Owner: The Gradebook URL:blogs.tampabay.com/schools Join Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:42:20 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Get inside the world of Florida education with St. Petersburg Times staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek and the rest of the Times education reporting team. We\'ll bring you up-to-date information about the latest education trends, fads and news, taking time Site statistics:Click here
Take the money! Sheesh! 2007-02-28 18:32:50 Gov. Charlie Crist took issue on Wednesday with the Pinellas School Board's decision to reject $6.1-million in state money for the state's controversial performance-pay plan for teachers. Asked in St. Petersburg whether the state Department of Education should now force Pinellas to pay for the program out of its own budget, Crist said, "I'm not about forcing people to do anything. I think what we need to do is encourage them to use that money for its intended purpose – and that is, pay teachers more. Who's against that?" After a 12-minute discussion, the Pinellas board voted 5-2 Tuesday night to say no to the Legislature's Special Teachers Are Rewarded plan, which many teachers consider flawed and divisive. In doing so, it shrugged off threats from DOE that districts must still come up with – and find the money for – performance pay plans of their own. Crist agrees with teachers that STAR puts too much emphasis on student test scores, but he seemed baffled that a s
Elect that commissioner 2007-02-28 18:27:43 Add Gov. Charlie Crist to the list of those supporting a return to an elected education commissioner. A bill that would put that idea before Florida voters unanimously cleared the Senate education committee last week. And Crist – who was Florida's last elected education commissioner – told The Gradebook Wednesday that he'll sign it if it makes it to his desk. "Yes I would," he said after a Black History Month event at the Science Center in St. Petersburg. "Why not? I love democracy."
After decades of electing education commissioners, Florida went to an appointed commissioner in 2003, thanks to a 1998 constitutional amendment that revamped the state Cabinet and tried to insulate education policy from shifting political winds. But the position quickly become a lightning rod under Education Commissioner John Winn, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Jeb Bush and became the public face for Bush's vision of school reform. Just by coincidence, Winn resigns today.
Read more:Elect
STAR wobbly in Pasco 2007-02-28 16:33:13 When they agreed to a teacher performance pay plan last week, negotiators for the United School Employees of Pasco
said they did so only to get the issue before members rather than let it die in committee. Now the members are talking, and they don't like the plan at all. Building representatives for the union unanimously recommended late Tuesday that all teachers reject ratification, roundly criticizing the law behind it. That stance, plus decisions by Pinellas and Broward county school boards to stay out of the program, has Pasco School Board members contemplating whether they, too, want to send a message of disdain over STAR to Tallahassee when they meet tonight. "That certainly makes me think that maybe we should listen to the senator's (Education Committee chair Don Gaetz) advice and send a statement," vice chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said. Chairwoman Marge Whaley, who said she "hates" the pay for performance law, expected there might be a sentiment to buck the Read more:wobbly
Today's news 2007-02-28 12:28:18 NO DAYS OFF FOR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: But Hillsborough County schools will continue to give students a day off to attend the State Fair. Says board member Candy Olson: "I think this calendar tiptoes us into the 20th century." Last year, the board adopted a calendar without religious holidays but reversed itself amid a community uproar. Students still can take holidays off without penalty under a district policy. To participate in the conversation, click here.
KEEP YOUR $6.1-MILLION: The Pinellas School Board joins forces with its teacher union to reject Florida's Special Teachers Are Rewarded performance pay program, calling the law and its implementation flawed. Broward County did the same thing, deciding to ignore the deadline hoping lawmakers will change the law, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Pasco County's School Board decides today, and so, too, does Palm Beach County, the Sun-Sentinel also reports. For more on performance pay, click here.
PASCO SUPERINTENDENT TO STAY: She Read more:Today
Hillsborough schools will not recognize any religious holidays 2007-02-28 03:03:58 TAMPA - The Hillsborough
school calendar will not recognize any religious
holidays next school year, but it will continue a traditional day off for students to attend the state fair.
