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New College faculty censure trustees. They have 13 reasons why.

A roundup of Florida education news from around the state
From left: New College trustees Matthew Spalding, Jason “Eddie” Speir and Debra Jenks attend a meeting of the New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Jan 31, 2023. The school's faculty senate has accused the board of not meeting its fiduciary responsibilities.
From left: New College trustees Matthew Spalding, Jason “Eddie” Speir and Debra Jenks attend a meeting of the New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Jan 31, 2023. The school's faculty senate has accused the board of not meeting its fiduciary responsibilities. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
Published May 23

The big story: Discontent continues to brew at New College of Florida.

Days after graduates expressed their dismay with their school’s direction under new trustees and administrators, the faculty voted to censure the leadership. About 80% of them supported a 13-item resolution contending the trustees are not meeting their fiduciary responsibilities.

The professor pushing the censure said she did not seek a vote of no confidence, because hope remains the board can correct its actions.

School officials dismissed the complaints, saying the faculty will come around once they see “how all of the changes we are making at New College are moving us in a direction of improvement and future stability for our campus.” Read more here.

New College is not the only place where faculty members are raising questions about leadership decisions.

At the University of South Florida, the faculty senate issued pointed concerns it has about trustees’ plans to borrow millions to build a football stadium on campus.

“It seems to me like the dangers outweigh the positives,” said Brian Connolly, the Department of History’s chairperson and Faculty Senate vice president. Read more here.

Hot topics

A Largo High School freshman heads to his predawn pickup in Clearwater. New state law requires later start times for middle and high schools, and some officials are raising concerns about their ability to make it happen.
A Largo High School freshman heads to his predawn pickup in Clearwater. New state law requires later start times for middle and high schools, and some officials are raising concerns about their ability to make it happen. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]

Start times: Florida’s new law mandating later start times for middle and high schools has prompted a variety of questions about how to make it happen, the News Service of Florida reports. Districts have until 2026 to implement any needed changes.

Superintendents: A Collier County GOP activist is suing the school board, claiming it violated the Sunshine Law in allowing its superintendent search firm to select semifinalists outside public view, the Naples Daily News reports. • The Broward County school board picked seven semifinalists for its superintendent post, WLRN reports. • The Sarasota County school board has received 20 applications to become the district’s next superintendent, WWSB reports. • The Charlotte County school board is set to approve a contract for its new superintendent, Charlotte Sun reports.

Employee shortages: The Pinellas County school board approved raises for bus drivers in an effort to fill dozens of vacancies, Bay News 9 reports.

Book challenges: Central Florida school districts are revising policies to follow new state law that mandates quicker action on books challenged over sexual content, WFTV reports. • A Miami-Dade County K-8 school removed four books from circulation after a parent filed an objection to them, the Miami Herald reports.

Race lessons: Educators and academics needed security to protect them after receiving threats over their plans to hold a teach-in about race at a St. Petersburg church, Inside Higher Ed reports.

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Charter schools: The Indian River County school district revoked a charter school group’s contract after the group failed to open its school on time, TC Palm reports.

From the court docket ... A state appeals court rejected a lawsuit seeking to hold Florida International University responsible to repay fees to students who did not get services after the campus closed because of COVID-19, the News Service of Florida reports.

Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.

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