|
Carol Cook says she's running for re-election
She hasn't filed any official election paperwork yet, but Pinellas County School Board member Carol Cook says she will be running this year for a fourth term.
"A few months ago, I would have said absolutely not. I didn't even want to finish the term," Cook told The Gradebook today. "I got on the board because in my mind I wanted to take a good school system and make it better ... And I wasn't seeing that happen. And it was, 'Maybe I'm the one who needs to step out of the way and let it move forward.' "
"But since then, I can see again where I am making a difference in the district," she continued. "We are back on track. We are moving forward. ... I'm excited about doing my job again." ... Read more
Pinellas climate survey under fire again
We know this is very, very serious. But doesn't it feel like the Pinellas school district's annual climate survey is snake bit, bathed in 13 tubs of bad juju and doomed to have 666 black cats cross its path?
The new-and-improved survey went out to district employees this week - and it did NOT go off without a hitch. Some groups of teachers were left out. And many employees are grumbling that they did not have time to respond because the district gave them one day to do so (as opposed to many days in the past).
The criticism prompted Pinellas teachers union president Kim Black to raise the issue with Superintendent John Stewart, which apparently prompted a followup email to employees from the district's research and accountability department.
The email says an initial analysis shows a response rate of 36 percent this year with the one-day window, compared to 38 percent last year with a 17-day window. "We are seeing strong indications that the processes we had implemented were in the right direction," wrote Behrokh Ahmadi, the district's director for program evaluation. ... Read more
Pinellas Education Foundation is best in nation (says report from St. Pete)
The Pinellas Education Foundation is tops among foundations serving the 50 biggest school districts in the country, according to a new report from ... a company based in St. Petersburg.
Dewey & Associates, a management and strategy consulting practice, looked at eight variables, including total assets, revenues, expenses and volunteers. The PEF came in at No. 1, followed by foundations serving Denver, Clark County (Nevada), Hillsborough and Brevard. PEF also ranked No. 1 in 2005, the last time the company ranked foundations.
Dewey & Associates' clients include Students First Pinellas, which includes a number of movers and shakers with the Pinellas foundation, and Take Stock in Children, the scholarship program that partners with the foundation on the latter's Doorways Scholarships program. But president Dewey Caruthers said the firm is neither a member nor a contributor to the foundation. Asked if it's coincidence that a St. Pete company concluded the Pinellas foundation is the best, Caruthers wrote in an email, "Fair question." ... Read more
Pinellas assistant superintendent resigns
John Just, the assistant superintendent for management of information systems in Pinellas, has resigned. District spokeswoman Melanie Marquez told The Gradebook he left the district to take a position with a private firm. She said his position will be filled, and that a recommendation could go to the school board as early as the next board meeting Feb. 21. Just's salary was $117,514.
Why do you think Pinellas is making slower progress?
Today's story listed a handful of theories about why Pinellas students, on the whole, are not making as much progress as students in other big Florida districts (according to a decade's worth of FCAT data). But we know we only scratched the surface, and that parents, teachers and plenty of other folks have plenty of other theories worth chewing on. So please, share your theory and point to the evidence, or give an explanatory thumbs up or thumbs down to the ideas floated in the story. For what it's worth, we attached some of the data we referenced:
* A spreadsheet from the state Department of Education that shows the number of industry certifications, a byproduct of career and technical programs, earned by students in each district. ... Read more
The case for renewing the extra Pinellas schools tax
Beth Rawlins, a political consultant who chairs the Citizens for Pinellas Schools political action committee, which has led the charge for the property tax referendum, offered her arguments for renewing the tax in remarks to the school board yesterday. Here is her statement in full:
My name is Beth Rawlins and I am Chair of Citizens for Pinellas Schools.
In 2004 I came before you and asked you to put the idea of a locally funded school tax before the voters. I asked you to give the people of Pinellas County the opportunity to fund programs they supported.
At that meeting we talked about cuts in state funding, lost teaching assistants and curriculum specialists. We talked about our inability to offer salaries competitive with surrounding districts in order to recruit and retain the very best teachers for our classrooms. ... Read more
Pinellas school board steers tax renewal to November ballot
After hovering in the background for months, a voter referendum to renew a $30 million tax increase for Pinellas schools came into sharp focus Tuesday. The Pinellas school board voted 7-0 to steer the referendum to the Nov. 6 ballot, a move that will begin to accelerate chatter around the biggest issue facing Pinellas schools this year. "Even in grocery stores, as I'm going along, it's like, 'When is the renewal coming up?' " said board member Carol Cook. "These are community members ... (whose) children are enjoying and appreciating ... what this referendum has been able to give them." Story here.
Some Pinellas schools still wanting to go fundamental
Here's one for the better-late-than-never file: The Gradebook recently learned that one Pinellas elementary school applied last fall to be a fundamental school, and that a second received an application in the past few weeks.
The former is Plumb Elementary, which was essentially told its timing wasn't good. The latter is Walsingham Elementary.
Plumb's application is attached below. And here's the text of an email that associate superintendent Bill Lawrence sent to Plumb principal Seymour Brown in October, explaining why the school board wouldn't be considering his school's bid: ... Read more
Early release, voting margins, sick leave still on bargaining table in Pinellas
Update at 7:28 p.m.: The PCTA's take on the latest negotiations is included below.
From the latest Friday Update newsletter to Pinellas school board members: The district’s bargaining team met with PCTA representatives for several hours this week. The parties signed the grievance procedure article and are close on several other articles, as well as on language concerning the teacher evaluation process. There has been no movement from union leaders on the district’s proposal to reduce the voting margin on school-initiated schedules from 75 percent to 60 percent. In all, the parties have agreed on 24 articles. As previously reported, items successfully negotiated include those pertaining to health insurance and the length of the work year. The issue of early release is the subject of a quality process review headed by Mary Beth Corace. Meanwhile, the issue of a cap on terminal sick leave has begun its journey through the bargaining committees with a first meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Additional bargaining sessions are scheduled for next Friday and the following Monday. ... Read more
Pinellas tax referendum vote likely to be Nov. 6
The vote to renew Pinellas' additional property tax for schools appears headed for the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Superintendent John Stewart is recommending that date. And school board members are scheduled to vote Feb. 7 on a resolution that directs the county commission to put the measure on the ballot on that date.
According to the agenda item (attached below, along with the resolution), the half-mill increase will bring in about $28 million each year, beginning in the 2012-13 fiscal year. Eighty percent goes to teacher salaries; the rest goes to art, music and reading programs, and to technology.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Advertisement
Most Popular Categories
Comment Policy
| Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that: |
| Is libelous |
| Is abusive, harassing, or threatening |
| Is obscene, vulgar, or profane |
| Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive |
| Is illegal or encourages criminal acts |
| Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution |
| Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others |
| Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious) |
| Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises |
| The Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy. |
THE TEAM