Gradebook

Seven Pinellas schools could get pilot merit pay plan

After promising to improve its merit pay plan for teachers, the Pinellas County School District is poised to roll out a pilot plan at seven schools. The plan could solve one of the biggest complaints about merit pay - that many teachers were evaluated based on students they never taught.

Under the proposal, teachers would be evaluated based on student growth and instructional practice, both worth 50 percent. Student growth will be based on the FCAT for teachers with FCAT-tested subjects and on unit assessment scores for teachers who don't have applicable state tests. Instructional practice will include three components - professional evaluations, "deliberate practice," and "planning, reflecting and professionalism."

Deliberate practice will be based on observation of an early and then a later unit. Planning, reflecting and professionalism will be based on elements of the Marzano evaluation.

For teachers who have both FCAT and non-FCAT subjects, there will be a weight assigned based on the number of classes. In the first year, teachers also can choose between the state VAM score and their calculated student growth score, if one is better than the other.  …

Gov. Scott vetoes $1.5 million STEM project for Pasco schools

Plans to create a STEM magnet program in Pasco schools took a setback Monday when Gov. Rick Scott took his veto pen to the proposed 2014 state budget.

Scott killed $368 million in spending projects, including $1.5 million that Sen. John Legg had placed in the spending plan to create the Pasco program. District officials were optimistic after the Florida Tax Watch didn't include the amount in its annual "turkey" list, but they remained wary nonetheless.

Superintendent Kurt Browning, a former member of Scott's administration, expressed his disappointment with the governor's decision.

"We remain convinced that a science, technology, engineering, and math magnet academy is needed in Pasco County Public Schools, and we plan to continue our pursuit of a viable source of funding to get it started," Browning said in a released statement.

He also thanked Legg, House speaker Will Weatherford and others in the Pasco legislative delegation for supporting the effort. Legg, who said in a message that he was unhappy with the veto, has said in the past that the STEM initiative is one of his priorities to get funded while in the Senate.

After cutting hours, SPC seeks more part-time professors

St. Petersburg College is holding a job fair this Thursday to hire more adjunct professors — day, evening, online — academic and technical disciplines — positions filled as early as this fall. How exactly did SPC find itself in the market for part-time professors?

This is phase II of an ugly little snafu.

In March, SPC's adjuncts got an email that their hours were being cut (and in some cases, halved) because the college could not afford to give them healthcare, as required by the Affordable Care Act if they worked for 30 hours or more a week.

Bill Law, the president of SPC, told The Gradebook that he planned to hire more adjunct professors. Basically, there'd be more people with fewer hours producing the same amount of classes for students.

Of course, SPC's existing adjuncts were not happy about seeing their hours and paychecks slashed. "It's just a really ugly choice," Law said. "It's one of the worst choices I've had to face in my time as president." Law put the cost of healthcare for each additional employee at $8,000. …

How much testing is too much?

In many schools around the country, once the state testing period ends, teachers and students slow down their pace and relax. The homework often ends, and the curriculum — having already been tested — segues into a combination of review and a look ahead to the next year's expectations.

In some places, though, testing continues. Not to evaluate student abilities or teacher performance, but to fine-tune the questions for future exams. Test experts say it's an important part of the process, to avoid misleading, poorly written or just plain dumb items that shouldn't be on high-stakes tests.

In New York City, a growing number of parents are protesting the use of their children as test guinea pigs, and they're getting support from some high profile politicians, the NY Times reports. Parents are boycotting the testing days, and some principals are just sending back the tests unopened.

“We’re seeing the early glimmers of a bigger fight,” Frederick M. Hess, an education scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told the NY Times. “The real question is if states can keep those concerns isolated.” …

Florida education news: Tuition, school choice, teacher layoffs and more

VETO PEN: Gov. Rick Scott is set to sign the FY 2014 budget, but veto a 3 percent tuition rate increase within it.

FEW OPTIONS: Parents of children with severe disabilities have limited school choices when the centers their children attend are rated F, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

TEACHER APPRECIATION: Some Manatee parents plan to rally outside a School Board budget workshop to show their support of teachers facing layoffs, the Bradenton Herald reports.

EARLY EDUCATION: Duval schools plan to add more prekindergarten classes, the Florida Times-Union reports.

BUS SAFETY: Palm Beach officials look for ways to protect children after a string of school bus accidents, the Palm Beach Post reports.

