The big story: Is Manny Diaz Jr. on his way out as Florida’s education commissioner?
It’s a possibility as Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to place allies in charge of the state’s university system, in an effort to change the direction of higher education.
Diaz told the Pensacola News-Journal that he is open to the idea of taking the role of interim president at the University of West Florida if trustees ask him. DeSantis recently attempted to place out-of-state conservative activists on the school’s board of trustees, but ran into opposition both at the local level and in the Legislature.
A longtime lawmaker from Hialeah before taking over the Department of Education, Diaz shares many of the same political views without carrying the baggage that some of the trustee appointees brought. He’s said to be the leading candidate at UWF, whose trustees meet today. More from the Miami Herald.
Meanwhile, concerns continue to mount among Florida A&M University students and staff that a DeSantis ally has been appointed to lead their school, NPR reports.
At the same time, some conservatives are pushing back against the sole nominee to become University of Florida president, contending he is too “woke,” Florida Politics reports. Trustees are scheduled to consider University of Michigan president Santa Ono’s appointment this morning.
Hot topics
Superintendents: The Hernando County school board gave superintendent Ray Pinder a three-year contract extension, Suncoast News reports.
Security: Volusia County schools will begin using an artificial intelligence program to help detect weapons on campuses, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. • Broward County students may not bring backpacks to school for the final week of classes, Tap Into Coconut Creek reports.
School closures: Broward County school leaders say the district might consider opening new schools where needed, while also considering whether to shutter under-capacity campuses, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Preferred names: Brevard County school district officials are investigating whether students may be disciplined for using their own preferred names in school without parental permission, Florida Today reports.
New College: A retired New College professor left some of her former students much of her $2.8 million estate when she died, the NY Times reports.
Homelessness: Orange County leads the state in the number of homeless students, WKMG reports. • Almost 5% of Osceola County students face housing insecurity, the Osceola News-Gazette reports.
Federal funds: Florida State University has lost more than $53 million in federal grants, about half of what it anticipated through the government efficiency cuts, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Charter schools: Imagine Charter School at North Port is expanding into a new larger site, WFTX reports.
Cellphones: A Broward County family wants the school district’s cellphone use policy revised after their daughter’s school did not return her confiscated cellphone at the end of the day, WSVN reports.
Book challenges: Escambia County school board members want the district to speed up its process for reviewing challenged library books, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link from Friday’s roundup.
Before you go … One more graduation speech. What more do you need to know than it’s not easy being green?