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Divya Kumar - Education Reporter
Divya Kumar

Education Reporter

I cover Hillsborough County schools, from kindergarten to 12th grade. I got my start in journalism at King High School's student newspaper and the University of South Florida's The Oracle. I joined the Times in 2016 after earning a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Is there an issue relating to education in Hillsborough County that you think people should know about? I'd love to hear from you.

  1. St. Petersburg preschool abruptly shutters, leaving parents scrambling
    • The Education Gradebook
    A sign outside Learning Adventures Preschool in St. Petersrbug informed visitors that it was closed on Tuesday.
  2. How Schools of Hope operators seek to ease Florida school district concerns
    • The Education Gradebook
    Students change classes in the hallway at IDEA Victory, the first School of Hope charter school in Tampa. School district officials across Florida are concerned about the possibility of sharing space in their campuses with new Schools of Hope.
  3. Hillsborough lawmakers propose bill to elect school superintendent
    • The Education Gradebook
    State Rep. Michael Owen is pushing a local bill to ask voters to transition to an elected school district superintendent. The Hillsborough County legislative delegation approved the measure on Wednesday.
  5. Concerns over Schools of Hope dominate Hillsborough County School Board meeting
    • The Education Gradebook
    A conceptual drawing of the rebuilt Just Elementary and Stewart Middle School in West Tampa.
  6. Karen Perez to chair Hillsborough County School Board
    • The Education Gradebook
    Hillsborough County School Board member Karen Perez speaks during a board meeting at the school district headquarters in 2023.
  7. More Tampa Bay schools get requests to host Schools of Hope charters
    • The Education Gradebook
    Adams Middle School was one of 22 schools in Hillsborough County that Schools of Hope operators have written letters with the intent to co-locate.
  8. Alachua school district leader pushes back on state over Kirk criticism
    • The Education Gradebook
    Tina Certain addresses the state board of education on Thursday.
  9. The 4 lives lost in the Ybor City crash
    • Crime
    Heavyn Harris prays during a vigil Saturday at Ybor City nightclub Bradley's on 7th to pay tribute to the victims of a crash that killed four people and injured 13 early that morning.
  10. Walton Academy, still closed, pushes back on Hillsborough in court
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Walton Academy for the Performing Arts, 4817 N Florida Ave, on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 in Tampa. After a state inquiry, the school board voted to close Walton Academy for Performing Arts, which serves 118 students. The board voted to pull the charter immediately for Walton Academy for the Performing Arts over safety concerns.
  11. Two Tampa Bay schools get new principals
    • The Education Gradebook
    Collins PK-8 in Riverview will see get a new principal.
  12. Bill would put Hillsborough school superintendent up for a vote
    • The Education Gradebook
    Van Ayres, superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools, speaks at a press conference at Hillsborough County’s new Aquilla Morgan High School in Wimauma in August. A new bill would make his position a four-year term up for a partisan vote.
  13. Judge rules Tampa’s Walton Academy charter school must close immediately
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Walton Academy for the Performing Arts in Tampa will remain closed after a judge granted the Hillsborough County school district's request for an injunction to shut it down over safety violations.
  14. Hillsborough asks for injunction to close Walton Academy charter school
    • The Education Gradebook
    After ordering the closure of Walton Academy for the Performing Arts in Tampa due to safety violations, Hillsborough County Public Schools has filed an injunction to officially shut it down.
  15. Tampa’s Walton Academy opens ‘in defiance’ of order to close, district says
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Walton Academy for the Performing Arts, 4817 N Florida Ave. in Tampa, remained open on Wednesday after the Hillsborough County School Board voted to close it over warnings from the state about potential safety violations.
  16. Citing safety, Hillsborough immediately shuts down Tampa charter school
    • The Education Gradebook
    Walton Academy for the Performing Arts Principal Tanika Walton addresses the Hillsborough County School Board on Tuesday. The board called for immediate termination of the school's charter over safety concerns highlighted by the state.
  17. Hillsborough recommends closing Tampa performing arts charter school
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Hillsborough County school district identified this corner of a classroom at Walton Academy for the Performing Arts as not being properly identified as a safe place to shelter in an emergency. Walton Academy, which is facing closure by the district, has pushed back, with officials saying it had been labeled.
  18. Hillsborough closes 17 inquiries into social media posts about Charlie Kirk
    • The Education Gradebook
    Charlie Kirk speaks on stage at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Tampa. A review of social media posts following his assassination led to one verbal reprimand and a few letters of direction.
  19. Hillsborough schools rank second in nation for book removals, report says
    • Data
    These books were among those removed from Orange County schoolrooms in 2023 out of fear they violated new state laws. A new report from free expression advocacy group PEN America found that Hillsborough County had the second-most book titles pulled out of any school district in the United States during the 2024-25 school year.
  20. Certificates of completion are gone in Hillsborough schools
    • The Education Gradebook
    State Representative Susan Valdes, shown in 2003, appeared before the Hillsborough County School Board to defend the law she sponsored ending certificates of completion.
  21. Hillsborough is extending its speed zones around schools
    • The Education Gradebook
    Reduced speed zones are now in effect throughout Hillsborough County from half an hour before school starts until it dismisses.
  22. Florida’s culled library book list may be an ‘undercount,’ critics say
    • The Education Gradebook
    A state report leaves an unclear scope of book removals across the state.
  23. Florida Board of Education keeps pressure on teachers over social media
    • The Education Gradebook
    Charlie Kirk speaks on stage at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Tampa. Social media posts in the wake of his assassination continue to be at the forefront of state leaders' attention.
  24. Pinellas, Pasco reach pay raise deals with teachers unions
    • The Education Gradebook
    Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick at a March board meeting. Hendrick said Tuesday he was grateful the district and teachers union reached an agreement over teacher salary after weeks of negotiation.