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SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2008

SUN-SENTINEL

PANEL VOTE FALLS SHORT OF PUTTING EDUCATION VOUCHERS ON BALLOT
Bogged down in confusion and debate, the state's powerful tax commission
Friday put off voting on a plan to rein in government spending, but it
rejected a bid to enshrine school vouchers in Florida's constitution. The
effort to remove the constitutional ban on using public dollars for
private schools fell one vote short of making its way onto the Nov. 4
general election ballot... But all that could be changed again at the
commission's next meeting April 14. It takes 17 votes from the 25-member
commission to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. If 60 percent
of Floridians voting agree, the change becomes law.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/sfl-flftaxreform0405sbapr05,0,5196060.story

SCHOOL PHYS ED OUT OF SHAPE
Florida lawmakers thought reintroducing physical education to the state's
public schools was going to be no sweat. Turns out, it's an ongoing
workout. Many elementary schools are not fully complying with the spirit
of the new mandatory physical education requirements — 150 minutes of P.E.
weekly — and lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist aren't satisfied. Some
students are getting their exercise by walking to the lunch room, watching
a film on nutrition or stretching for a few minutes while standing by
their desks. That doesn't cut it, lawmakers say. But some teachers argue
the Legislature has made an unfair request. Teachers barely have time for
gym class because of requirements to teach mandatory tests, and there's a
shortage of certified P.E. instructors, too, they said.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfpesbapr05,0,2987411.story

DAVIE: TEACHER AMONG FINALISTS FOR NATIONAL LEARNING AWARD
A veteran middle school teacher was tapped this week as a finalist for a
national award from the cable industry for the innovative way he uses
technology in the classroom. Frank Watson, 53, teaches eighth-grade social
studies at Indian Ridge Middle School. He is one of 44 finalists for the
2008 Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards. Hired by the district in 1989,
Watson uses technology to enhance his curriculum and help students become
problem-solvers. Watson was nominated in the Pushing the Envelope
category, which recognizes educators who find new ways to use cable
programming, the Internet and other multimedia sources in the classrooms.
Winners receive $3,000 plus a free trip to Washington, D.C., for the June
awards ceremony at the Library of Congress.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig04051sbapr05,0,5064942.story

MIAMI HERALD

VOUCHER PLAN WON'T MAKE FALL BALLOT
Supporters of private-school vouchers were dealt another defeat Friday, as
the powerful citizen panel that can put constitutional amendments directly
before voters couldn't muster the votes for a proposal to restore vouchers
for students in low-performing schools. The Taxation and Budget Reform
Commission came one vote short of putting an amendment on the November
ballot that would have sought to have voters undo a 2005 Florida Supreme
Court ruling that struck down one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's voucher
initiatives.
LINK: http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/483888.html

THE READERS' FORUM: TAX EQUITY
Written by Jonathan Rose of Miami Shores - The new proposed tax cut from
the state tax commission is a welcome direction. Florida's tax system long
has been antiquated and reflects a state whose directions and needs are of
70 years ago. The next step must be the relief of double taxation, which
exists for those residents who choose or are forced to send their children
to a private school as a result of failing or unsafe public schools. Those
families ultimately must be exempt from any school tax collected
individually or from a tax on a consumed item...
LINK: http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/483930.html

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008

SUN-SENTINEL

DEAL GIVES SCHOOL LAND TO EXPAND
Quiet Waters Elementary School in Deerfield Beach finally has room to
grow. The Broward County Commission recently unanimously approved a deal
to swap plots with the School Board. The county gets 9.85 acres known as
Hillsboro Pinelands. Situated west of Deerfield Beach, the land is a
thicket of wax myrtle, cabbage palm, strangler fig and pond cypress worth
$1.51 million. The School Board gets 5 acres of Quiet Waters Park left
barren by hurricanes. The site's value lies in its location abutting the
west side of Quiet Waters Elementary.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flquietland0406neapr06,0,7261027.story

FEW TAKERS FOR PLAN TO TEACH KIDS AT JOB SITES
Companies build them. Fill them with students. And the county school
system handles the rest — teachers, textbooks and desks. The problem is
that companies aren't signing up for the program that educates elementary
school children in the same building as their working parents. So far,
there are only two such schools in the tri-county area, and both are in
Miami-Dade. Called "A Business-Community School," the program was created
two years ago by the state Legislature. The intent was to reduce crowding,
offset construction costs, use available space smartly and strengthen
public/private partnerships. Businesses benefit because parents can visit
their kids' school without taking time off from work. School districts
benefit by saving money. A new elementary school in Broward costs about
$24 million, not including land costs. But no Broward or [ lm Beach County
business has signed up. Either they can't find enough kids or don't have
enough space to justify the cost of turning cubicles into classrooms,
educators and business leaders say... The company picks up the
construction tab as well as the other costs of running a school —
electricity, water, landscaping and security. The school district pays for
the instructional part, providing pencils, pens, alphabet books and
blocks, as well as maps of the world. The business must also provide
students, about 18 a class. Schools can put all grade levels in one class
to make sure there are enough kids. Because of that, school districts try
to target companies with about 3,000 employees.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/sfl-flbabc0406sbapr06,0,6065175.story

