Sentinel School Zone

Education czar speeds up money to schools

ErikaHobbs — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:39:38 -0400

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced last week that he was pushing up the release of the last chunk of federal stimulus money earmarked to help schools. He freed up more than $2.7 billion "to help states as they face increasing...

Lake loses 130 teachers

Denise Balona — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:02:24 -0400

We reporters have been hounding school districts for months about the number of employees facing layoffs so we can tell you guys out there. I know a lot of parents want to know these details. I have been asking Lake...

Jeb Bush still wants to transform education

ErikaHobbs — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:31:41 -0400

How? Technology. "Like Amazon.com revolutionized the retail industry and iTunes modernized the music industry, technology has the potential to transform education in America," he writes in an op-ed piece published recently in The Miami Herald. Keep reading.

OCPS declines to give homeowners plans for a fence behind their houses. Reason: Homeland security

ErikaHobbs — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:39:55 -0400

Once upon a time (the last few weeks), there was a pond or two behind a high school (Timbercreek). These ponds didn't exist when the school was first built, but they were created as development there and in nearby neighborhoods...

Orange removes 38 teachers from 9 schools because of new accountability law

LesliePostal — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:40:28 -0400

UPDATE: I spoke with Carol Kindt, the district's human resources executive, this morning and she clarified that the 29 teachers placed in vacancies at other schools were not moved completely voluntarily. They were told they were being pulled from their...

OCPS Superintendent Ronald Blocker named second most powerful man in Orange County

ErikaHobbs — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:11:53 -0400

Orlando Magazine this month has named Blocker, who has navigated the nation's 11th largest public school district since July 2000, as the second most powerful man in the county. He moves up from number 9 last year. When it comes...

FAMU law school in downtown Orlando moves closer to full accreditation

Luis Zaragoza — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:34:27 -0400

Florida A&M University's law school in downtown Orlando has received a key endorsement in its campaign to win crucial certification of its education program. The school is being recommended for full accreditation by a committee of the American Bar Association's...

Majority of Central Florida schools going after new property tax

Denise Balona — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:31:35 -0400

Seminole County schools said yes last night to raising property taxes, which means that the majority of school districts in Central Florida are now pursuing the additional quarter-mill that the Legislature recently gave them the option to impose. Only Orange...

UCF student's work could help raise 'Playboy' bunny population

Luis Zaragoza — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:07:22 -0400

UCF master's student Rosanna Tursi's field work in the Florida Keys and the Everglades this summer is contributing to efforts to preserve a subspecies of marsh rabbit named after Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. The little bunnies -- characterized by short...

What's the best use for stimulus money?

ErikaHobbs — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:22:16 -0400

National Journals asks, and experts -- including education czar Arne Duncan -- weigh in. "Given the bleak budgetary outlook for many states," reporter Lisa Caruso writes, "should stimulus funds be primarily devoted to staving off education cuts, or should the...