Ending two years of debate that resonated nationally in the culture wars, the Hillsborough School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt a secular calendar for 2007-08.
It eliminates current days off coinciding with Good Friday, the Monday after Easter and the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
“I think this calendar tiptoes us into the 20th century, not the 21st,’’ said School Board member Candy Olson, capping nearly two hours of discussion on the academic calendar for the nation’s eighth-largest school district.
The calendar continues giving days off that recognize Hillsborough’s agricultural roots.
A majority reversed its plan to do away with Fair Day, a traditional school holiday for students in most of the country to attend the state fair. They agreed to keep the tradition for at lea
Pinellas rejects STAR 2007-02-28 01:57:15 Taking a cue from its teachers, the Pinellas
School Board voted 5-2 Tuesday night to reject a plan that would have given 5 percent bonuses to 25 percent of its teachers.
The vote unfolded in dramatic fashion as board member Nancy Bostock made a motion to approve the plan and no one seconded it. After a second motion to vote against the plan, board member Jane Gallucci called the question after only two of her colleagues had a chance to speak, forcing an immediate vote.
The entire episode took about 12 minutes. The decision means Pinellas turns down $6.1-million in bonus money that would have gone to teachers under the Special Teachers Are Rewarded plan, known as STAR. But critics said STAR was deeply flawed and was forced on districts.
In addition, the state has threatened to force the district to impose a plan anyway and pay for it out of the current budget. The cost could be $6.1-million, a sum the district doesn’t have. Officials say one way to find the money would be to for
Count her out 2007-02-27 18:57:07 Heather Fiorentino was humbled and honored when her name became one of the first to circulate as a possible replacement to outgoing Florida Education Commissioner John Winn. But that was just talk, says the Pasco County superintendent, who also served in the state Legislature. She has no intention of applying for the job. "I am very happy where I am," Fiorentino told the Gradebook today, joining former Leon County superintendent Bill Montford in taking her name out contention. "I have a vision here in Pasco that I plan on working forward on."
Fiorentino, an opponent of the state's A-Plus plan, did not completely reject the notion of going to work for the Department of Education out of hand, though. If Gov. Charlie Crist were to ask her to step up for the children of Florida, she said, "I would not turn my back on the governor."
The number of the week is ... 2007-02-27 17:27:57 ... 30. That's the number of minutes per day that Gov. Charlie Crist wants elementary school students to spend in physical education courses. Freshman Rep. Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican, has filed a bill to accomplish that goal, though he says the current language probably will all be replaced. "My goal is to get basically 150 minutes of activity and education on wellness for our elementary school kids per week," Weatherford says.
You might be thinking, at what cost? With all the reading and math instruction the state already requires, and the decidedly academic focus on teaching the Sunshine State Standards, where is there room to put these classes? Many schools have given up recess as it is, and P.E. often comes as part of a weekly rotation of "specials" that include art and music.
"I know principals and teachers will be concerned because their days are packed already," Weatherford concedes, adding that he wants the law to be flexible e
Today's news 2007-02-27 12:15:14 MORE STAR: Pinellas County teachers appear to be roundly rejecting performance pay, with just 99 voting for a board-approved plan after half the ballots were counted. Pasco County teachers vote Thursday - the deadline for submitting plans to the state - while the School Board will consider the deal on Wednesday. The Volusia County School Board, meanwhile, imposed a plan over teacher objections, the Orlando Sentinel reports. For more coverage of performance pay, click here.
BATTLE OVER MAGNETS: As Hernando County redraws attendance zones, some parents wonder whether magnet schools - which aren't affected by crowding because of enrollment caps - should shoulder the burden by accepting neighborhood children, too.
