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Jeffrey S. Solochek - Education Reporter
Jeffrey S. Solochek

Education Reporter

I've been an education reporter for more than 25 years, in Illinois, Texas and Florida. Why stick with it? Because I see education as key to our community, whether it's about children learning, teachers and staff working, or residents seeking the best for their tax dollars. Our school systems are critical to our society, and I strive to tell you what's going on there. I've worked at the Tampa Bay Times since 2000, covering statewide education issues as well as the districts in Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Think I've missed something? Send your ideas my way. I read all my emails.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Key Florida lawmakers float plan to add accountability to school vouchers
    • The Education Gradebook
    Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, discusses legislation he plans to introduce to place greater accountability on Florida's school voucher funding program, during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 Education on Nov. 19, 2025.
  5. Pasco schools offer pay incentives to attract bus drivers
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Pasco County school district is offering new financial incentives in hopes of attracting more bus drivers. The district had 49 routes without drivers as of its Nov. 18, 2025, board meeting.
  6. Florida lawmakers aim to help high school football coaches get better pay
    • The Education Gradebook
    Armwood High School football head coach Evan Davis hydrates during practice in 2023. A move is afoot in the Florida Legislature to improve coaches' pay.
  7. Florida school’s free speech fight over prayer request ends after 10 years
    • The Education Gradebook
    Cambridge Christian players join their opponents in prayer after a game in 2019. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider the school's lawsuit over the Florida High School Athletic Association's refusal to allow a public prayer before its 2015 state championship game. [Times file]
  8. Florida public education faces free speech tests
    • The Education Gradebook
    A debate over freedom of speech in public education is heating up in Florida.
  9. 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.
  10. Communism, ‘toxic culture’ and more: A busy Florida State Board of Education
    • The Education Gradebook
    The State Board of Education meets at the Wakulla County school district in Crawfordville on Nov. 13, 2025.
  11. State board rejects Pasco’s request for more time to improve Gulf Middle
    • The Education Gradebook
    Pasco County schools Superintendent John Legg appears before the State Board of Education on Nov. 13, 2025, to request approval of a turnaround plan for Gulf Middle School.
  12. Florida adopts new standards for teaching ‘evils of communism’
    • The Education Gradebook
    Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, left, and State Board of Education Chairperson Ryan Petty lead a meeting in Wakulla County on Nov. 13, 2025. The board unanimously adopted standards for the teaching of the History of Communism.
  13. Florida schools get new round of Schools of Hope co-location requests
    • The Education Gradebook
    Somerset Academy, which temporarily ran Jefferson County public schools as a turnaround charter district, applied to open Schools of Hope in Broward County. Interest in the program has grown since lawmakers allowed operators to co-locate in under-capacity district schools. [Jessica Bakeman | WLRN News]
  14. Pinellas officials kick off public talks on closing, reusing schools
    • The Education Gradebook
    Jennifer Dull, chief operating officer for Pinellas County schools, discusses the district's declining enrollment during a town hall meeting on planning for the future on Wednesday at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport.
  15. Florida school board member rejects state pressure to control speech
    • The Education Gradebook
    Florida Department of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas speaks during a news conference in Orlando on July 15, 2025.
  16. Florida schools mark Veterans Day as state honors military-friendly campuses
    • The Education Gradebook
    Alayna Caldwell places carnations in honor of four relatives onto Palm Harbor Middle School’s Wall of Remembrance during its 40th Annual Veteran’s Day Salute in 2024. Schools across the state plan activities today to mark the holiday.
  17. Banish the Green Devils? Heck no, St. Petersburg High decides
    • The Education Gradebook
    St. Petersburg High School students urged their school's advisory council to keep the Green Devil mascot during a meeting in the cafeteria on Monday in St. Petersburg.
  18. Florida senator seeks to reverse Schools of Hope campus sharing law
    • The Education Gradebook
    Florida State Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, has filed a bill that would eliminate the ability of certain charter schools to "co-locate" in public schools that do not use all their space.
  19. Florida education officials to discuss how schools teach good vs. evil
    • The Education Gradebook
    Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, has touted his organization's Phoenix Declaration as a way for "education freedom advocates" to take the lead in setting an education agenda. The Florida State Board of Education will consider adopting the declaration when it meets Thursday.
  20. Florida updates proposed communism standards, doesn’t release details
    • The Education Gradebook
    Former state education commissioner Manny Diaz and Gov. Ron DeSantis have pushed to teach students more about the "evils of communism." The State Board of Education is set to consider standards on the subject on Nov. 13.
  21. Pasco teachers, staff to see raises this month after contracts approved
    • The Education Gradebook
    The Pasco County School Board has approved raises for all employees. The money is supposed to begin showing up in paychecks this week.
  22. Florida releases nearly $60M to cover missing, frozen voucher funds
    • The Education Gradebook
    Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, chairperson of the Florida House PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee, announced that unpaid voucher funds from the 2024-25 school year will be distributed in the coming few weeks.
  23. Pinellas schools to keep book challenged as promoting ‘gay ideology’
    • The Education Gradebook
    "Out of the Blue" by Robert Tregoning was the subject of a book challenge in the Pinellas County school district. A committee of parents and educators decided to keep the book available in all school libraries.
  24. Pasco schools outline AI rules before unlocking program for students
    • The Education Gradebook
    Pasco County school district officials are planning to roll out a policy on artificial intelligence usage in schools.