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Florida education news: Computer coding, school board pay, substitute teachers and more

A roundup of stories from around the state.
 
Published Jan. 17, 2018

COMPUTER CODING: A drive to encourage more Florida students to take computer coding courses takes a turn in the state Legislature, when this year's bill sponsor redirects her proposal to focus on computer science more broadly.

SCHOOL BOARD PAY: A proposed constitutional amendment to end school board member salaries returns to the Constitution Revision Commission Education Committee after nearly failing in November.

TOP HONORS: Lewis Elementary special education teacher Bonnie Bresnyan is Hillsborough County's 2018 teacher of the year. • Debra Canning, an after-school care coordinator, is named Pinellas County 2018 support employee of the year.

SUBSTITUTES: Hillsborough County school district officials seek more details about how their substitute teacher hiring service handles employee discipline.

REZONING: A Pasco County parent groups asks to be more involved in the school district's next effort to redraw attendance zones for west-side high schools. • The Palm Beach County School Board prepares to reset middle school boundaries for the Boynton Beach area, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

TEACHER SALARIES: Sarasota County teachers union officials dispute the district's claim that its teachers are "best paid" in Florida, the Herald-Tribune reports.

TEACHING CLIMATE: St. Johns County school district leaders say their district's reputation and positive work environment helps schools avoid a teacher shortage, the St. Augustine Record reports.

TAXES: The Lee County School Board plans to campaign for a local sales tax increase, WBBH reports.

HANDS-ON: Some Alachua County robotics students learn how to adapt toys to make them more usable by children with disabilities, the Gainesville Sun reports.

ACCOUNTABILITY: A Marion County elementary school is told it must earn a C or better in state grading this year, or face closure, the Ocala Star-Banner reports. • The Duval County School Board picks a consultant to run three struggling schools if they do not earn a C or better this spring, the Florida Times-Union reports.

BAD ACTS: A man hired by a contracted firm to work in Collier County after-school programs is arrested on allegations of assaulting a student in a school and of possessing child pornography, the Naples Daily News reports. • About 360 students in a Volusia County elementary school are displaced because of vandalism to their classrooms, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

TODAY IN TALLAHASSEE: Florida Board of Education, 9 a.m. • House PreK-12 Appropriations, 9 a.m. • House PreK-12 Quality, 1 p.m. • House Post-secondary education, 9:30 a.m. • House Higher Education Appropriations, 1 p.m.