Florida political parties eye nonpartisan school board races
The big story: Florida voters will decide in November whether to again select school board members in partisan elections.
Political operatives already are acting as if the positions are party aligned.
Republican leaders, for instance, have made clear their interest in taking control of school boards where they don’t currently have majorities in place. That includes Hillsborough, St. Lucie and Volusia counties.
“There is no such thing as a non-partisan school board election,” Brevard County GOP chairman Rick Lacey told WUFT. “That’s a myth. Parties support candidates, and we noticed Democrats doing it before we started to.” Read more here.
Hot topics
Attendance zones: A new study shows that strict school boundaries keep low-income and minority students out of elite schools, including in Tampa, Axios reports. • The Miami-Dade County school district is proposing boundary changes to 11 schools and repurposing three others, Axios Miami reports.
Contract talks: The Polk County teachers union is urging the school district to begin negotiations now, while district officials have said they want to wait until the current budget year closes, Bay News 9 reports. • Osceola County teachers union representatives are asking the district to provide paid maternity leave as a benefit, Spectrum 13 reports. • The Martin County school district reached a tentative agreement with the teachers union that would provide a raise of $85 per year of experience, WPTV reports.
Environmental lessons: A growing number of Miami-Dade County students are learning about climate, ecology, botany and more during outdoor lessons in the Food Forests for Schools program, the Miami Herald reports.
Finances: The Leon County school district is boasting about its clean financial audit from the state, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
New digs: A growing Lee County private school has purchased the campus of Hodges University, which is closing, WINK reports.
Notable death: Doris Reddick, the first Black woman elected to the Hillsborough County School Board, died at 97, Bay News 9 reports.
Prom season: The Miami-Dade County school district is again opening its prom boutique for students who need clothes for the dance, WSVN reports.
From the court docket ... A former Duval County magnet school teacher pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a student, the Florida Times-Union reports. The school is under scrutiny after several teachers have been removed for inappropriate behavior. • A former Flagler County student accused of beating a teaching aide is suing the school district, contending it did not serve him properly or train staff adequately, Flagler Live reports.
In higher ed
University presidents: More contract details have emerged for the new president of Florida Polytechnic University, News Service of Florida reports.
Research projects: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida expect to be on the cutting edge of hypersonic research after a $26 million appropriation from the state, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The governor has not yet signed the budget.
Notable death: Karen White, the first regional chancellor of the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, died at 72.
Guns on campus: A state representative wants to end the designation of university campuses as gun-free zones, Florida Politics reports. The proposal comes amid rising campus protests regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
Campus life: Florida A&M University broke ground on a new 700-bed dormitory, WFSU reports.
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Before you go ... OK, so Taylor Swift has a song called “Florida!!!” What’s her message? Listen at the 2:10 mark for her track breakdown.
