Feds question relief funds for Florida teacher bonuses

| 7/8/2021

Feds question relief funds for Florida teacher bonuses

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ highly touted plan to give teachers and principals $1,000 bonuses using federal COVID-19 relief funds could be in trouble after the state was informed that extra pay appears to conflict with the intended use of the money. The U.S. Department of Education sent Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran a letter on Wednesday saying that while there is a path to provide premium pay for educators, the way Florida approved the bonuses doesn’t appear to fit federal guidelines. More from the AP]and the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida's college and university athletes have already started earning money through new law

A new Florida law lets college and university athletes profit from the use of their name, image or likeness. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said the legislation comes with a requirement that student athletes get financial literacy training. And he said it gives young athletes the chance to build entrepreneurial skills. [Source: WUSF]

Florida's top ten takeaways from COVID education innovation

As Florida educators and families reflect on this challenging school year and think about the academic year fast approaching, there are two clear takeaways: Most kids do better with in-person learning, and families rely on schools for so much more than classroom instruction. But amidst the disruption of this past year, what were key learnings that can be carried forward as potentially better ways of doing things next school year? [Source: Florida Trend]

Column: Florida universities’ new BOGO deal on STEM classes? It’s for men, mostly.

While the Strategic Planning Committee of the Florida Board of Governors was deciding which eight STEM majors should get the buy-one-get-one-free price break for upper division courses a few weeks ago, committee member Alan Levine argued that nursing should be on the list because the state has a severe nursing shortage. But while the nursing shortage is one good reason for the Legislature to reconsider which majors can be selected for the BOGO list, there is another strong reason as well. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

It’s full steam ahead for Winter Park Institute under new owner

The Winter Park Institute, which brings high-profile, thought-provoking speakers to Central Florida, has a new lease on life. The program, whose guests have included Maya Angelou, Sir Paul McCartney, Gloria Steinem, Salmon Rushdie, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Takei and more, came under new ownership on July 1. It’s quite a comeback for a program that nearly didn’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Rollins College, which created the program in 2007, ended the Institute in May of 2020 as it coped with a sharp decline in revenue. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida megadonor parents sue Catholic school, claiming it’s too ‘woke’ [Orlando Sentinel]
A Florida couple is suing a Catholic school and demanding the return of a large donation, saying it isn’t adhering to Catholic values because of the way it’s handling issues like race and accepting the LGBTQ community. Anthony and Barbara Scarpo filed their lawsuit against the Academy of the Holy Names last month after one of their daughter graduated and a second transferred to another school.

› Miami Dade College cuts pandemic enrollment drop in half [Miami Today]
Miami Dade College continues to see an increase in enrollment, narrowing its gap to a 6% total decline from pre-covid days compared to 12% last fall. The college was standing at an overall 7% decline during the spring semester compared to pre-covid enrollment. With the completion of the summer semester and now heading into the fall, the decline has decreased by a percentage point, according to Dr. Malou C. Harrison, MDC’s executive vice president and provost.

› Polk State President Falconetti inducted as Chair of Florida College System Council of Presidents [Polk State College News]
Polk State College President Angela Garcia Falconetti was inducted in June as Chair of the Florida College System Council of Presidents for 2021-2022. The Council of Presidents (COP) is comprised of the presidents of Florida’s 28 public colleges who advise and advocate to state and federal legislators, oversee the coordination of statewide functions such as risk management, and maintain close working relationships with universities, school boards, and more, among other responsibilities that benefit the Florida College System.

› University of North Florida's only woman president, Anne Hopkins, dies at age 79 [Florida Times-Union]
The University of North Florida's fourth president and only woman president in the school's 49-year history, has died. Anne Hopkins passed away over the weekend, UNF confirmed Tuesday. She was 79 and would have celebrated her 80th birthday next month.

Tags: Education eNews

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