A PIECE OF HISTORY: Pinellas County plans to replace 81-year-old Safety Harbor Elementary within the coming five years. Community leaders, with fond memories, hope to save the school's auditorium.ANOTHER LAWSUIT OVER BOTCHED CONSTRUCTION: The builder who so messed up a school Read more:Today
Count her in 2007-02-26 22:43:13 Cheri Yecke wants to be Florida's next education commissioner. "The whole battle about standards and accountability was fought and won here a long time ago," Yecke told the Gradebook today. "Folks in Florida are moving forward in a very positive way. To me that is just so refreshing. I would like to stay here." Though she proved controversial in Minnesota, where she faced a successful opposition to her confirmation as education commissioner, she has fit more comfortably with the Florida reform model. Her resume reflects loads of experience - she taught for six years, served on the Virginia State Board of Education and as Virginia's secretary of education, and also worked in the U.S. Department of Education overseeing teacher quality and public school choice. Yecke says her past makes her a good fit for Florida: "I believe strongly in the reforms that have been put into place. I feel in the time that I've been here I've developed good relationships with the
Pinellas teachers’ voting shows scorn for bonus plan 2007-02-26 21:43:31 A controversial state plan would award bonuses to some Pinellasteachers
of between $1,700 and $3,100 this summer.
But members of the county’s teachers union were well on their way Monday to rejecting the money in resounding fashion. With 50 percent of Pinellas schools reporting results during a special vote, 2,443 said no to the plan while only 99 teachers gave it their okay.
The vote was lopsided in every school that submitted ballots by late Monday, putting the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association on target for a 95 percent rejection rate when results from the remaining schools are tallied today.
“There’s no pattern to it, except the pattern that no one likes it,’’ said Jade Moore, executive director of the union. “It will be the largest rejection in the state of Florida, in the governor’s home county ... It will not be close.’’
The vote sets up a special meeting tonight of the Pinellas School Board, which must decide whether to stand with its teachers, as s
Another day. Another report card. Sort of. 2007-02-26 17:04:37 The Alliance for Excellent Education has updated its snapshot of high school performance in Florida, and the picture still doesn't look good. The Washington, D.C.-based policy and advocacy group (whose board of directors includes Steven Raymund, chairman and CEO of TechData in Clearwater) doesn't offer grades. But it does mine interesting nuggets of data from other sources on things like teacher pay, teacher retention, test scores and grad rates. One example: The Urban Institute's analysis of grad rates in urban districts, including the 10 biggest in Florida. By that measure, Pinellas is the worst of the big in Florida, with a 45.5 percent grad rate overall, and a rock-bottom 28.6 percent rate for black students. Click here to see the alliance's full take on Florida.
- Ron Matus, state education report
er
What class-size amendment? 2007-02-26 16:25:13 The mountain of cash Florida will need to pay for the class
-size amendment looms bigger ever year. And yet the noise about it in Tallahassee has suddenly subsided to a whisper. A week before the legislative session begins March 6, almost nobody (except Rep. David Simmons) thinks lawmakers will take a third whack at making the 2002 amendment more flexible. Here's a few reasons why: Gov. Jeb Bush, who campaigned against the measure, is out of the picture. New Gov. Charlie Crist says he's going to carry out the will of the people. And the people, judging by any and every poll, like the amendment even more now than they did in 2002. "How many times can you bang your head against the wall?" Board of Education member Kathleen Shanahan, a Bush appointee who helped lead Crist's transition team, told The Gradebook recently.
The state has already forked over $7 billion for the amendment, and the BOE is recommending another $5.8 billion for it this year. But next year – when the
Today's news 2007-02-26 12:18:46 TO SCREEN OR NOT TO SCREEN: That is the question for the Citrus County School Board as it reviews its policies for using new background check technology. The district bought the system to see whether sexual offenders were coming near students, but has come under fire for going so far as to check people entering a board meeting.
CALLING ALL PARENTS: The principal of Hernando High School did just that with an automated message telling them how important the FCAT is, and what they can do to help. As the school struggles with accountability, principal Betty Harper is trying everything she knows to improve achievement.
MORE FROM SEN. GAETZ: The former superintendent and current Senate Education committee chairman, Don Gaetz is a fan of accountability but not one of the Department of Education. To read his views of performance pay for teachers, click here.
