Florida school districts get early start on teacher pay talks

The big story: In recent years, several school districts across Florida have taken months to complete their teacher contract negotiations, some not reaching deals until the school year was nearly done.

The situation so irritated state officials, who said it shouldn’t take so long, that the State Board of Education called superintendents to the carpet for delays in distributing money specifically set aside by lawmakers for raises. The superintendents generally blamed union leaders, giving the Legislature more fuel to place added requirements on unions.

Such activity gave districts and unions added incentive to get to work on contracts early. Bargaining has ensued in several counties, with some already sealing their deals.

The Hillsborough County district, which historically has not concluded talks until the spring, reached a tentative agreement this week. Both district and union officials said they hoped by showing unity, they can help convince voters to approve a local-option property tax in November that would further boost the amount available for salaries. Read more here.

Still, some other districts are waiting to talk about money until after their budget plans are more solid. Officials in Pinellas and Pasco counties said they didn’t expect to begin that round of negotiations until August, so they can better know what’s available to put into pay.

In Broward County, the school board is poised to give teachers raises, but might also charge them more for health insurance, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

Contract talks in Collier County meanwhile have been tense as the district and union remain far apart in wage proposals, WFTX reports.

Hot topics

Scholarships: A University of South Florida political science professor announced a $1 million estate gift to the school in support of student scholarships.

School leadership: Dozens of Hernando County residents turned up to petition for the return of longtime Deltona Elementary principal Debi Shellabarger, who was removed without explanation, Bay News 9 reports. • Okaloosa County School Board member Diane Kelley was named principal of Destin High School, a local charter school, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports. She is resigning from the board. • The principal of Okaloosa’s STEMM Academy was transferred to lead the education program at the regional juvenile detention facility, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.

Safety: The Volusia County school district plans to add safety measures outside a school where a child was struck and killed by a vehicle near campus, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Nursing shortage: Pinellas County school nurses are asking for a raise as the district struggles to fill all its positions amid a statewide nursing shortage, WFTS reports.

NIL: An organization formed to help Florida high school student-athletes find name-mage-likeness deals has shut down its website, after being warned that the state’s NIL rules have not yet been approved, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Homeschooling: A group of Manatee County parents who didn’t want their children to have “typical” school days has formed a year-round homeschool cooperative, with about 50 students participating, Bay News 9 reports. State data show that homeschooling in Florida has increased nearly 70% in the past seven years.

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Enrollment: Lee County school district leaders are making plans to accommodate about 27,000 additional students over the coming decade, with more than 90% of school seats already filled, WINK reports. • Trade and technical schools in the Tampa Bay area are seeing enrollment rise, Bay News 9 reports.

Elections: The Florida Department of State has nixed the nicknames that several school board candidates had hoped to use on upcoming ballots.

Early education: The Orange County school district is introducing preschool programs to the Eatonville community north of Orlando, in hopes of better preparing children for kindergarten, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Book bans: A national Black fraternity holding its annual conference in Tampa is giving away books banned in Florida schools as part of a community service project, Bay News 9 reports.

From the police blotter ... A Seminole County teen was arrested on allegations of bringing a weapon to school during summer session, WKMG reports.

From the court docket ... The hate crime case has fallen apart against a University of Central Florida Palestinian student accused of threatening Jewish students, Florida Politics reports. Prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence.

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

Before you go ... Languages are so fascinating. Check out this informative TED-Ed on Chinese.