Who will be Florida’s next education commissioner?

Speculation is running high among education advocates and activists as to who might take the commissioner post, which lately has been a high profile bully pulpit for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ agenda including support for vouchers and opposition to diversity programs. Florida has been among the acknowledged leaders in setting the national education agenda for several years. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida Education Department offers workforce development funds to 8 state education programs

The Florida Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant (CAP Grant) Program is infusing $12 million in additional funding to educational institutions. The money is designed to equip student skills so they can excel in industries such as agriculture, health care and technology. Most of the latest grants were in increments of $1.7 million to seven different School Districts in the state. Those districts include Baker, Clay, Dixie, Hendry, Hernando, Levy and Sumter counties. [Source: Florida Politics]

Column: Florida’s charter schools face uncertainty after SCOTUS ruling

A recent Supreme Court ruling prompts Florida lawmakers to consider the unique role charter schools play in the state. In return for their autonomy, charter schools were designed to strengthen accountability in public education, not subvert it. Even if reclassified, lawmakers should preserve the public features that have made charter schools an essential part of Florida’s educational landscape. [Source: Florida Politics]

Some Florida schools are doing away with universal free lunches, citing funding cuts

State and federal budget cuts — plus the end of pandemic-era relief funds — are changing how school districts across Florida are feeding public school students. Research has long suggested that free meals in schools increase positive outcomes for students. Doing away with programs that support universal free lunches could negatively impact the millions of Florida's public school students who rely on them. More from Axios and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Prepaid's 529 plan means big savings come college time

As students across state wrap up the school year, officials at Florida Prepaid want to make sure that their parents are keeping an eye on their future educational opportunities. The agency wants to highlight its 529 plans on May 29, i.e. 5/29 (See what they did there?), to remind families that it is never too early to start saving for college and the earlier they start the better when it comes to saving big bucks. [Source: WPEC]

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ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› State education commissioner selected as University of West Florida's interim president [WUSF]
Amid Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to reshape the state’s higher-education system, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees on Tuesday selected state Education Commissioner Manny Díaz Jr. to serve as the school’s interim president. Díaz, a close ally of DeSantis, will succeed outgoing President Martha Saunders, who announced on May 14 that she would step down.

› Broward may close some schools — and open new ones [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The Broward school district plans to reopen a longstanding debate about closing schools, but with a possible new twist — opening new schools as well. The school district has about 45,000 empty seats, due to years of enrollment declines. Some schools are only a third or half full. That has led to many discussions but few decisions in recent years about closing schools.

› 4.5% of Osceola students face housing insecurity, school district says [Orlando Sentinel]
Among the 73,558 students in Osceola County schools, there is a segment of students — 3,314, at last count — who struggle with more than projects, peer pressure, testing, and tardiness. These students face all those things in addition to some form of homelessness. According to the School District, 756 students currently live in hotels or motels; 86 live in emergency or transitional shelters; 129 live in parks, temporary trailer parks or campgrounds, train stations, etc.; and 2,343 share the housing of other persons.

› University of Florida Board of Trustees selects Dr. Santa Ono as university's 14th president [Gainesville Sun]
The University of Florida's Board of Trustees on May 27 unanimously approved Dr. Santa Ono as the university's 14th president. Wearing a bright orange and blue tie, Ono sat in front of the trustees for a nearly three-hour interview at Emerson Alumni Hall. Ono, who had served as president of the University of Michigan (UM) since 2022, was questioned during the meeting on topics like diversity, equity and inclusion programs, antisemitism, and climate change.

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Florida bill would ban cell phones at school for elementary, middle school kids