lessons might not get them, the Miami Herald reports.

PLAYING FAVORITES: As lawmakers prepare to let USF, UF and FSU raise their tuition, leaders at other state universities are complaining that they need some love and money, too, the Palm Beach Post reports.

IS IT FANTASY, OR A THREAT? Teachers and school administrators look at more than just words in students' writing assignments when the message on the page causes alarm, the Chicago Tribune reports.

THE 24/7 REPORT CARD: Parents can get immediate updates on their kids' school progress through Edline and programs like it that their schools adopt. Then they can ask lots of questions. Parents like it, but the kids, not so much, the Washington Post reports.

Today's news

PINELLAS JOINS LATEST LANGUAGE TREND: Students at Safety Harbor Middle School soon will be able to take Mandarin Chinese classes, like students in select Duval and Hillsborough county schools. Just three years ago, no Florida schools offered Chinese.

VOUCHER MANEUVER: Lawmakers continue to seek a way to offer students vouchers despite a state Supreme Court ruling that found the program unconstitutional. The bills come up for votes next week.

KIDS PASS A BILL: The Hillsborough high school students started off competing in the Ought To Be A Law contest. Their idea now is poised to actually become a law, as it passed the House and Senate unanimously.

PORTABLES VANDALIZED: Someone spray-painted racial slurs on nine portables at Palm Harbor University High School. The principal tried not to let any kids see what it said.

GOVERNOR'S PE BILL STALLED : Sarasota Sen. Lisa Carlton is holding up Gov. Crist's pet proposal to require all elementary schools to offer 30 minutes of daily physical education. The powerful senator, who serves as budget gatekeeper, says it's too expensive, the Herald-Tribune reports.

TUITION NEWS: The Florida Senate voted to increase the cost of attending the University of South Florida, the University of Florida and Florida State University, the Miami Herald reports. Gov. Crist still says he'll veto the measure. Lawmakers appear less likely to approve a fee to improve university technology offerings, despite widespread support on campuses, the Palm Beach Post reports.

SUMMER SCHOOL WITHOUT BORDERS: Duval County buys up hundreds of licenses for a Web-based program so it can offer remedial classes over the summer without opening its schools, the Florida Times-Union reports.

SOUNDS LIKE A SAC: Parents don't show up in great numbers to participate in New York City's school parent councils. Many say the councils have no authority, no power and no influence, the New York Times reports. Just like so many school advisory councils in Florida.

NEVER TOO LATE: After Nola Ochs graduates from Fort Hays State University in Kansas in May, she hopes to become a story teller on a cruise ship. She's already become a story in herself, because at 95, she's believed to be the oldest person ever to be awarded a degree.

Today's news

SHE STILL WANTS TO TEACH: The state is poised to take away Jennifer Porter's teaching certificate. The former Tampa dance teacher, who fled a hit and run that killed two children and injured two others, says she will fight the effort.

CALL HER EEYORE: Pasco County School Board member Cathi Martin has missed half of the board meetings held since September. But don't think she's ignoring her duties. She's had a string of bad luck that you wouldn't wish on an enemy. To read our story, click here. To read a transcript of her eight-minute explanation, delivered at a board meeting Tuesday, click here.

DOING THE RIGHT THING: The 7-year-old knew he had something "very dangerous" in his pocket. So he gave the $8,900 worth of crack to the principal of his Tampa elementary school. Believe it or not, he's not being subjected to a zero tolerance policy. He's getting praise for his decision, and gets to stay in school.

GIFTED ADVOCATES: Fearing their children weren't getting what they need in school, a group of Hernando County parents of gifted children form a support and advocacy group.

QUIET RESIGNATION: He chance for reappointment almost none, embattled FAMU board chair Challis Lowe withdraws her application.

CONTINUED REACTION TO SHOOTING: State universities and lawmakers are still looking for ways to be prepared in case they have to deal with a massacre like the one at Virginia Tech this week. The biggest improvements are expected in communications.

LOSING FEDERAL AID: Florida school districts will get about $58-million less in Title I funding, which supports the education of low-income children, the Herald-Tribune reports. Officials begin seeking ways to ensure the money that remains gets to the classroom.

Today's news

NO PASS, NO PLAY: Florida middle schools have rules about students playing sports - they need to keep a C average to participate. Enforcement can be pretty lax. But not at Gulf Middle in New Port Richey, where even one needs improvement in "punctuality" can put a kid on the bench.

MAYBE THEY NEED AN OPT-OUT FORM: Don't think this is about a gay-straight alliance. The Hernando County School Board is looking into how to inform parents about campus blood drives and make sure they're OK with their children donating. Why? A parent complaint that his son fainted with extremely low blood pressure after giving a pint, and dad didn't know he would be giving.

