Thursday, July 18, 2013

2013 / 2014 SUGGESTED SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST



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NEWS RELEASE: JULY 16, 2013

July 16, 2013

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Students teach teachers tech skills
When it comes to technology, sometimes students really do know best. So on Monday, it was the teachers who were asked to quiet down as students taught them to use interactive whiteboards.

No frolicking on these fairways
Jillian Bourdage is an accomplished guitar player, and lately, the 11-year-old also has been hitting the right notes on the golf course. The Tamarac youngster is one of nearly 275 golfers who hit the links for two months during the summer as members of the Junior Golf Association of Broward County. … The sixth-grader at Millennium Middle School, who has been involved in the sport for only three years, is the youngest player in that flight, giving up as many as seven years to other competitors.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

NEWS RELEASE: JULY 2, 2013


June 28 - July 2, 2013

Students enjoy hands-on learning with animals
When you sign up for the veterinary assisting program at West Broward High School, your class partners aren't just fellow students, but also dogs and horses. The program has been part of West Broward High's offerings since the school opened in 2008 on the western edge of Pembroke Pines. The three-year program mixes traditional classroom learning with hands-on work on animals, said program director Tara Terribile.

Student and her mom collect shoes for charity
One hundred and seventy-four pairs of worn and smelly shoes. That's what is sitting in large, black garbage bags in Tiernan Ramer's garage. But the 12-year-old Plantation resident has special plans for those shoes – she's donating them. Tiernan, with help from her mother – Colleen Ramer – started a shoe drive last month called Soles for Souls. Once they have a good collection of shoes, the pair will bring them to a Broward County-based charity, where they will be cleaned, repaired, and given to Broward students who need them for the new school year.

Broward Schools’ Robert Runcie’s 7-period high school schedule ruled violation
Broward’s school district has made great strides in complying with state class-size requirements, but one of the techniques it used — forcing high schools to adopt a uniform, seven-period class schedule — violated its teachers union contract, an arbitrator has found.

UPDATED: Arbitrator overrules Broward high school schedule change
Many Broward County high schools could return to block scheduling this fall, after an arbitrator ruled that a switch to seven-period days violated a contract with the teacher’s union. Arbitrator David Weitzner has instructed high schools to revert back to their 2011-12 schedules, in response to a grievance from the Broward Teachers Union. While the union said the rule is binding, the district says no changes are being made yet.

Funding cuts hit special-needs staff at Broward schools
Kari Vaughn’s daughter, Sarah, who has Down syndrome, has attended Broward County Schools for close to 10 years. And along the way, Mom amassed quite a few battle scars.
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NEWS RELEASE: JUNE 1 - 30, 2013



I apologize for these coming out so late.

June 1-3, 2013

Special needs students learn job skills at local employers
Bright Horizons student Harrison Ragno hums as he puts nuts, bolts and a metal plate in a plastic bag with the help of his teacher, Julie Levelis-Davis. The 14-year-old is a student at the Pompano Beach special needs school, and one of 30 students who are gaining work skills through a partnership with Fort Lauderdale-based Q'Straint, a wheelchair safety and mobility company.

Fundraiser held for boy, 14, run over by county bus
It didn't take much persuasion to get about 300 middle school students to walk under the sweltering heat for almost two hours Friday. In fact, they all paid to have the honor. The students at CrystalLake Middle School in PompanoBeach spent much of Friday circling the school's running track in a walkathon to raise money for the family of fellow classmate Jerry Cunningham, 14, who was run over by a bus three weeks ago.

Students surprised with bikes at school
A group of students recently got a special surprise at GulfstreamMiddle School in HallandaleBeach. The 27 students received new bicycles as recognition for their academic success and their positive impact in the community.

Summer Camps for Children in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties
There are still lots of options for camps during the summer. Whether it's building and programming robots, or learning to design video games, children can do it at
summer camp. Darin Koch, a South Broward High School teacher said: "I'm seeing a bunch of parents that instead of having their kids home, playing a game
during the summer, they want to send their kid to a camp where they can get something out of it."

