By: Tim Ridley Think back to the 2020-2021 school year—arguably the most challenging school year in education. Just as it ended, I was selected to be the next principal of Mt. Washington Middle School. I was both excited and nervous. It was exciting because I was going to get the... Continue Reading
By Marlene Sokol The Hillsborough County teachers union has reached a tentative and unusually early pay agreement with the school district, as the two organizations look ahead to a November tax referendum that could generate more money. In prior years, negotiations between the district and the... Continue Reading
Tina Harbuck She is not new to Destin, but Diane Kelley is new to Destin High School. Kelley, who served as principal at Destin Middle School from 2008 to 2013 and as a board member of the Okaloosa County School Board representing District 5, got the nod Tuesday night from the Destin High... Continue Reading
Christine Jordan Sexton While there has been a tremendous amount of focus on public education in kindergarten through 12th grade, but the key to success starts with early childhood education. That was one of the messages at the 2024 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit in... Continue Reading
BY CHRISTINA MAYO For local students — more than 16,000 of them — Young Musicians Unite has provided free music education and community since 2013. The group’s mission is to inspire personal development, foster a sense of community, and prepare future leaders through... Continue Reading
Baruti K. Kafele | Speaker and Author As a longtime teacher and principal from 1988–2011, my approach to both roles was always reflective. I was obsessed with pushing myself to be better than the day before by being intentionally self-reflective in all aspects of the work. As a teacher, I... Continue Reading
Jax Today | By Jim Turner Florida’s 2024-2025 fiscal year will arrive next week with a fresh $116.5 billion budget and nearly 200 new laws. Lawmakers also tucked another $2 billion in spending into bills, with that money not showing up in the budget (HB 5001). Among the measures slated... Continue Reading
A.G. Gancarski Gov. Ron DeSantis is continuing to make the case that legalized recreational marijuana would do what Florida’s medical market has not, and create a pungent wave of olfactory assaults in all public spaces. “If you read that actual text of the Constitution that will go... Continue Reading
By Elizabeth Heubeck Jim Crisfield, superintendent of the Wissahickon school district in Ambler, Pa., acknowledges that his district hasn’t exactly been an early adopter of student policies related to personal smart devices and their use on school grounds. “Until this past school... Continue Reading
By Jeffrey S. Solochek The Pinellas County school board filled three additional school principal posts on Tuesday, two because of retirements and one due to a last-minute change of plans. Both San Jose and Fuguitt elementary schools are getting new leadership as their principals end their... Continue Reading
By Brooke Schultz Everything about book fairs felt wrong to Julia Stivers. As a parent volunteer at the book fair, she would watch teachers bring their classes through, and see how students would be split: those who could buy something, and those who couldn’t. She remembers students... Continue Reading
By Jeffrey S. SolochekTimes staff Facing tight finances and shrinking student enrollment, K-12 districts across Florida are making the politically unpopular move of shutting down schools. After a year of stop-and-go planning along with dissent on the school board, Hillsborough closed one... Continue Reading