TEACHER TRAINING: Experts take a closer look at schools of education at UCF and other colleges to evaluate their value, the Hechinger Report reports.

LOVE OF ART: A Sarasota principal helps two county elementary schools develop strong dance and drama programs, the Herald-Tribune reports.

REOPENING: A coalition makes plans to open 16 of 24 Duval Head Start sites that were shut down on Friday, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Gov. Rick Scott to veto 3 percent tuition increase

As Gov. Rick Scott signs a $74.5 billion budget before leaving for a trade mission to Chile Monday, his rejection of a 3-percent tuition increase for state colleges and universities was expected. He has criticized the idea for months, calling it a "tax" on middle-class families.

Scott's veto message says Florida should be proud that its tuition is lower than most states and that students should be able to earn degrees and find jobs without being saddled with "massive debt."

The veto could draw a legal challenge from the Legislature. Tuition is technically not a line item subject to a veto, but is wedged into the budget as proviso language tied to an appropriation that Scott will not veto. Former Gov. Charlie Crist took similar action in 2007, and lawmakers didn't challenge it in court.

Seeking to build a case for a veto, Scott's office asked state university presidents to sign a letter saying they do not want more tuition revenue this year. University leaders collectively decided not to sign the letter, and balked at getting in the middle of a fight between Scott and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who led the charge for a tuition hike. …

Bullying prevention is a "moral imperative," Pasco superintendent says

Over recent months, the Pasco County school district has seen its share of bullying incidents. One case that's a few years old led the School Board to adopt an agreement with the federal government to dramatically improve its policies on harassment and discrimination.

Pasco superintendent Kurt Browning says in a column for the Tampa Bay Times that the schools and the community must combat the problem of bullying head on. It will take extra education, training and vigilance on everyone's part, he writes:

"Our desire is to put an end to bullying and harassment in our public schools. The education community cannot do this without the support and involvement of the greater Pasco County community. We must stand together to have any chance of eradicating bullying, harassment and violent behaviors. I promise that we will do our part to create civil and respectful school cultures where bullying is not tolerated and I hope I can count on all of you to do your part."

Read more here.

Florida education news: PTA funds, kindergarten literacy, school closure and more

FOR THE KIDS? The president of the Seven Springs Elementary PTA is arrested on charges she embezzled thousands of dollars from the group.

MAKING PROGRESS: A Hernando K-8 school holds a literacy cafe for parents to see how their kindergartners have improved in writing through the year.

SCHOOL CLOSING: Manatee will close Central High School, which serves over-age students, as a cost-saving move, the Bradenton Herald reports.

MAKING ROOM: A search for school zone boundary jumpers could open seats for students to get back into their Palm Beach school, the Palm Beach Post reports.

FINANCIAL CONTROLS: The Polk School Board increases the frequency for auditing schools, the Ledger reports.

SO CLOSE: Students from a Monroe high school almost tag a great white shark on a shark tagging field trip, the Keynoter reports.

CLASS SIZE: The Manatee superintendent's claim that the district had very small class sizes as a result of overhiring aren't borne out on closer scrutiny, Herald-Tribune columnist Tom Lyons writes.

CHOICES: Florida's new high school graduation law gives students diploma options, the St. Augustine Record reports.

Florida education news: Tuition, graduation, discrimination and more

JUST SAY NO: Gov. Rick Scott asks Florida's university presidents for their support in his opposition to increased tuition rates.

TENACITY: A Dixie Hollins High senior struggles to make it to graduation before cancer claims her.

BELIEVE, ACHIEVE: A Tampa middle school teaches its low performing readers more about commitment and other things to help them focus on success.

SUE YOU: A woman who was rejected for a provost job at St. Petersburg College sues the school and its president for discrimination.

JOINING FORCES: The Pasco County Council of PTAs revives after years of inactivity.

COSTLY OPTIONS: Florida school districts are considering whether to pay the increased cost of dual enrollment or to scale back advanced high school course offerings, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

TEACHER DISCIPLINE: A dismissed Clay teacher denies accusations of child abuse against a student, whom he is accused of putting into a choke hold, the Florida Times-Union reports. • A Marion teacher is suspended over allegations that he touched a student on the head with a banana, the Ocala Star-Banner reports. …

University presidents balk at Scott's request to co-sign tuition veto

University presidents expect Gov. Rick Scott to veto the tuition increase that lawmakers included in the budget. But they didn't expect to be put in the middle of the debate.Here is an excerpt from a story in Saturday's paper about the governor's request that university presidents sign a letter saying they don't want any additional tuition revenue:

Gov. Rick Scott has all-but-guaranteed a veto of the three-percent tuition increase in the state budget and he recently reached out to an unlikely group to aid his cause.

