The voucher expansion had appeared dead in the Senate until getting approved in a broader bill in the waning hours of the 2014 legislative session. The Florida Education Association charges the state “log rolled” that and other education issues into a single bill.
Schools
Flagler School District Rated B For 2nd Straight Year Despite Seven A-Rated Schools
A-rated schools included Bunnell, Rymfire, Old Kings, Wadsworth and Belle Terre elementaries, along with Indian Trails Middle and Palm Harbor, the charter school that just two years ago was failing. The district will earn several hundred thousand dollars in bonuses.
Edging Out Flagler’s Jill Espinosa, Christie Bassett of Polk Is the 2015 Florida Teacher of the Year
Christie Bassett was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year just after 8 p.m. at the end of a ceremony from Hard Rock Live at Universal in Orlando. Jill Espinoa, Flagler County’s Teacher of the Year, was among the five finalists.
Florida Lottery Spikes to Record $5.3 Billion in Sales; Only $1.4 Billion to Education
The Florida Lottery’s increased revenues stems largely from continued growth in scratch-off ticket sales, which range in price from $1 to $25 and are now available at more than 13,000 locations throughout the state.
FPC’s David Halliday, Now Hall of Famer, a Finalist for National Inspiring Coach Award
FPC’s Dave Halliday is one of 25 national finalists for the Brooks Inspiring Coach award. He’s already earned $5,000 worth of gear for FPC and $500 for team expenses. Winning will double that. But he needs your votes.
John Thrasher’s Quest for FSU Presidency Out of Special Treatment With New Consultant
The search for Florida State University’s next president won’t be sidetracked again for a powerful state politician — or any other individual — who wants the job, the new consultant said.
After Thrasher Fracas, Florida Board Rethinks How Universities Search for Presidents
Sen. John Thrasher’s desire for the Florida State University presidency was said to be keeping other potential applicants from putting their name forward for the position while damaging FSU’s reputation.
Flagler Students Post Wide Gains in State Rankings in FCAT Reading, Math and Science
Overall, Flagler students improved their rankings in Florida in 12 categories while dropping back in seven, providing many bright spots but also a few worrisome ones.
Stand-Up Comedian Skyler Wahl, Pianist Kayla Byrne and Singer Angel Brown Are Flagler Entertainers of the Year
The 2014 Spotlight started out with just over 50 acts auditioning in early May for a spot in this year’s show. When all was said and done, 27 act made the cut, and each one prepared for the chance to being named a Flagler County Youth Entertainer of the year.
Janet Valentine Headlines 44 Retirements From Flagler Schools as Oliva Era Begins in Earnest
Former Superintendent Janet Valentine mad a rare appearance at a board event since suffering a stroke before Thanksgiving as the district celebrated its retirees. Later, the School Board approved Oliva’s contract, valued–between salary and compensation–at $173,000.
Daytona State College Prof. Nabeel Yousef Earns Fulbright Scholarship and Heads for Jordan
Dr. Nabeel Yousef, an associate professor in Daytona State College’s School of Engineering Technology, has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to Jordan this fall.
Flagler District’s 4th Graders Rank 6th in Writing in Florida, 3rd Graders Rank 10th in Reading
The Flagler County school district had a few results to celebrate as the Department of Education on Friday released FCAT writing scores for 4th, 8th and 10th graders and reading and math scores for third graders.
Florida State University’s Presidential Search Short-Listed to One: Sen. John Thrasher
Thrasher, 70, whose senate district includes all of Flagler County, has long been an influential figure in state politics and serves as chairman of Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign. He served as House speaker from 1998 to 2000 and currently is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.
Cell Phone’s GPS Coordinates, Court-Ordered to be Revealed, Lead to 2nd Arrest in School Bus Thefts
As Myron Vanzel Brown, 39, of Jacksonville, made calls before and after the two Flagler buses were stolen from the FPC bus depot, each call registered Brown’s precise location–in the vicinity of the school, then on the road back to Jacksonville. The phone records were key evidence in his arrest.