STILL CROWDED AFTER ALL THESE SCHOOLS: Pasco County opened six schools this year and will open five next year. Its growth has slowed t Read more:Today
Coming up 2007-02-25 23:02:26 Monday through March 9: FCAT reading, math and science administration
Tuesday: Pinellas School Board workshop, 9 a.m, and meeting, 7 p.m.; Hillsborough School Board workshop, 2:30 p.m.; Citrus School Board workshop, 1 p.m.; State University System Board of Governors, 10 a.m., at the University of Central Florida
March 6: Hillsborough School Board workshop, 10 a.m.; Pasco School Board, 9:30 a.m.; House committees under the Schools and Learning Council, 3 p.m.
March 7-8: Commission for Independent Education, Kissimmee
March 8: Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, 10 a.m., Tallahassee
March 9: Education Practices Commission, 8:30 a.m., Tampa
Today's news 2007-02-25 12:45:12 CRIST'S CHALLENGE: It's keeping accountability for Florida schools but making people like it better. The debates are in full swing over teacher quality and performance pay, improving the FCAT and more. The new governor needs to make it fall together.FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE: They examine beetles. Occasionally they get to blow things up. Kindergartners at a Tampa elementary school get daily hands-on science lessons in an effort to catch them up to their international peers. Improving both science and math education is a priority for Gov. Charlie Crist, who recently announced the creation of the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
IT'S NOT ONLY PUPPY LOVE: Eleven Florida high schools have adopted a "Love is not abuse" course to teach teens how to avoid a crush from turning tragic, the Miami Herald reports.
YOUR WHAT IS TOO SMALL? As books and bags have grown bigger and bulkier, locker sizes have stayed the same. Students in subur Read more:Today
A weekend interview with... 2007-02-24 18:17:45 state Sen. Don Gaetz. A former superintendent of Okaloosa County schools, this Republican lawmaker now chairs the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee, where even as a freshman he's leading the conversation on state education policy. State education reporter Ron Matus talked with Gaetz at length about teacher pay. Here's the transcript (again, edited slightly for length):
Q: What’s your take on performance pay as a concept? And then what's your take on STAR?A: I believe in performance pay. I believe there ought to be a distinction drawn between those who do their very best under whatever circumstances - in some cases, very difficult circumstances - and those who do just enough to get by.Q: And STAR?A: It wasn't debated. It wasn't subjected to a committee process, to testimony, to review, to analysis. It was added as proviso language and tacked on at the end of the session. It was a good idea. But that's not the way to do it.
Q: At the end of the day with the Legislature, are Read more:interview
, weekend interview
Today's news 2007-02-24 13:01:23 FALLEN STAR: Everyone who knows Anthony Giancola, the disgraced now-former principal of Tampa's Van Buren Middle School, expressed shock at his Thursday arrest. They knew him as a top educator and community activist, not a crack smoker who wanted a hit in his office while students took classes outside. Giancola, who resigned Friday, proved like so many others with hidden problems, that you can be both.
REAL STAR: James Gibbs III is Hillsborough County's teacher of the year. He encourages his students to strive for perfection at Burns Middle School in Brandon.
DOWNWARD DOG BEFORE MATH: When stress gets to consuming, a Broward County elementary school turns to yoga for relaxation, the Miami Herald reports. The school kicks it up a notch when FCAT rolls around. Breathe in and stretch.
SPEAKING OF FCAT ... Kids start taking the test Monday. The Sun-Sentinel reports that many educators, parents and children consider this year's stakes higher than ever.
END OF DESEG IN LITTLE ROCK: Th Read more:Today
Another diversion 2007-02-24 00:13:56 Welcome again to the Teachers Corner, where The Gradebook is offering educators the chance to talk about issues important to their profession and, hopefully, where a conversation will take place. Today's guest blogger is Lynne J. Webb, president of the United School Employees of Pasco. She offers her take on Special Teachers Are Rewarded, the state's controversial teacher performance pay law. Check tomorrow's Weekend Interview, too, for Sen. Don Gaetz's take on the program.