THE LETTER IS IN THE MAIL: And you should get it by Saturday. No, really. The Pinellas school district has sent out answers to the 18,000 or so parents who applied for school choice for their children. On the waiting list? You could get the seat you wanted as early as May.

RUSHING TO FINISH: Construction on a new elementary school in Wesley Chapel is about two months behind schedule to open in January. Crews started working double-time Tuesday to meet the deadline.

SHOOTING ON THEIR MINDS: Students at universities across Florida worry that a tragedy like what happened at Virginia Tech could happen at their schools, too. The chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee plans to have a hearing this month to determine what university leaders are doing to ensure that it doesn't, the Lakeland Ledger reports.

LOWE OUT: The Florida Senate won't take up FAMU board chair Challis Lowe's reappointment, ending her term quietly. She just couldn't overcome her vote against incoming president James Ammons.

SUPERINTENDENT WITH A TWIST: Broward County doesn't have an elected superintendent. But the School Board of Florida's second-largest district says it won't give interim CEO Jim Notter the job permanently unless the public approves, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

CUFF 'EM: The Milwaukee (Wis.) school district will allow its safety aides to restrain "thrashers" with flexible handcuffs, the Journal-Sentinel reports. Better than having a 300-pound officer sit on them until they calm down, officials reason.

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

KIDS LOVE THESE BOOKS: The Bluford High series by author Paul Langan has grown so popular in Hillsborough County middle schools that media specialists are ordering more. What's the attraction? The characters are mostly black, mostly urban and, basically, a lot like the kids who are reading about them.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SCHOLARS GONE? Not to Florida A&M, that's for sure. The school rivaled Harvard U. in its ability to attract the nation's top black high school seniors only seven years ago. Today, it barely recruits them.

HATE THOSE HALF DAYS: Classes end so teachers can plan. But parents' work days go on. Hernando County school leaders wonder if there's a better way, raising concerns about the kids who go home to empty houses.

WANT TO BE A TEACHER? If you don't have the degree but you have the desire, you can check out the education preparation institute program at the state's community colleges, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

WRONG TIME FOR VOUCHERS: Florida lawmakers have too much else on their plate - can you say property taxes and insurance - to spend time debating a revival of the voucher program that the state Supreme Court struck down, the Palm Beach Post editorializes.

THEY'RE EATING SALADS: Healthier cafeteria food is taking root. Even the pizza crust has gotten better for you. Here's reports from the Tallahassee Democrat and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on the craze.

HOMEWORK HELPERS HURT: Parents might think they're doing their kids a service by assisting on the homework. But many educators argue that the interference does the children no good, the Washington Post reports.

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.

Hovering around

Are you a helicopter parent? You know, the kind that hovers just waiting to swoop in at the first sign of your child's distress. (Not sure? Try this quiz to find out.) If you are, it may not be such a bad thing, according to a new poll of your kids, conducted by College Board and Art & Science Group. The survey of students who are getting ready to go to college showed that they feel their parents are "involved" or "very involved" in college planning, but not to an intrusive level. In fact, almost 30 percent responded that they'd like their parents to play a bigger role. What should parents do to help their kids plan for the future? How much is too much? Discuss among yourselves.

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?

Today's news

WHO PAYS? The children got sick at school after a mysterious, nauseating odor swirled through. Hazardous materials response teams took them to the hospital. Now the parents are getting the medical bills, and they want the Hernando County school district to pay. District officials say they're not liable.

LET THEM EAT CELERY: Pizza Hut's Book It program, which rewards kids who read with pizzas, gets a thumbs down from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, the Associated Press reports. Critics say it promotes obesity to a captive audience. Supporters say it promotes reading.

FIGHTING FOR CONTROL: Orange County leaders seek to have a countywide elected School Board chairman, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The NAACP is threatening to sue, saying  the post would be discriminatory.

ONLY IN TEXAS: Teachers in seven Texas school districts took advantage of a tax loophole, since closed, to do some creative pension planning, the Houston Chronicle reports.  The potential cost to the nation: $2.2-billion.

UNHAPPY ABOUT VOUCHERS: A group of Utah residents, displeased that state lawmakers adopted a universal voucher plan for students, is trying to remove the law from the books, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Unlike Florida, no one in Utah has gotten a voter referendum on the ballot in more than 30 years. And to think, in Florida a small group of justices got to decide on vouchers.

Busted. And exposed.