PERT: Why Flagler Students Are Forced to Take the Stupidest Test You’ve Never Heard Of
Why are a slew of high achievers at Matanzas High School and FPC who have already succeeded in various courses having to take the so-called Post Secondary Educational Readiness Test on top of all other tests? How many unnecessary, time-consuming tests are we going to continue to subject our students to?
Synchro Belles’ Winter Training In Question as School Board Redraws Adult Education Map
Major changes are on the way for Flagler County’s adult and community education programs, which have been plagued by issues—many of which beyond its control—that have hurt its bottom line, starting with Flagler Technical Institute classes moving to Matanzas and Palm Coast High School and winter pool heating at Belle Terre Swim Club ended.
In a Surprise Stop at Belle Terre Elementary, Education Commissioner Names Jill Espinosa Florida Teacher of the Year Finalist
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart revealed this morning in Flagler that Belle Terre Elementary kindergarten teacher Jill Espinosa, the current Flagler County Teacher of the Year, is one of the five finalists for the state Teacher of the Year honor, to be announced in July. Espinosa was awarded $5,000 in a surprise ceremony today attended by two superintendents, the school board and all district administrators as well as the commissioner.
Voucher Scams: Floridians Should Be Fighting the Privatization of Public Schools
We’re decades into a war waged by shadowy business interests and religious groups, working through “cooperative” legislators and governors to gradually undermine most of the state’s public schools and ultimately privatize them, argues Daniel Tilson.
5 Teens, Most of Them Students at Matanzas, Arrested Over Vandalism at Indian Trails Middle School
The evening of May 3, seven teenagers, most of the students at Matanzas and Palm Coast high school, broke into Indian Trails Middle School, trashed a bathroom, entered the office of a coach and stole loose change, all the while laughing and capturing their acts with their phone videos. Two of the teens had been arrested in march in connection with the robbery of a pizza delivery woman in Palm Coast.
Turned Down for a Job Outside the Classroom, a Teacher Rediscovers Her Mission
It’s a sad notion that administrators, school boards, human resources offices and so-called reformists have unfortunately inculcated in teachers over the years, this idea that if you want to be successful or be taken seriously, or make any sort of impact, that you must stop teaching to do so.
As Florida House Opens Schools to Guns, Lawmaker Declares Gun-Free Zones “The Most Dangerous Places in America”
In a debate that showed sharp divisions about how best to protect children and teachers, the Florida House on Monday approved a bill, 71-44, that could lead to some public-school employees or volunteers carrying guns on campus.
Matanzas High School Junior Kathryn Perez Named Runner-Up in New York Times Editorial Writing Contest
Kathryn Perez, a witty, self-assured 16-year-old junior who started writing when she was about 5, caught the attention of the New York Times judges with a counterintuitive editorial celebrating Barbie’s feminist virtues.
In Clearest Pro-Immigrant Shift Yet, Gov. Scott Demands a Senate Vote on In-State Tuition for Undocumented
The governor, who originally came to office threatening to crack down on undocumented immigrants, said Tuesday that his opinion on the issue was shaped by stories he’s heard from students who grew up in Florida and would benefit from being able to pay the cheaper, in-state tuition rates.
Florida State University’s Rape Problem: Football First, Morals Later
The Jameis Winston revelations are one more reminder of just how far universities and their apologists are willing to go to protect the multibillion-dollar enterprise that we call “college sports.” What is the cost to the women at Florida State—and the parents who send them there–who surely can have no illusions about what will happen if they dare to cry rape?
More Parents Are Defaulting on College Loans For Their Children, Costing Taxpayers
The Parent Plus program allows parents to take out essentially uncapped amounts to cover college costs, regardless of the borrower’s income or ability to repay the loan. But default rates, while still modest, have nearly tripled over the last four years.
As Baker Acting of Children Soars, Flagler School Board Grapples With Perceptions of “Outrage”
Baker Acts involving children in schools has reached 32 so far this year, three times more than last year, prompting one school board member to call herself “outraged” at the police-led manner in which most such Baker Acts are carried out, even with teens and younger children.