"Most everyone agrees paying teachers more is important, but Florida's latest performance pay plan is not the way. From the beginning, STAR has drawn opposition and criticism from teachers, superintendents, school boards, the public and media because of its hasty implementation, top-down design, lack of validity, over reliance on FCAT-type tests to measure student achievement, and artificial quotas.
Why should anyone be surprised? Every merit and performance pay scheme in Florida has failed miserab
Now an ex-principal 2007-02-23 22:33:45 He bought crack while in his school office. He got arrested. Now Anthony Giancola has resigned. Superintendent MaryEllen Elia got, and accepted, the letter from the now-former principal of Van Buren Middle School just moments ago. Here's what he had to say: "With a heavy heart I respectfully tender my resignation from Hillsborough County Public Schools, effective immediately, due to personal issues I am attempting to deal with at this time." Assistant principal Allison Edgecomb took over until a new principal can be hired. Here's the letter that went home to parents.
Busted. And exposed. 2007-03-02 17:50:53 Coming soon to a computer near you: An online database that will allow parents to see whether education officials ever took disciplinary action against their kid's teacher. The Department of Education on Friday announced the still-developing website, www.myfloridateacher.com, and said it will be available for parents this fall. "School districts can already access disciplinary action against a teacher at any time and parents should have the same information," interim Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg said in a written statement. "The best way to protect students is through a transparent system of information." Teacher misconduct comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it's criminal. (See Deborah LaFave). Sometimes it's just pathetic. (See Sharion Thurman). For more information about teacher misconduct, click here.
- Ron Matus, state education reporter Read more:Busted
, exposed
Self promotion 2007-03-02 16:06:31 Congratulations to Times state education reporter (and frequent Gradebook contributor) Ron Matus, who won a special citation for feature reporting from the Education Writers Association for his special report, Ninth or Never. It's a riveting look at the life of four St. Petersburg teens trying to make their way through the mess we call ninth grade. For the whole list of winners, click here. Read more:Self promotion
Today's news 2007-03-02 12:04:56 WE USUALLY STICK TO NEWS HERE ... But there have been a lot of opinions swirling around Florida's teacher performance pay plan. So here's what our editorial page had to say, and also some letters to the editor on the topic, for your enjoyment.
CHARTER SCHOOL STRUGGLES: A Pasco County charter school had counted on donations, many by family members and friends, to keep financially afloat. Then the principal's brother-in-law stiffed the school, stopping payment on a check for nearly $10,000. Now some school district officials, already sketchy about charter schools, are talking about closing the school down.
CUT IT OUT: A substitute teacher in Milan, Italy, wanted the boy to stop talking. So she took a scissors and cut his tongue. At least we can say ouch. He's not eating or sleeping too well, mom reports.
NOT TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL: Just because they're in the hospital, or recovering from illness or injury, that doesn't mean students are necessarily out of school. Or not taking the Read more:Today
It didn't matter but ... 2007-03-02 02:38:36 ... Pasco County teachers overwhelmingly voted to reject participation in Special Teachers Are Rewarded, Florida's controversial performance pay plan. "We had 79 percent of the teachers vote, which is pretty high considering it was a moot point," union president Lynne Webb said, noting the School Board already had voted down the plan the day before. But "they've been saying all along they wanted a voice in this." Of those 3,868 who cast ballots, 87 percent voted no, even though it meant turning away $3.5-million in bonus money. Webb said she did not expect to race back to the bargaining table with the board, preferring to wait until lawmakers have had a chance to improve the law that so many teachers revile. Read more:matter
Still covering the loss 2007-03-01 22:26:22 Your dirty car could support a good cause at Chamberlain High in Tampa, where the senior class is still trying to make up the money lost after their faculty advisor was accused of stealing almost $10,000 from the students. Police say teacher Cheryl Foster-Lawrentz deposited money from student fund raisers into her personal account at Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. She has resigned, facing charges of grand theft. While the credit union replaced the $10,000 that police say was stolen, more money remains missing from senior class accounts. You can help students earn it back by letting them wash your car at the Carrollwood Burger King on N. Dale Mabry Highway. The fundraiser is set for this Saturday and Sat., March 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free fries are available and Thrivent Financial will match the funds, at $.50 to the dollar up to $500, for the two events.
