School closures loom large for some of Florida’s largest districts

The big story: Some of Florida’s biggest school districts continue to seek solutions for schools that sit well below their capacity.

Hillsborough County is perhaps the farthest along in efforts to consolidate students and wind down the use of under-capacity campuses.

When the final class bell rings this month, Hillsborough will shutter five schools and reassign their students to others. The action comes a year after the decision was made, following a consultant’s study. Some school board members say the disruptions are not worth the savings, but they were in the minority. Read more here.

Meanwhile, other districts remain in the throes of their decision making process.

Broward County officials, for instance, have gone back and forth on whether to close down schools, while residents watch and worry. And in Duval County, district leaders have scheduled six community meetings to get public input on ideas for underused schools. The school board there doesn’t expect to make decisions for months, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Hot topics

Board elections: A candidate for Hillsborough County School Board District 1 is accusing one of the other hopefuls of trying to bribe her to leave the race. • A Brevard County School Board member has launched a new political organization aimed at preventing right-wing candidates from winning board seats across the state, Florida Today reports (subscription required). • The first Hispanic woman elected to the Palm Beach County School Board said she will not seek reelection, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Book challenges: A group of Nassau County parents and students have filed a federal lawsuit against the school board, alleging that officials violated the First Amendment and state open meeting laws when removing dozens of books from school libraries, WJXT reports.

Bus safety: St. Lucie County law enforcement is cracking down on drivers who pass school buses stopped to pick up students, WSVN reports.

Class of 2024: Four years ago, students graduating from high school and college didn’t get a proper commencement ceremony because of the pandemic. As the Class of 2024, they’re finally getting a real graduation. Here’s a photo gallery from Pinellas County. • Seniors at Leon County’s Godby High face two unexpected days of classes as their school year was extended because of flooding and tornadoes that closed their campuses, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Security: Flagler County superintendent LaShakia Moore is working to reassure parents that schools will be safe in the final days of classes, following a spate of threats, lockdowns and disruptions, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Superintendents: The Hernando County School Board will hold a workshop to hear from two candidates for the district’s interim superintendent post, Suncoast News reports. The board has been divided over deputy superintendent Ray Pinder and former principal Brent Gaustad.

Teacher housing: The Hendry County school district announced plans to build affordable apartments for teachers, WFTX reports. Officials said they have lost several job candidates who could not afford to live in the area.

Testing: The Broward County school district tamped down false rumors that students’ state test scores had been invalidated, WLRN reports.

Vaping: Lake County schools have seen a decrease in students vaping on campus since it began using vape-detecting dogs, WKMG reports.

Vouchers: A Republican state lawmaker is urging the Department of Education to stop a private Islamic school from accepting education vouchers because of anti-Jewish statements made by one of its leaders, the Miami Herald reports.

From the police blotter ... A man was arrested for stealing a Hillsborough County school bus over the weekend. He took it all the way to Miami and was headed back when he was caught.

In higher ed

Class of 2024: Eckerd College graduate Zoe Smith wasn’t about to miss her graduation ceremony after the pandemic canceled her high school celebration. • New College graduates booed and jeered commencement speaker TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, who ended his comments early saying, “They really don’t care what I have to say,” the Herald-Tribune reports.

Campus speech: A Messianic Jewish activist pretending to be a Muslim attempted to trick University of Florida professors into making comments that would expose an anti-Israel bias, Fresh Take Florida reports.

FAMU’s ‘gift’: Florida A&M University officials are apologizing for missteps as they accepted a $237 million pledge that now appears invalid and is under investigation, WFSU reports. The donor is standing behind his gift despite the mounting questions, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

President search: Henry Mack, a past high-ranking official in the Florida Department of Education, is poised to become interim president of Northwest Florida State College, News Service of Florida reports.

Before you go ... Can you figure out what this Japanese ad is for, before they tell you?