Author claims yoga calms special-needs kids
Some South Florida children with autism are finding refuge from loud noises, bright lights and stress by learning a new technique to calm themselves: yoga. ….For the past three years, Goldberg has taught yoga to children in the autism program at CoconutCreek Elementary School. She has developed a variety of approaches for finding a pleasing pose for each disabled child she encounters.

Record charter school closings prompt calls for more accountability
When Next Generation Charter School in LauderdaleLakes abruptly closed its doors in April, the Broward School district was left scrambling to find classrooms for the 160 students that suddenly had no place to learn. "They did not inform us of their intent to close," said Jody Perry, director of charter schools support in the district. "It's very disconcerting, children become attached to their environment and to uproot them is hard."

June 4, 2013

Gov. Scott honors prom-bound student heroes
Several students from one local high school were honored by Gov. Rick Scott for stopping on their way to prom to render aid to crash victims. One by one, the 21 students and their limo driver Danny Izzy were handed a Florida Highway Patrol Certification of Appreciation at Western High School in Davie, Monday morning.

Gov. Rick Scott Makes His Way To South~Florida
A group of teens who helped rescue several people from a rolled over van have received a special recognition award from Gov. Rick Scott. Monday morning Gov. Scott stopped at Western High School in Davie and presented the 20 students with the Florida~Highway Patrol Certification of Appreciation.~

Gov. Rick Scott spends day in South Florida
Gov. Rick Scott is spending the day in South Florida for several events. He will visit Western High School in Davie on Monday morning. Scott will present 21 students and limo driver Danny Izzi with the Florida Highway Patrol Certification of Appreciation for helping to save seven people from an overturned vehicle.

Gov. Rick Scott recognizes Western High School students for helping crash victims
Florida Gov. Rick Scott made a very special visit to 21 Western High School students on Monday to recognize them for being prom night heroes.

Good writing leads to good riding
Forget pats on the back. Fifteen Sunrise fourth-graders are getting the red carpet treatment for earning their school's highest FCAT writing scores. The Sawgrass Elementary students will board a stretch limo Tuesday and then ride to Bimini Boatyard, a waterfront restaurant, for lunch.

Manatee Bay Elem. and math equals number~one
Some South Florida 5th graders added a new award to the trophy case, Monday, for being the best in the country at math. Out of six thousand schools around the~United States, Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston placed first in a program called First in Math that credits students and schools for excellence in math.

Robbery puts school in lockdown; hoax bomb threat adds confusion
A Lauderhill teen who had already been suspended from Millennium Middle School in Tamarac told classmates that he put bombs around the school campus, investigators say. But it was a nearby strong-arm robbery, not a bomb threat, that caused the school to go into lockdown Monday.

Student questioned in middle school evacuation
The Broward County Sheriff's Office is reporting that they are questioning a suspended student from Millennium Middle School regarding a suspicious device found on campus that forced the school's evacuation as well as a nearby elementary school.

Broward Schools Evacuated Due To Suspicious~Device
Millennium Middle School and Challenger Elementary School in Tamarac were evacuated Monday afternoon and a student was taken into custody after a suspicious device was found.

Suspended Student Detained in Tamarac Hoax Device Incident: Authorities
About 1,750 students from two schools were evacuated after what looked like an explosive device was found, authorities said.
June 5, 2013

Good writing leads to good riding
Forget pats on the back. Fifteen Sunrise fourth-graders are getting the red carpet treatment for earning their school's highest FCAT writing scores. The Sawgrass Elementary students will board a stretch limo Tuesday and then ride to Bimini Boatyard, a waterfront restaurant, for lunch.
It's really the last day as 3 schools shut down
When the dismissal bell rings Thursday, it literally will be the last day of classes at three Fort Lauderdale schools. They will be converted to other uses as part of the district's plan to overhaul low-performing and underenrolled schools. There'll be no more congregating in the courtyard of Arthur Ashe Middle before class, no more kickball and flag football on the grounds of Lauderdale Manors Elementary and no circus or underwater-themed proms inside the auditorium at Sunset, a K-12 special needs center.
June 6, 2013