- Letitia Stein, Hillsborough County education reporter Read more:covering
Win-win? 2007-03-01 20:48:16 Critics often say private-school vouchers "drain" money from public schools. But under a new bill, the state would take taxpayer savings from corporate tax-credit vouchers and funnel them to the voucher student's original school. In other words, if a CTC voucher costs $3,750, and it costs $7,000 to educate that kid in a public school, then the state would give $3,250 to the school that kid attended before he got the voucher. "While I am sympathetic to Florida taxpayers, we have a crisis today in our state," leading voucher supporter John Kirtley told The Gradebook via e-mail. "There are people making heroic efforts in public schools serving these kids, and we are happy that our program can be a source of additional funds to them." It's unclear yet how much money is at stake, but last year, more than 14,000 low-income students received CTC scholarships, at a total value of nearly $50 million. The new bill – which does not have an individual sponsor –
Ready for college? 2007-03-01 18:24:17 Florida had 125,969 high school graduates in 2005. About 60 percent of them went to college or university, according to a newly released Department of Education report. How did they do? Well, 60 percent of them who were enrolled in an entry-level college math course earned a C or better, and 78 percent earned a C or better in freshman composition. Of those attending a Florida community college, 38 percent placed into college-level courses for math, reading and writing. You can check out how graduates from any high school or county in the state compared by visiting the report. Is this performance good enough? Is the move to provide more career and technical education to Florida's high school students a necessary remedy? Discuss among yourselves.
Today's news 2007-03-01 12:07:43 FORGET DARE: The days of just saying no to drugs have nearly evaporated, as schools turn their attention to attackers and sexual predators. A Citrus County elementary school is piloting a new program to teach youngsters how to evade people who are trying to harm them.
LIFE AFTER FCAT: Once teens pass the 10th-grade version of the test, they don't have to sit through it again. One Hernando County high school has them attend seminars on college, or volunteer in the community, while the rest of the students take the test.
MORE STAR: The Pasco School Board pre-empts a teacher vote by opting out of the performance pay program on its own. Palm Beach goes the other way, the Sun-Sentinel reports, saying the money is too good to pass up.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH: The ACLU is threatening to sue the Palm Beach County school district over the No Child Left Behind Law, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Their complaint? Some children are being left behind.
RETHINKING FRENCH: Schools are paying a lot of attentio Read more:Today
Another STAR rejection 2007-03-01 02:17:17 LAND O'LAKES — Keep the money. That's the Pasco County School Board's message on Special Teachers Are Rewarded, the state's controversial teacher performance pay plan. The board rejected the plan, and the $3.5-million it would have gotten to give bonuses to 25 percent of teachers, on a 3-2 vote Wednesday. "Other districts had the guts to stand up," vice chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said, mentioning Pinellas County as an example. "We need to stand with them." Though the decision will be moot, teachers will vote on the plan tomorrow. Read more:rejection
Data - A, achievement - D 2007-02-28 21:11:25 Florida gets high marks for the education data it collects, but a poor rating for the results that the data reveal, in a new national report card issued today by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The chamber gave the state a D for overall academic achievement, though it snared an A for the academic achievement of low-income and minority students. The chamber report was prepared by John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, and Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. Their overall conclusion about the nation's schools: Not good. "Without real leadership in education reform, our economic future and prosperity are at risk," Chamber President Tom Donohue said in a statement. "If companies were run like many education systems, they wouldn’t last a week."
On the chamber’s nine indicators, Florida earned four A's (for academic achievement for minority kids, retu
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