Rick Scott’s Dilemma: Helping Undocumented-Immigrant Students Or Sticking to His Base
While Scott has repeatedly said he supports a proposal to end annual 15 percent tuition hikes, he’s remained mum about the portion of the bill that would grant in-state tuition to undocumented students, or Dreamers.
“Opportunity Scholarships”: Lawmakers Revive Vast Expansion of School Vouchers By Riding Coattails of Students With Disabilities
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted 8-4 to introduce the measure, which would bind together a program aimed at students with disabilities and the voucher expansion. Senate leaders last week pulled their counterpart to the House voucher bill, but the measure for students with disabilities remains alive.
The Problem With “Step Up for Students,” Florida’s Voucher Jockey
Step Up For Children CEO Doug Tuthill is shameless about the way his organization–the administrative agent for Florida’s school voucher program–spends lavishly on political races, which may explain why a Senate proposal to vastly expand the voucher program this year foundered.
Bill Vastly Expanding School Vouchers Dies As Questions About Accountability Mounted
The decision represents a defeat for the GOP’s Will Weatherford, who was home schooled as a child and strongly pushed the expansion of the system, which gives companies tax credits for donating to scholarship funds that help children attend private schools. Under the bills, retailers would have been allowed to divert sales-tax payments to the system.
In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants Passes House, 81-33, as GOP Opposition Thins
The measure allows undocumented immigrants to pay cheaper, in-state tuition rates if they attend Florida middle and high schools for at least four straight years before going to college.
As Flagler District Prepare to Offer Voluntary Pre-K at all 5 Elementary Schools, Board Questions Raising $60 Fee
The half-day VPK programs are free, but many parents opt to leave their children for longer hours that coincide with extended-day care before and after school, at a cost of $60 a week. District administrators are looking to raise that fee to accommodate the expansion of VPK.
Common Core and FCAT Replacement Test Leads “Florida Standards” To $220-Million Contract With AIR
The $220 million contract with American Institutes for Research, which has been providing tests for just seven years, will be cheaper than it would have been to go forward with a test developed by a multi-state consortium that Gov. Rick Scott ordered Stewart to back away from last year, according to the Department of Education.
6-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted From Old Kings Elementary; Palm Coast Man Accused of Rape
The 6 year old’s Baker Act is the second time in two weeks that a young child was Baker Acted from an elementary school in Flagler. Separately, Andrew J. Vasquez, a 23-year-old resident of 56 Filbert Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on March 9 and charged with rape.
NRA-Backed Measure to Let Armed Vets and Ex-Cops In Schools Triggers Controversy
Under the bill, opposed by the state School Board Association, principals and school superintendents could appoint staff members or volunteers who are military veterans with honorable discharges, active military or retired law enforcement officials as gun-toting “designees.”
Girl, 15, Uses School-Issued Macbook to Record Alleged Sex Assault by 22-Year-Old Man
Keith Foreman III, an R-Section resident, is in jail this morning on $11,000 bond, on charges of lewd and lascivious battery and marijuana possession following an incident his alleged 15-year-old victim video-recorded on the Macbook Air issued by the Flagler County School District.
A 7-Year-Old Girl Is Baker Acted at Belle Terre Elementary; It’s Not Punishment, District Says
The Baker Acting of a 7-year-old girl at Belle Terre Elementary last week, following a report of her allegedly lacerating the dean of students with thumb tacks, is one of three or four Baker Acts of students in the district every month, though they’re usually older. The district defends the Baker Acts as a necessary last resort that addresses underlying issues, and that must not be seen as retribution or punishment.
A Matanzas High Teacher Reveals Her Evaluation Scores, and the Absurdity of Florida’s “VAM” Scam
What do my almighty “VAM” scores reveal about me, my students, the quality of my instruction or what goes on in my classroom? Absolutely nothing, writes JoAnn Nahirny, who deconstructs Florida’s new teacher-evaluation scores, hers among them, and shows why they have little basis in reality, though they may well define a teacher’s fate.