Tequesta Trace middle-schoolers create artwork for Sheriff's Office
Acrylic on 18 canvases form a colorful scene of alligators, owls and a panther roaming the Florida Everglades — artwork commissioned by the Broward Sheriff'sOffice from the hands of seventh- and eighth-graders. The 7-by-4 mosaic mural, created by Tequesta Trace Middle School students in Weston,was unveiled Wednesday, and hangs from the lobby of BSO's headquarters on Broward Boulevard.

Sun Sentinel names Broward All-County athletes for spring
A special section honoring the top athletes in high school spring sports.
Players of the Year talk about who they'd like to take a picture with in the photo booth.
June 8 -10, 2013

Margate Middle Students Say Goodbye to a Teacher they Love
Some say she’s their second mom. Others wrote songs and told her how much they appreciate what she has done for them. One thing is certain, the Margate Middle School Chorus will miss Sylvia Williamson.

Cooper City High student to receive Best in Class Attendance Award
Cooper City High School senior Eugene Cho will receive Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Best in Class Attendance Award for his near perfect attendance from kindergarten to 12th grade. Eugene will be honored for his attendance achievement throughout his 13 years of school at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 11 at 1:45 p.m. at the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Center, 600 SE Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale.

Florida test scores rise or plateau, but school grades likely to drop
South Florida’s students performed as well or better than last year in most every field tested in 2013 by the state. But schools, and by extension teachers, are likely to be judged more harshly in the coming months as Florida implements more rigorous standards….Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie said scores were “stable.”

U.S. News & World Report ranks Broward schools highly
U.S. News & World Report has ranked several Broward County high schools among the best in the nation. According to a Broward County Public Schools news release, the magazine awarded schools gold, silver or bronze medals based on state proficiency standards, exams, how well students are prepared for college and other factors.

Schools close, but the kitchen stays open
Classes closed for the summer last week, but the cafeteria is still open at dozens of South Florida schools. Kitchens in Miami-Dade and Broward counties begin serving breakfast and lunch Monday as part of a USDA-funded summer meals program that aims to keep children from going hungry while school is out.

17 Broward Schools make statistically significant improvements in FCAT scores
Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the 2012-13 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 (FCAT 2.0) Reading, Mathematics, and Science results.

Broward FCAT math scores disappoint
State test scores proved to be a mixed bag for Broward schools, with big gains on algebra exams, but disappointing middle school FCAT math results.

More scores for FCAT, end-of-course exams released
The state Department of Education on Friday released the rest of the FCAT scores along with end-of-course assessments.

Broward debate: What to do with old portables?
Getting rid of the old comes at a price. And for the Broward School District, its growing fleet of aging portables is proving to be a costly problem. The School Board on Monday will discuss a plan to remove 1,180 portables older than 20 years.

Pines asks charter school teachers to take pay cut
An A-rated charter school system with a 96 percent graduation rate is struggling to keep its doors open and to adequately pay its high-quality teachers. The Pembroke Pines Charter School System is projecting a $2.4 million budget shortfall for the 2013-14 school year and has no money to pay the 330 school teachers their contracted raises — despite getting more money from the state, say city officials.
 June 12, 2013

Nova Southeastern University names Broward Public Schools as Outstanding Community Partner of the Year
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., along with Kimberly Durham, Psy.D., chairperson, NSU’s Quality of Life Council (QOL), recently recognized Broward County Public Schools as recipient of the university’s “Outstanding Community Partner of the Year.”

Teachers learn about Holocaust at summer institute
One teacher was interested in the connection between music and the Holocaust. Another learned about the Holocaust from Jewish friends when they were growing up in Miami and wanted to learn more. And another teacher wanted to expand his knowledge about the Holocaust after taking a March of the Living trip to Poland last summer.