Coming soon to a computer near you: An online database that will allow parents to see whether education officials ever took disciplinary action against their kid's teacher. The Department of Education on Friday announced the still-developing website, www.myfloridateacher.com, and said it will be available for parents this fall. "School districts can already access disciplinary action against a teacher at any time and parents should have the same information," interim Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg said in a written statement. "The best way to protect students is through a transparent system of information." Teacher misconduct comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it's criminal. (See Deborah LaFave). Sometimes it's just pathetic. (See Sharion Thurman). For more information about teacher misconduct, click here.

But parents, also keep this in mind: The vast majority of teacher discipline cases are handled at the local level, either by the principal or by the school board. Only some cases, and probably the most egregious cases – 3,744 of them last year - are referred to the state, which decides whether action should be taken against a teacher's license. So, if you really want to know whether your kid's teacher ever got into trouble, you really need to look to local officials. But districts don't seem to be in any hurry to put that information on-line, as the state has done. What do you think? Should districts post info about teacher misconduct on-line, so it’s just a click away?

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Today's news

FORGET DARE: The days of just saying no to drugs have nearly evaporated, as schools turn their attention to attackers and sexual predators. A Citrus County elementary school is piloting a new program to teach youngsters how to evade people who are trying to harm them.

LIFE AFTER FCAT: Once teens pass the 10th-grade version of the test, they don't have to sit through it again. One Hernando County high school has them attend seminars on college, or volunteer in the community, while the rest of the students take the test.

MORE STAR: The Pasco School Board pre-empts a teacher vote by opting out of the performance pay program on its own. Palm Beach goes the other way, the Sun-Sentinel reports, saying the money is too good to pass up.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH: The ACLU is threatening to sue the Palm Beach County school district over the No Child Left Behind Law, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Their complaint? Some children are being left behind.

RETHINKING FRENCH: Schools are paying a lot of attention to Chinese as the language to learn these days. Spanish remains importante, tambien. But French is losing ground. One Maryland school district is embroiled in a controversy over rumors that the romance language is on its way out, the Washington Post reports.

PARENT IN CHIEF: The New York City school system now has a top parent, appointed by the mayor, to make sure parents' concerns and complaints aren't overlooked, the NY Times reports. The job pays $150,000.

ICKY SCIENCE PROJECT ALERT: A suburban-D.C. teen was fascinated with mud. Now he's experimenting with sewage, aiming to create an alternative fuel source, the Washington Post reports.

MIAMI A MODEL: Surprise. The once infamous school district now greets education reformers from all over the country who are looking for ways to improve their schools, too, the Miami Herald reports.

NEVER TOO OLD: Jean "Grandma" Evans, 61, raises three grandchildren and, in her "spare time" volunteers at Forest Hills Elementary in Citrus County. For her hard work, she's been named outstanding senior volunteer in a 19-county region of northern Florida.

Today's news

FIX THE HIGH SCHOOLS: The Gradebook reported yesterday about the sorry state of high schools, as evidenced by two national reports. Today, Times reporter Tom Tobin gives a fuller accounting of what the experts say needs to be done. And here's the LA Times story on the issue.

DRUG STING SNARES PRINCIPAL: In his own school, while classes were in session, the principal of Tampa's Van Buren Middle decided it was the right time to buy and try to use $20 of crack. The seller was an undercover cop, and the principal ended up giving his students an up close look at an arrest.

MORE STAR: Hernando County's School Board imposed a plan on its teachers, who had declared impasse. Pasco County negotiators reached an agreement and hope the state will accept it without union and school board ratification. The common theme: No one likes STAR and they are doing it reluctantly. Sen. Don Gaetz, chair of the Senate Education Committee, says he and his House counterpart hear the complaints and want to make changes. Read more here.

EXPANSION PLANS: The growing Pasco County school district wins approval for a needed high school site, over neighbors' objections. The growing Hillsborough County school district explores its options for a needed high school, looking to possibly reuse an old courthouse.

SPELLINGS VISIT: The nation's education chief dropped by Tampa for a visit. For the Department of Education's version of events, click here.

GOVERNOR'S ED BUDGET: Gov. Charlie Crist released his budget weeks ago, but only yesterday did he get around to holding a press conference to talk about what he wants to do for Florida schools. Here's the Fort Myers News-Press report.

RECOGNIZE YOURSELF? PTAs are getting corporate in their efforts to raise cash for schools, the New York Times reports.

OPPOSE NCLB? Lots of educators say they do. But the Fairfax County (Va.) School Board is doing something about it, refusing to test English language learners on reading before they're ready, the Washington Post reports. The district could lose millions. Not quite the same response as all those Florida school districts that are imposing performance pay plans they say they despise.