Parents, students petition to keep Spanish classes at Zephyrhills High

Word spread quickly last week that Zephyrhills High School principal Andy Frelick planned to cut Spanish classes and offer French instead. Spanish would be available only as an online course.

People were not happy.

An online petition sprang up, quickly netting more than 250 e-signatures. And superintendent Kurt Browning started getting several emails. They were unanimous in their opposition to the idea....

Florida education news: Prom, vetoes, budget cuts and more

PROM TIME: A River Ridge High School junior's prom experience ends in acrimony and upset, a far cry from the fun time she had hoped for.

IN THE RUNNING: A former Hernando Education Foundation director will seek a seat on the county School Board....

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....

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....

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....

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....

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....

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....

Parents join forces across school boundaries on Pasco County Council of PTAs

LAND O'LAKES — The Pasco County Council of PTAs is making a comeback after years of inaction.

Dormant for nearly a decade, the organization that aims to coordinate activities, advocacy and training for parents throughout the schools has begun holding regular meetings and creating bonds among the previously disparate PTAs across Pasco.

"We're starting to have a really good growth spurt," said president Denise Nicholas, who led the Seven Oaks Elementary PTA before taking over the countywide organization. "We are all about helping the kids. We are here to advocate for the kids."...

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....

FEA seeks reinstatement of its SB 736 lawsuit

The Florida Education Association isn't taking a judge's dismissal of one of its lawsuits challenging the state's merit pay law sitting down.

Union lawyer Ron Meyer this week filed a motion for rehearing on the suit, which contended that the provisions of SB 736 violated the state's rules on collective bargaining. He wrote:...

Time for annual release of FCAT results to begin

In what has become an annual rite of spring, the Florida Department of Education has scheduled its media briefing on how to translate FCAT results for next week Monday, meaning the actual results won't be far behind. Not Monday, we've been told, because of the 11 a.m. press call, and not Tuesday because the State Board of Education meets. But any time after that is fair game.

First up, as usual, will be third grade reading and math scores -- they're among the few actual gatekeeper tests that the state requires -- and the writing results for fourth, eighth and tenth graders. A year ago almost to the day, as you will recall, the State Board of Education went into crisis mode as it learned that new scoring requirements for the FCAT writing severely reduced passing rates. This year, the passing score has been increased from 3.0 to 3.5....

Florida Board of Education to approve "high performing" districts

Each year the Florida Board of Education exempts a handful of school districts from a set of state requirements, such as the mandated start date for classes, if they meet set standards on academic and financial performance, as well as class size compliance.

The list of "academically high performing" districts for the coming year, which goes to the State Board on Tuesday, adds three districts to its ranks, while removing five that had been on the current list....

Florida education news: Head Start, busing, media specialists and more

MOVING OVER: The former head of Hillsborough County Head Start switches offices in the same building to take a similar job for a different organization. • Jacksonville black community leaders protest the closing of their Head Start program, the Florida Times-Union reports....