All 12 state university presidents were asked to sign a letter initiated by the governor's office that says they do not want more tuition revenue. In the process, they would have rejected an automatic 1.7 percent increase to cover the cost of inflation.

"As a result of this (year's) historical support for state universities, we are pleased to report that we will not be seeking any tuition increases for the upcoming school year and intend to maintain tuition at current levels," reads a draft of the letter, which is signed "INSERT PRESIDENT SIGNATURE" and addressed to Scott. …

Pinellas cuts 100 to 115 ESE classroom aides

Superintendent Mike Grego announced in late April that he was changing staffing levels in special education because Pinellas County Schools spends far more, on average, than other schools districts.

To cut those costs, Grego consolidated the special education centers - repurposing Hamilton Disston - and combined the school-based VE liaison and the district-based CED job. He said the district was staffing some classrooms to the most intensive teacher to student ratios and grouping students by disability rather than severity level.

The result of all these changes is that people's jobs have been cut for the 2013/14 school year.

District officials confirmed Friday that 100 to 115 classroom aide positions have been cut. With the combo job - now called teacher on special assignment - varying exceptionalities specialist - there are 15 fewer jobs for the VEs and CEDs to apply for. (There are about 51 VEs and CEDs and only 36 combined positions.) The district has been advertising the combined job online. It's not clear how many of the displaced employees could find jobs elsewhere in the district. …

Hillsborough will launch ESE focus groups

Pinellas puts out list of principal reappointments

The Pinellas County School Board is expected to sign off on a slew of principal reappointments at its meeting next week.

The biggest changes already have been announced, with superintendent Mike Grego "walking in" principal changes a week ago for the five schools facing state intervention. The list on the agenda for Tuesday's School Board meeting is below. Note that a couple principals, such as Robyn Witcher from Pinellas Park Middle, have been reappointed but no school is listed. Those people still are in the running for administrative jobs.

A few principals also are missing from the list, but the Gradebook hasn't heard yet whether they are retiring, were let go or are in the running for another job. We'll update with details as we get them. UPDATE: Clint Herbic is returning to Tarpon Springs High as principal. He should be on the June 11 agenda. The district said information is not available about Godfrey Watson at Campbell Park Elementary, Kim Short at Pinellas Park Elementary, Alisa Gatlin at Largo Middle and Barry Brown at John Hopkins Middle.

See the list:

Full Story

Some Pinellas administrators still looking for positions

Pinellas County school superintendent Mike Grego announced in April that he would cut 13 jobs in the administration. Of the 13 jobs he planned to eliminate, five were administrators. Three were "professional/technical/supervisory" and five were support positions.

Most of the "cuts" were made to pay for a few positions he did want, such as deputy superintendent and upgrades to the directors of elementary, middle and high school education. The resulting shake-up is occurring now. Grego named his deputy and an associate superintendent of student and community services. He changed the associate superintendent of teaching and learning. And he's reappointed a bunch of administrators. That leaves a few administrators still looking for a place for the 2013/14 school year.

Here's how the administrative and PTS positions targeted for elimination are playing out so far:

Full Story

Florida education news: Budget vetoes, teacher layoffs, STEM lessons and more

GOBBLE, GOBBLE: Gov. Rick Scott faces pressure over what to leave in the state budget and what to veto. More from State Impact Florida.

WHO KNEW? A family sues the Broward school district claiming that school officials ignored information that a teacher was having sex with one of her 13-year-old students, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

EARN IT: Duval's superintendent proposes ending the district's grade recovery program, suggesting the courses aren't rigorous enough, the Florida Times-Union reports.

LABOR NEWS: For just the second time in half a century, the United Teachers of Dade swears in a new president, the Miami Herald reports. • Escambia considers increasing substitute teacher pay, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

LAYOFFS: Manatee teachers and staff get a robocall at home alerting them that layoffs are coming soon, the Bradenton Herald reports. More from the Herald-Tribune.

AT ODDS: A majority of the Palm Beach School Board spar with their superintendent and one fellow member over a program they never agreed upon, the Palm Beach Post reports. …