Thousands in Florida eligible for student loan forgiveness. Here's what you need to know

| 7/27/2023

Thousands in Florida eligible for student loan forgiveness. Here’s what you need to know

Roughly 57,000 Florida residents paying student loans for decades are on track to walk away from those loans, provided they have been paying on time for 20 or 25 years, according to the Department of Education. The discharges were announced via email on Friday, July 14, to an estimated 800,000 Americans. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said the loan forgiveness is something that they have earned because, “they have been paying all they can afford for decades.” More from Click Orlando and the Florida Phoenix.

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Unlocking potential

Florida State College of Jacksonville and The Arc Jacksonville, a local non-profit that serve and advocates for individuals with intellectual and development differences (IDD), have created a vocational program called Career Campus to help young adults with IDD transition to the workforce. Once the students complete a two- or four-year program through Career Campus at FSCJ, students will receive certificates of completion that prepare them for jobs or additional education. [Source: Florida Trend]

Charter school funding change proposed

The Florida Department of Education has started moving forward with a proposed change that would affect charter schools’ eligibility to receive money for such things as building facilities and buying property. The department published a proposed rule Friday that involves “capital outlay” money and stems from a law (HB 1537) approved this year by the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The proposed rule deals, in part, with school grades, which are based on factors such as students’ results on standardized tests. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Calls for more transparency after Florida updates African American history standards

Calls for more transparency are brewing after the Florida Department of Education approved last week new standards to the African American history curriculum, which has resulted in nationwide criticism. The new curriculum includes instructions for students to learn how African Americans “developed skills” while enslaved “which, in some instances could be applied for their personal benefit.” Some opponents to the changes said this language “waters down” a dark period in our country’s history. [Source: NBC Miami]

Another Florida university will change presidents, this time Florida Poly

Florida Polytechnic University President Randy Avent will step down next year, continuing a wave of leadership changes at state universities. Avent, who has been the Lakeland school’s only president since it opened in 2014, announced Monday that he will leave the job in July 2024 and, after a sabbatical, return to the faculty. More from Florida Trend and the Tampa Bay Times.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Brevard Public Schools lost 212 teachers this summer. What's behind those numbers? [Florida Today]
Only three weeks before the start of the new school year, Brevard Public Schools published a list of 212 teacher resignations and retirements. The list, published to Thursday's school board meeting agenda, shows a greater number than what's typically charted in such reports. However, it isn't unusual to see teachers leaving just before a school year begins: Since at least 2017-2018, July has consistently been the month with largest published list of teacher resignations and retirements.

› Adrianna Swearingen named 2024 Florida Teacher of the Year [WMBB]
Florida’s teacher of the year is back home in Bay County. Northside Elementary Media Specialist Adrianna Swearingen received the state’s top honor last week in Orlando. Swearingen says she’s hoping to focus more attention on the panhandle’s exceptional teachers. Adrianna Swearingen went from being a Bay District school student to the 2024 Florida Teacher of the Year.

› Orange latest Central Florida school district to offer free meals to students [WMFE]
Beginning this school year, every child in Orange County Schools will automatically qualify for free breakfasts and lunches. The district joins Volusia County Schools in making free meals available to all families regardless of income level, along with Polk County Schools which offer free meals to students attending 129 qualifying schools in the district. Brevard County Schools will continue to offer free breakfasts to every student in the district, but families need to apply for free lunches.

› Alachua County educators discuss how anti-LGBTQ bills will impact upcoming school year [Gainesville Sun]
Some Alachua County teachers and educators are uncertain about how new legislation will impact their classrooms as the laws begin taking effect. Alachua County Public Schools held a presentation on Monday with Brian Moore, the general counsel for the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, where officials explained how the legislative updates in Florida and some new rules will affect classroom procedures and instruction.

Tags: Education eNews

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