The big story: With U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on tap to become secretary of state, Gov. Ron DeSantis picked Florida attorney general Ashley Moody to complete the final two years of Rubio’s term.
In selecting Moody, DeSantis spoke about her commitment to ensuring that Florida’s education system is “free from impositions of the radical left,” Florida Phoenix reports.
As attorney general, she sued the Biden administration several times, including to block accrediting agencies from having influence over colleges and universities.
When she gets to Washington D.C., Moody has vowed to “fight for President Trump.” Read more here.
Hot topics
Contract talks: Alachua County teachers overwhelmingly rejected the school district’s offer of a 1.6% raise, calling it “the worst deal I have ever seen,” WCJB reports.
General education courses: The State Board of Education cut 57% of the courses available to meet state college general education credit requirements, Politico Florida reports. The move came to comply with Florida’s anti-“woke” laws.
Prayer: A Brevard County school board member wants to have prayer to open all board meetings instead of a moment of silence, the current practice, Florida Today reports.
Rezoning: The Palm Beach County school district is putting finishing touches on attendance maps for its newest elementary school, the Palm Beach Post reports.
School schedules: Some Duval County teachers are fighting to prevent changes to their daily schedules that they say would hurt student learning, First Coast News reports. Duval superintendent Christopher Bernier is holding several town hall meetings to discuss his ideas for cutting costs, the Florida Times-Union reports. Bernier told parents if they don’t like the state’s new start-time law, they should tell lawmakers, First Coast News reports.
Sports fields: New College’s plans for a new baseball stadium have run into a snag, with the proposed outfield spilling onto land owned by the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, WUSF reports.
Testing: Two state lawmakers have filed legislation to allow English language learners to take state tests in their native language, Florida Politics reports. Similar bills have been submitted in several past years without success.
University presidents: A group of Bethune-Cookman University students protested trustees’ refusal to appoint a president recommended by the school’s search committee, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. Bethune-Cookman has not had a permanent president since 2021.
Vouchers: The Leon County school board’s lone Republican member brought a voucher proponent to discuss the state’s growing program with her colleagues. Things grew tense, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • A Walton County private school that temporarily closed amid financial struggles related to delays in voucher payments has reopened its doors, WMBB reports.
From the court docket … An Orange County family is suing the school district, claiming their son was sexually assaulted in a school restroom, WKMG reports. • A group of Florida university professors have filed a federal lawsuit aiming to block the state’s law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs at their schools, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
Before you go … Schools close Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Here’s the speech he gave the day before he was killed.