Gov. Rick Scott urges university trustees to hold tuition flat

Gov. Rick Scott, having vetoed budget provisions for a 3 percent tuition increase, on Friday reiterated his stance to university trustees.

In a letter to the the chairmen of all 12 university boards, Scott stressed that he considered a tuition hike akin to a tax increase on Florida families. He said the cost of a university education should remain affordable, and urged the presidents to join his opposition to higher costs....

More than 37,000 third graders statewide could be held back

More than 37,000 third graders statewide could be held back a grade because they failed the reading FCAT.

In the Tampa Bay area, 5,507 third graders failed the standardized test, according to results released Friday by the state Department of Education. Numbers ranged from 2,956 in Hillsborough County to 258 in Hernando County.

Reading scores across Tampa Bay were about the same or slightly better than last year, with 56 percent of third graders in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties earning a Level 3 or above on a five-point scale. That's about the same as last year in both counties. ...

Pasco School Board approves cell tower at elementary school

Commenting only after the deal was done, the Pasco County School Board this week gave permission for a cell phone tower to rise on the campus of Sand Pine Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

The district has approved similar land leases for cell towers at Fivay High, Long Middle, Sunlake High and Gulf Trace Elementary in the past, with a goal of raising some added revenue to bolster its resources. The latest agreement calls for annual rent of $16,000 over 10 years, with four 5-year options to extend the lease. The rent would rise 4 percent each year, with an additional increase of $9,500 if a second tenant joins....

Florida education news: Cat dissections, prom photos, expired food and more

CUTBACKS: The University of South Florida prepares to eliminate expendable degree programs.

PROM LESSONS: Pasco school district officials find that River Ridge High prom planners did not distribute the photo of a girl ahead of time to keep her out. The entire prom affair was filled with teachable moments if anyone had sought to teach them, columnist Sue Carlton writes....

New round of FCAT results due Friday

The year's first big release of FCAT results comes Friday.

The Florida Department of Education has announced it will put out scores for third grade FCAT reading and math, as well as for FCAT writing outcomes for fourth, eighth and tenth graders. The official numbers are scheduled to be posted on the department website around 10 a.m.

Already, though, the word spreading through Florida school districts is that the FCAT writing results for fourth graders, at least, look high -- even with the increased passing score of 3.5 (up from 3.0) and more stringent standards. In a conference call Wednesday with superintendents, department officials reported the strong scores and asked what districts did to foster success....

Pasco school district outlines extra possible budget cuts

The Pasco County school district administration has offered an additional list of areas it might cut spending next year in order to balance the budget. The School Board asked for the list on Tuesday, after learning that its projected shortfall had grown to $26.4 million....

Florida education news: Emergency plans, cafeteria menus, budget cuts and more

READY? Tampa area schools have plans in place to deal with emergencies like the tornado that hit Moore, Okla.

PTA THEFT: The treasurer of the Weightman Middle School PTA is arrested on charges that she stole more than $5,000 from the organization....

Pasco school district to create choice task force

Repeating criticisms of his district's school choice options as lacking, Pasco superintendent Kurt Browning on Tuesday announced he would create a high-level task force to explore adding more education alternatives for students and parents.

The group will look at "magnets, K-8's, 9-14's — different options we need to provide" for families within the school system, Browning said....

Florida education news: Superintendents, budget cuts, teacher pay raises and more

DONE DEAL: The Hernando County School Board approves a contract for its new superintendent, Lori Romano.

MONEY ISSUES: Pasco district leaders reconsider whether to use nonrecurring funds to cover ongoing expenses. • Flagler paraprofessionals defend their positions against proposed budget cuts, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports....

Pasco School Board seeks more cost-cutting ideas

LAND O'LAKES — Pasco school superintendent Kurt Browning has made it clear that he doesn't want to use nonrecurring funds to pay for ongoing expenses.

But earlier this week, Browning asked the Pasco School Board to consider doing so anyway. Otherwise, he said, eliminating a projected $26.4 million deficit and giving raises to noninstructional staff gets harder to do.

"I need to know what your opinion is on using the $4.3 million of nonrecurring," he told the board Tuesday. "If we don't do that, I will tell you we are going to have to dig deeper and make further cuts."...

Governor's Office offers guidance on teacher raises in budget

At the same time Gov. Rick Scott prepared to sign Florida's 2014 budget, he delivered to school district superintendents some details on how to implement one of his top priorities in the budget -- raises for teachers.

In a lengthy Q&A document, the governor laid out that the raises are indeed salary increases and not one-time bonuses. The money must be used for raises and not other purposes, according to the guidelines, and the pay hikes "may" be based on performance....

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....