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ICYMI: Florida education news in review, week of Dec. 2, 2017

A collection of news, views, reports and more from the past week.
 
Published Dec. 9, 2017

Hard to believe, but winter break is fast approaching, and Florida schools are turning their focus to first semester exams. Still, the news continues about bullying, bus rides, block scheduling and more.  Catch up on the highlights of the week's Florida education news, views, reports and more below. You can keep up with our conversation on Facebook, hear our podcast, and follow our blog to get all the latest Florida education news. All tips, comments and ideas welcome. Know anyone else who'd like to get this weekly roundup or other email updates? Have them send a note to jsolochek@tampabay.com.

Top of the Times

‘It’s like an insane nightmare’: Parents question private company hired to drive special needs kids to school, Anastasia Dawson
“This is the third year the Hillsborough County School District has employed the Lyft-owned company to transport students who have to attend classes outside of the schools in their zone. Like Owen Storey, most are in Exceptional Student Education programs. School district officials say thorough background checks and finger print scans are performed on every subcontracted driver, as required under the Jessica Lunsford Act. But multiple parent emails to school district officials and ALC staff argue that vetting isn’t enough.”

Why do universities handle sexual assault cases, anyway?, Claire McNeill
“It’s pretty simple, Lake said: Schools handle these cases because they’re required to under penalty of law. Okay, so why does the law require schools to deal with sex violence? Short answer: Because it’s discrimination.”

Pasco County school district picks former Gov. Scott chief of staff as temporary lobbyist, Jeffrey S. Solochek
“The abrupt fall departure of Spencer Pylant, the Pasco County school district’s first full-time lobbyist, left the administration scrambling for representation as lawmakers held committee meetings in advance of their early 2018 session. Now the district, which has a fairly aggressive set of legislative priorities, has landed two Tallahassee veterans to help promote its views.”

Florida Virtual School leaders oppose teacher union initiative, Jeffrey S. Solochek
“The movement to organize Florida Virtual School’s teachers has met strong pushback from the the school’s administration, which calls the effort a “serious” matter. In an email to staff, FLVS CEO Jodi Marshall said unionization would interfere with the school’s individual recognition and respect of teachers.”

Around the State

Alachua County schools have an equity problem, The Independent Florida Alligator, David Hoffman
“For the past three years, Alachua County has had the largest achievement gap between white and black students on state exams across all 67 Florida counties, a Florida Department of Education information portal reveals. Alachua County’s black students significantly underperform compared to its white students across all four subjects of the Florida Standard Assessment, an end-of-the-year exam required for third through 10th-graders.”

ESCAMBIA SCHOOL BOARD ALL WHITE AFTER GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENT, Pulse Gulf Coast, Derek Cosson
“Florida Governor Rick Scott on Friday announced the appointment of Lee Hansen of Pensacola to the vacant District 3 seat on the Escambia County School Board. Hansen is the first white person to represent District 3 on the school board in more than three decades. Escambia’s county commission and school board were all-white until a 1977 lawsuit ended the county’s practice of using only at-large districts, which effectively diluted the black vote.”

Is scholarship program a remedy for school bullying? Some lawmakers think so., Miami Herald, Kyra Gurney
“Joseph Jimenez, the owner of Trinity Christian Academy in Hialeah, said that many of the students who come to his school with the aid of tax credit scholarships do so because they were bullied at a public school. ‘The number two thing besides the academics is the social bullying,’ he said. ‘We hear it all the time.’ But in a state that has long been at the forefront of the controversial school choice movement — which embraces voucher programs and publicly funded, privately managed charter schools — critics worry that the proposal would further drain the public school system of resources.”

Citrus County high schools to nix block scheduling, Citrus County Chronicle, Carly Zervis
“Another factor district staff considered: the seven-period schedule with year-long classes requires fewer instructional staff members. ‘We are looking at a smaller number of teachers that we’ll have to put in the classroom next year,’ [Superintendent Sam] Himmel said. ‘Teachers will not lose their jobs. But every year we have approximately 100 staff members retire, move on to other places — we know that there will be a place for all our teachers.’”