Some Broward schools will change start, dismissal times
Some BrowardCounty students will get to sleep in for more than two hours after the School Board approved changes to start and dismissal times Tuesday. The board approved changes at 23 schools to streamline bus routes and save the transportation department roughly $550,000 next year.

Complete list of schools, time changes
The Broward School Board voted Tuesday to change start and dismissal times for 23 schools.

Broward teachers say they were shut out of selection process for new principals
The Broward school district’s plan to shuffle low-performing principals — a strategy that angered principals when it was unveiled earlier this year — has now sparked outrage among some parents and teachers.  Their complaint: Once the district removed the principals it deemed underperforming, it allowed some of them to fill the same positions elsewhere, and in at least two cases it appears the district guided the hiring process so that displaced principals were the favored candidates for the job.
Nova Southeastern University names Broward Public Schools as Outstanding Community Partner of the Year
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President and CEO George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., along with Kimberly Durham, Psy.D., chairperson, NSU’s Quality of Life Council (QOL), recently recognized Broward County Public Schools as recipient of the university’s “Outstanding Community Partner of the Year.”

Teachers learn about Holocaust at summer institute
One teacher was interested in the connection between music and the Holocaust. Another learned about the Holocaust from Jewish friends when they were growing up in Miami and wanted to learn more. And another teacher wanted to expand his knowledge about the Holocaust after taking a March of the Living trip to Poland last summer.

Some Broward schools will change start, dismissal times
Some BrowardCounty students will get to sleep in for more than two hours after the School Board approved changes to start and dismissal times Tuesday. The board approved changes at 23 schools to streamline bus routes and save the transportation department roughly $550,000 next year.

Complete list of schools, time changes
The Broward School Board voted Tuesday to change start and dismissal times for 23 schools.

Broward teachers say they were shut out of selection process for new principals
The Broward school district’s plan to shuffle low-performing principals — a strategy that angered principals when it was unveiled earlier this year — has now sparked outrage among some parents and teachers.  Their complaint: Once the district removed the principals it deemed underperforming, it allowed some of them to fill the same positions elsewhere, and in at least two cases it appears the district guided the hiring process so that displaced principals were the favored candidates for the job.
 June 19, 2013
Broward County Public Schools and Broward Teachers Union reach tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year
On Friday, June 7, 2013, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and the Broward Teachers Union – Technical Support Professionals (BTU-TSP) unit reached a tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year. BCPS and BTU agreed to a 2% salary increase for approximately 462 employees, represented by the BTU, effective April 1, 2013.

(Same story as above)
Broward Schools, Broward Teachers Union – technical, supervisory and professional employees reach tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year

Broward County solid waste and recycling services and partner cities remove nearly a ton of litter during “Great American Cleanup 2013”
Approximately 2,000 pounds of litter were removed from Broward County school grounds as part of the Great American Cleanup (GAC) 2013. Between March 1 and May 31, Solid Waste and Recycling Services worked with “Keep Broward Beautiful” partner cities and volunteer students to coordinate the drive. Horizon Elementary School in Sunrise picked up the greatest amount of litter, removing 240 pounds in just two hours. In Hollywood, Driftwood Middle School students removed 234 pounds of litter, with Atlantic Tech in Coconut Creek close behind with 233 pounds.
 
June 20, 2013

A high note: McArthur High wins 46 new instruments
It was music to their ears: a classroom project turned profitable to the tune of $38,000. Now students at McArthur High in Hollywood won't have to share instruments or play on battered brass.

Five Broward County Public Schools (BCPS)
Five Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) students are members of an elite class of 2013 Gates Millennium Scholars

City of Lauderdale Lakes announces recycling logo/slogan winners
The City of Lauderdale Lakes announces the winners of the City’s Logo/Slogan contest for Earth Day, made possible through a grant from the Broward County Solid Waste and Recycling Services Division. As part of the City’s Earth Day events, Lauderdale Lakes Middle School eighth graders participated in a design contest related to sustainability and the environment.

