The big story: Gov. Ron DeSantis put out his annual budget wish list in advance of the upcoming legislative session.
He again highlights education as a priority area for spending.
Among his proposals, DeSantis calls for an additional $246 million toward teacher pay, as part of a yearslong effort to improve starting salaries above $47,500. District also can use a portion of the money toward raises for veteran educators.
He recommends increasing the K-12 budget by more than $600 million, even as his overall spending plan projects a decrease. The amount should be enough to cover rising enrollment in public schools and growing participation in vouchers, he suggested.
The plan also calls for holding the line on college and university tuition for another year, while fully funding Bright Futures scholarships. Anything the governor recommends requires the support of lawmakers, who recently demonstrated a willingness to override his vetoes in support of their own budget priorities. Read more about the budget proposal here.
In another proposal, DeSantis said New College should take over control of the Ringling Museum, which currently is run by Florida State University, Florida Politics reports.
Hot topics
Vouchers: Florida’s smaller voucher funding group didn’t open its renewal application window on Saturday as it was supposed to. That’s got some families frustrated. • Meanwhile, the larger Step Up For Students had more than 120,000 applicants on the first two days of the application window, the group’s Next Steps blog reports.
Turnarounds: Polk County’s Crystal Lake Elementary School won a one-year extension to earn a C or better in state grading before facing a takeover options, the Ledger reports.
Sex education: The Duval County school board is considering a change in its sex education curriculum, including the removal of the requirement for medically accurate materials, WJAX reports.
Security: Hendry County students will go through weapon detection systems on their way into school, WINK reports.
New schools: The Hillsborough County school district is planning to use its share of the newly renewed community investment tax to build three new schools in the booming southern part of the county.
Immigration enforcement: Duval County school lawyers issued guidance for schools to follow if federal agents seek access to students or their records, WJXT reports. • Brevard County school employees received a district memo detailing how they should handle immigration actions, Florida Today reports.
Equity programs: The Hernando County school board voted to immediately end its contract with Equal Opportunity Schools, with chairperson Shannon Rodriguez saying the district must stop focusing on skin color and gender, Suncoast News reports.
Cafeteria choices: The Orange County school district invited 150 students to taste test 24 breakfast items for possible addition to the menu, Orange Observer reports.
Bus safety: Polk County issued nearly 7,000 citations to drivers who illegally passed stopped school buses during the first semester, WFTS reports.
Artificial intelligence: The Leon County school district is setting AI best practices as a top priority, WFSU reports.
From the police blotter … A Brevard County high school student was arrested on allegations of bringing a gun to school, Florida Today reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
Before you go … Who says music always has to sound the same? CBS has this interesting story about people trying to invent new instruments.