Parent wants book about book bans banned, Northwest Florida Daily News, Heather Osbourne
“Santa Rosa County Superintendent of Schools Tim Wyrosdick says he will not ban Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’ from the school curriculum despite a Milton mother’s request that it be re-evaluated.”

Other Views

Book-banning — a crusade for Florida’s simplest minds, Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell
“Schools used to be meant for education. Now, they are battlefields for political gamesmanship. Children are merely the pawns.”

Understand Patterson, take a stand, get involved, Panama City News Herald guest column, Bay County superintendent Bill Husfelt
“I don’t agree with the state’s method of grading schools, but there’s no avoiding it and there’s no negotiating with DOE regarding a school that isn’t “making the grade.” Unfortunately, Patterson Elementary’s grade isn’t what we want it to be, and that’s my responsibility. I live with that challenge daily, and I am committed to doing whatever I can to support Patterson in their efforts to secure a C or higher.”

Lee, Collier school boards selfish to battle House Bill 7069, Fort Myers News-Press guest column, state Rep. Byron Donalds
“You’d think school boards would be eager to cut red tape and utilize opportunities offered in HB 7069. Rather, some boards are resisting change and filing lawsuits in the name of maintaining complacency.”

Removing Florida’s Blaine Amendment may not help advance school choice, Redefined, Travis Pillow
“A proposal advanced last week by a panel revising Florida’s constitution would eliminate an oft-cited barrier to private school choice. The proposal has already incited teeth-gnashing among voucher critics. But they elide the fact that courts have already begun to weaken Blaine Amendments, and could undo them entirely. Indeed, the threat to Blaine Amendments pose to school choice in Florida has been greatly exaggerated.”

Some basic facts about Hillsborough’s teacher pay imbroglio, Tampa Bay Times column, Joe Henderson
“Hillsborough County’s public school teachers are horn-honking, voice-raising, sign-waving, foot-stomping mad, and I can’t blame them. They are paying for a problem they didn’t create. About one-third of the workforce was expecting to receive a $4,000 raise that had been promised, but after some dithering and harrumphing from top district officials, teachers learned the other night they might only get $92 instead. Merry Christmas, y’all.”

Reports of Note

Test Reform Victories Surge in 2017: What’s Behind the Winning Strategies?, FairTest
“Of particular note: The number of states with mandated graduation tests has been slashed by half in recent years. The district victories often occur in communities with large percentages of African American or Latino students and low income families. There has also been progress in implementing better forms of assessment. These wins often result from effective grassroots advocacy by parents, teachers, students and their allies based on growing public understanding of the damage caused by the overuse and misuse of standardized testing.”

ESSA State Plans, Foundation for Excellence in Education
“It’s encouraging that in the majority of states, schools will earn summative ratings that are easily understandable for parents and can spur school improvement,” said Dr. Christy Hovanetz, ExcelinEd Senior Policy Fellow. “However, there are some concerns with many states planning to measure achievement using index systems – and growth using peer comparisons – rather than grade level expectations.”

Coming Up

Dec. 13-14, Education Practices Commission, Fort Lauderdale

Dec. 14, Florida Constitution Revision Commission Education Committee, 8:30 a.m.; Local Government Committee 1 p.m.

On File

Lawmakers have begun filing education related legislation in advance of the coming session. Some of the latest notable bills are:

SB 1056, Computer Coding Instruction
SB 1074, Equity in School Funding
HB 909, Free Speech on Campus

See also Florida Constitution Revision Commission member proposals. Several relate to education.

Gradebook: The Podcast

We’re podcasting, with newsmaker interviews and chats about the latest issues to crop up. Please take a listen, and send any thoughts, tips and ideas to jsolochek@tampabay.com.

The latest: Should Florida lawmakers have unrestricted access to public schools?

Find our past episodes on SoundCloud.