Broward schools face major technology crisis
Broward schools are falling behind when it comes to technology and there's not much they can do about it.  On Tuesday, the School Board discussed its capital budget, that pays for technology, transportation and large construction projects.

C. H. A. N. G. E.
The schools in District 5 are facing some major changes this upcoming 2013-2014 school year. On Monday, June 3, District 5 School Board Representative Dr. Rosalind Osgood along with Superintendent Robert Runcie hosted an information session at Arthur Ashe Middle School.
 June 26, 2013

School wins national math contest
A Weston school took the top spot against more than 6,000 schools across the United States in the First in Math online program. Fifth-graders from Manatee Bay Elementary School worked hard honing their math skills through game-style activities, solving close to 3.8 million problems in all.

Youngster helps the hard of hearing
Rachel Friedman marked an important milestone in Jewish life with a fundraising effort that generated more than $4,000. The student at Falcon Cove Middle School in Weston took the money raised from her bat mitzvah project and donated it to the Dr. Jack Mills Scholarship Fund, which helps provide hearing aids and other services to those who wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise.
School wins national math contest
A Weston school took the top spot against more than 6,000 schools across the United States in the First in Math online program. Fifth-graders from Manatee Bay Elementary School worked hard honing their math skills through game-style activities, solving close to 3.8 million problems in all.

Youngster helps the hard of hearing
Rachel Friedman marked an important milestone in Jewish life with a fundraising effort that generated more than $4,000. The student at Falcon Cove Middle School in Weston took the money raised from her bat mitzvah project and donated it to the Dr. Jack Mills Scholarship Fund, which helps provide hearing aids and other services to those who wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise.
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NEWS RELEASE: MAY 18 ~ 31, 2013

  May 18 -20, 2013

Above The Influence rally promotes good decision making
United Way teams up with Broward County Schools
Thousands of Broward County students will come together for the "Above the influence" rally on May 18th.

Rally encourages students to make positive choices
Undeterred by the heavy rain, more than 2,000 students gathered in FortLauderdale on Saturday to send a powerful message: You and your friends can pressure one another to do good things. "We can be better, we can make the world a better place," said Shonaja Burton, a fifth-grader at CastleHill Elementary in Lauderhill. She joined students from about 40 schools for Broward County's first rally celebrating students who are making the right choices.

A record $900,000 raised for student scholarships at 18th Annual Broward Education Foundation Celebration
More than 550 guests, many dressed in garb reminiscent of the 1980’s movie, Airplane, entered a simulated hangar at the Broward County Convention Center on May 10 for the 18th Annual Broward Education Foundation’s Scholarship Celebration.  With the event theme “Soaring through the years as we celebrate 30 years of success” as the backdrop, more than $900,000 was raised to support student scholarships.

Dual enrollment change could cost schools millions
Broward and Palm Beach County schools could face a tough choice next year: pay millions of dollars or allow fewer students to take dual enrollment classes in local colleges. Broward schools may have to pay at least $4 million more next year, and Palm Beach County at least $2.5 million, due to changes in state law. In the past, college and universities have had to pay the lion's share of the cost — about $58 million — for dual enrollment programs, which allow high schools students to take college classes for free. School districts paid for textbooks.

Student's sudden death stuns school community
The sudden, mysterious death of 13-year-old Braulio Salas, a seventh grade student at Indian Ridge Middle in Davie, shocked parents and fellow students. But they have quickly rallied to raise more than $4,000 (and counting) to help the Salas family to offset the costs of the burial and funeral services.
 
May 22, 2013

Robert Runcie and Kathleen Cannon: Campaign teaches kids to live above the influence
Young people face a tough road when it comes to making positive decisions concerning their future. Bullying, alcohol and drug use, teen pregnancy, intolerance and bias, suicide and juvenile delinquency are all too evident in their daily lives. Despite the obstacles, millions of youth are striving to do the right thing. Their stories are seldom told. Broward County Public Schools and United Way of Broward County Commission on SubstanceAbuse, in partnership with other youth-serving community agencies, just celebrated thousands of young people with a rousing rally called Above the Influence.