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008

SUN-SENTINEL

STATE DISCIPLINES TEACHERS WHO CHEAT ON FCATS
Teacher Heidi Sweet says she put pencil marks next to questions some
fifth-graders had skipped or gotten wrong while taking Florida's
high-stakes standardized test to encourage them to try again. It was a
career-ending mistake. A state panel permanently revoked her teaching
certificate — what she calls "a death sentence" — two years ago. Then a
physical education teacher at Gorrie Elementary School in Tampa, Sweet
admits she erred but said she never received training and was following
another teacher's lead in giving the Florida Comprehensive Assessment
Test. She is one of 50 Florida teachers, counselors and administrators the
state has disciplined in the past 10 years for cheating or making errors
in giving the FCAT that's used to grade public schools and students, as
well as other exams, according to files obtained from the state Education
Department through a public records request. Sweet was the last of 10
teachers whose certificates were permanently revoked in that time. The
other 40 received lesser penalties including suspensions, probation and
letters of reprimand. Besides those cases, the Education Practices
Commission cleared seven teachers over 10 years. The commission, which
includes 17 teachers, administrators and lay citizens appointed by the
department, has 22 cases awaiting a decision.
LINK:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flffcat0407sbapr07,0,4789044.story

MIAMI HERALD

MICHAEL MAYO - COMMENTARY: PANEL SHOOTING THE BREEZE ON THOSE USELESS
STORM PREDICTIONS
No Excuses for this Notice
Is it a crime when a child misses school with parents' consent? Joann
Vasil, whose daughter is a first-grader at Cooper City Elementary, got
rattled recently when she received two truancy letters indicating the
State Attorney's Office could get involved after unexcused absences. The
first warned that parents who fail to send children to school regularly
commit a second-degree misdemeanor. The second said her daughter's
attendance records had been subpoenaed by the SAO and set a meeting with
the principal. "It kind of freaked me out," said Vasil. The family took a
five-day ski trip to Colorado with school in session in February. Vasil
said she couldn't go away during school vacation because of her work
schedule. Administrators warned her the absences would be considered
unexcused. "Some other parents told me to just call in each day and say
she was sick, but I didn't want to lie," Vasil said. "That's not what I
want to teach my daughter."  Vasil said her daughter took make-up work
with her and made a report about the things she saw during the trip. She
said her daughter has good grades, reads at a third-grade level and is
hardly a juvenile delinquent. Broward State Attorney's Office spokesman
Ron Ishoy said the purpose of the Broward Truancy Intervention Program is
to get students in school, not to punish parents. The School District
automatically sends letters when a student has three unexcused absences.
Since the program began in 1999, he said an estimated 180,000 letters have
been sent, 27,000 cases reached the point where a prosecutor got involved,
450 cases resulted in charges filed and about 30 parents actually served
jail time after violating last-chance agreements. Vasil said she met with
her daughter's principal and the absences were changed to excused. The
lesson for parents: When you have kids, the world revolves around their
schedule, not yours.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

SUN-SENTINEL

COMMISSION TO CONSIDER SUIT AGAINST SCHOOL BOARD
The (Lauderdale Lakes) City Commission for the first time this afternoon
will publicly discuss whether to sue the Broward County School Board.
Commissioner Eric Haynes on March 25 instructed City Attorney James Brady
to research how the city could prove his claim that the School Board over
the past few decades has not given enough money to Boyd Anderson High, the
city's sole public high school.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flb3bdigest04082sbapr08,0,3462159.story

TARAVELLA GRAD DIES IN IRAQ GREEN ZONE
Army Maj. Stuart Wolfer exercised in the military fitness center Sunday
inside the U.S. protected Green Zone in Bagdad.  As the father of three
worked out, he was killed by rockets launched into the heavily protected
area.  Wolfer, 36, a graduate of J.P. Taravella High School in Coral
Springs, was deployed to Iraq on December 19.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpwolfer0408pnapr08,0,2766636.story

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - FUNDING SCHOOLS
I am outraged the Legislature could consider cutting taxes when our
educational system is already an endangered species.  Do Florida citizens
not care about children?  ...Leave my taxes alone.  I'll gladly pay them
in return for more money to education.  Barbara Nightingale, Hollywood

THE HERALD

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - ENERGY DRINKS
Re the April 1 article Are energy drinks offering a dangerous jolt?: The
Florida beverage industry is helping parents monitor their children's
consumption of these beverages.  Parents want more control over their
children's food and drink choices.  Our member companies have implemented
policies against the sale of beverages marketed as energy drinks in
elementary, middle and high schools.  Martha Harbin, Executive Director,
Florida Beverage Association, Tallahassee
http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/487016.html

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - PLAN, NOT KIDS, FAILED
Re the April 2 article Schools not making grade on graduations: Let's ask
former Gov. Jeb Bush why our drop-out rate is so high and why we are not
making the grade.  What contingencies did his A-Plus Plan make for
children not passing the FCAT?  What about those teenagers who are still
in elementary school because they have failed the FCAT twice or more?
...What did he expect these children to do?  Silvia A. White, Miami