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Florida's college athletes are finding the road to early riches is not what it seems

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida's college athletes are finding the road to early riches is not what it seems 

Begining last year, collegiate athletes in Florida could for the first time profit from their fame. The new era was ushered in by a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 against the NCAA over its rules on the tangentially related issue of limits on education-related compensation for student athletes. Florida’s 11,317 Division I, II and III athletes — and a half-million athletes nationally — could begin cashing in. Just like their counterparts in the pros, they would get a check from a business — or a free meal or merchandise or a car — and be responsible for the taxes on it. [Source: Florida Trend]

Student absences shot up this school year, prompting fears of further learning losses

With absences high, hope dwindled that the 2021-22 school year would be a year of recovering from the “learning loss” wrought by the first year of the pandemic. Teachers and administrators focused on helping children catch up — with extra “intervention” teachers and enhanced tutoring options, among other strategies — but worried high absentee rates blunted the impact of that work. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida University presidents are staying half as long as they used to

Four or five decades ago, most university presidents stayed for the long haul, and it wasn’t unusual for a president to serve more than 10 to 20 years. These days, the average length of stay is about six years at public institutions and seven years at private universities — and the exodus appears to have sped up since COVID. [Source: Florida Trend]

Textbook affordability targeted

The State Board of Education this month will consider changes to a rule about textbook affordability for college students. During a June 22 meeting, the board is slated to discuss how to carry out parts of two new laws (SB 2524 and SB 7044) that deal with textbooks. “Approval of the proposed amendment of this rule may require Florida College System institutions to update current policies and procedures to bring greater transparency to textbooks and instructional materials costs,” said a notice of the meeting published Tuesday. [Source: News Service of Florida]

DeSantis quietly signs school-safety bill that adds more mental health training

Two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, reignited debates about gun violence and securing schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that will require mental-health “crisis intervention” training for on-campus officers. The measure also will make other school-safety changes, including giving the State Board of Education rule-making authority over emergency drills. [Source: Miami Herald]

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