The big story: When Florida lawmakers mandated post-tenure review for state university professors, many educators said the move marked the end of intellectual freedom on the 13 campuses.
Proponents of the idea, by contrast, said they wanted to get rid of the “dead weight” cost of unproductive faculty, in an effort to remake higher education.
Results from the first year under the new paradigm are in. And they show that 91% of professors met the newest expectations, while the remainder were given a year to turn their performance around. Ten educators were dismissed outright.
“These audits show that the system is working as designed,” said Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Read more from Politico Florida.
More in higher ed
UF spending: Newly released records show former University of Florida president Ben Sasse spent $1.3 million on catering for dinners and other events, more than double the amount of his predecessor, Fresh Take Florida reports.
USF: President Rhea Law spelled out more specific details of plans to develop the school’s defunct golf course into housing, shopping and more, WUSF reports.
University of Tampa: The school is changing its nickname from UT to UTampa as officials aim to boost its brand, WUSF reports.
FAMU Pharmacy: The dean of Florida A&M’s pharmacy school stepped down as the program struggles with poor student passing rates in licensure exams, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
K-12 hot topics
Book challenges: The Nassau County school district reached a settlement with a group that sued over the removal of several library books. The deal will have the district return 36 titles to the shelves. • The Escambia County school district has spent more than $100,000 in legal expenses to keep “And Tango Makes Three” — one of the books being returned in Nassau — out of its libraries, the USA Today Florida Network reports.
Hiring practices: The Palm Beach County school district launched an audit of its hiring practices after parents revealed that their children’s teacher had been hired despite having no state certification to teach, WPBF reports. • A Duval County teacher recently removed for misconduct was hired a decade ago amid state investigation into having been under the influence of drugs or alcohol at a previous job, Jacksonville Today reports.
Security: Jefferson County schools announced a clear bag policy for all school events effective immediately, WCTV reports.
Start times: Some Palm Beach County parents are unhappy with proposals to shift high school start times to later in the day in accordance with state law, WPTV reports.
Taxes: The Palm Beach County school district offered more specifics on what a proposed local-option sales tax referendum would pay for, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Teacher pay: Miami-Dade County teachers say their annual pay raises are in jeopardy after the school district agreed to a settlement sending $179 million from referendum revenue to charter schools, WTVJ reports.
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From the police blotter … A Leon County middle school student was arrested on allegations of having a loaded weapon and drugs on campus, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.• A Hillsborough County high school student was arrested on accusations of bringing two loaded guns to school, WFLA reports.
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Before you go … Pharrell gets his own Lego special! Happy!