For Special Education Students in Flagler, a Program That Unlocks Barriers Through Art
Now in its second year, Very Special Arts is an after-school program for students with learning disabilities that helps them find their talent and their place among peers. The program is under the leadership of Sue McVeigh, a former Flagler County schools employee of the year.
Flagler Beach Woman and St. Johns Man Face Capital Charges of Raping 2 Girls Younger Than 12
Rhonda Lynn Wilkerson, 49, of Flagler Beach, faces one rape charge and William C. Dillow, 27, of St. Augustine, faces two rape charges, after girls in a Flagler County school revealed the alleged incidents to staff. The incidents took place in St. Johns County.
Bitter Criticism and Some Caution from Flagler School Officials on State’s Teacher Rankings
The Flagler and Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers union, is criticizing the state’s so-called “value-added model” that presumes to rate teachers’ effectiveness, calling the data “flawed.” Many teachers and a Flagler County School Board member are also critical of the data, but for varying reasons, while Flagler’s superintendent cautions against making too much of the numbers.
“Massive Expansion” of School Vouchers Would Fund Private Education at Public Expense
Under the proposal, retailers could divert sales-tax payments to the system; middle-class families would qualify for partial scholarships; and each scholarship would cover more of the cost of attending a private school.
12-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Girl Faces 2 Felony Charges in Knife Incident at Bus Stop
The 12-year-old Palm Coast girl faces charges of aggravated assault and the reckless display of a weapon, both felonies, for allegedly pulling a 12-inch knife on a 10-year-old boy and threatening to slash him. Both the boy and the girl accuse the other of teasing repeatedly in the past.
Florida Lawmakers Edging Toward Offering In-State Tuition for Some Undocumented Immigrants
A measure allowing some undocumented students to receive in-state tuition was easily approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee, but the bill still faces a steep climb in the Senate.
Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast High Learn Of Suicide of Senior Alexandria Rodriguez
On Tuesday, the grandfather of Alexandria Rodriguez, an 18-year-old senior who’d attended Matanzas High School last year and Flagler Palm Coast High School until Thanksgiving, came to FPC to retrieve her two younger sisters and inform the administration that Alex, as she was known, had committed suicide that morning.
State Board of Education Approves Common Core Changes But Opposition Persists
The approval followed a raucous public hearing that seemed to indicate that passionate opposition to the benchmarks remains despite a concerted effort by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Education to tamp down conservative anger over the standards.
Ronald Reagan Republicans Launch Campaigns In Every Local Flagler Race, Signaling Insurgency Against GOP Incumbents
Six candidates introduced themselves Monday evening, including two for school board, two for the Palm Coast City Council, and two for the Flagler County Commission. Six of the seven are running against incumbent Republicans, suggesting that the Triple-R’s are looking to be the insurgent candidates of this election cycle—against their own party.
In a 1st, Flagler Requires All Juniors to Take SAT, Raising Concerns About County’s Image If Grades Drop
On February 26, almost 1,000 juniors–double the usual number–will take the SAT at Matanzas and FPC, but School Board member Colleen Conklin worried that the resulting drop in average results may send the wrong message to families and businesses looking to relocate to Flagler County.
No Surprise: Flagler School Board Votes 5-0 To Appoint Jacob Oliva Superintendent
The initial tally, reflecting how board members ranked the two candidates, was actually 4-1, with Collen Conklin voting for Pam Tapley of Osceola County schools, but the vote to actually appoint Oliva superintendent was unanimous, to reflect the board’s unanimity.
Jacob Oliva, In Commanding Performance Through Superintendent Interview, Describes Gains and Promise of Innovations
Acting Flagler Superintendent Jacob Oliva was second and last in the school board’s interviews Thursday. Surprising board members by challenging existing norms such as zero-tolerance policies, Oliva projected a strong command of his administrative leadership while outlining a series of recent innovations and more to come.