Broward Cappies awards honor theatre students at Broward Center (Photos)
As our nation holds Cappies awards events around the United States for High School students in the performing arts, BroadwayGlobal spotlights tonight's Broward Cappies.The prestigious high school theatre awards are equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards, but honor drama students for outstanding performances. The evening includes the best actresses, actors, dancers, choreographers, critics, best play, best musical and much more.

Broward School Board votes to privatize
Without knowing what the final price tag will be – but with the hope of restoring credibility to school construction projects – Broward School Board members on Tuesday approved privatizing most of the district’s long-troubled facilities department. The dramatic change, in which about 40 ofthe department’s 65 jobs will be eliminated, was the brainchild of Superintendent Robert Runcie.

School Board OKs cutting facilities staff
The BrowardCounty Schools facilities department is officially getting downsized. On Tuesday, the School Board approved eliminating 45 of the department's 70 employees and outsourcing those services to private companies. Superintendent Robert Runcie cited a decline in construction projects and a need to move past the department's history of mismanagement and corruption.

Broward superintendent defends privatization plan
Critics say Robert Runcie's plan is politically motivated
Robert Runcie, the superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, on Tuesday defended his plan to privatize the district's construction and facilities department and lay off 35 employees in the process.

Teacher falls asleep in class, gets two-day suspension
This time, it wasn't the students who were falling asleep in class, it was the teacher. Patrick Geller, a science teacher at Cypress Bay High in Weston, was suspended for two days without pay by the School Board Tuesday for allegedly falling asleep on the job.

Cypress Bay High Teacher Gets Two-Day Suspension for Falling Asleep in Class
Science teacher suspended without pay for classroom nap

Student's alleged rape experience ignored by teacher
The State Attorney's Officeis investigating an alleged rape after a special needs student wrote about the experience in a classroom essay that was ignored by teachers.
 
May 24, 2013

Hero prom kids say crash changed their lives, and their driving
Ashley Wolf's prom dress was red, and ultimately the perfect choice. It hid well the blood from a crash victim's ear on a recent Saturday night that she and many others will never forget. Wolf and other prom-goers put aside concerns about their formal wear or being late to the party. They stepped out of their limousine and helped free victims from a wreck on Interstate 595….The "hero prom kids," as they've become known, were part of the Rotary's annual scholarship awards ceremony that recognized 47 graduates from Cypress Bay, Western and Sagemont high schools.

Rotary Club of Weston honors 'prom heroes'
Western High School students were on their way to prom when they helped victims of crash

Western High School Students Honored for Helping Crash Victims
The 20 students were recognized by the Rotary Club of Weston at their annual scholarship awards breakfast.

Prom heroes receive high honor
The Rotary Club of Weston honored 20 high school students for demonstrating courage and selflessness when they helped out several victims involved in a cras

Prom Teens Honored For Rescuing Crash Victims
A group of 20 South Florida high school students was honored Thursday for demonstrating courage and selflessness on the way to their prom.

Rotary Club of Weston awards $75,000 in scholarships to promising students
Forty-seven high school seniors who attend Western, Sagemont and Cypress Bay High Schools in West Broward were awarded college scholarship money at a special awards breakfast Thursday at Weston Hills Country Club, according to Todd Templin of Boardroom Communications.

Pen pals reunited: Reservists from Afghanistan meet the sixth-graders who wrote them letters
South Florida reservists serving in Afghanistan got a dose of American culture every few weeks when they opened letters from sixth-grade students.

Special events boost charter schools
For the city-run charter schools in Pembroke Pines, raising money to keep them running is an uphill battle. The charter schools don't have access to the same tax money that funds Broward County Public Schools, so they turn to alternative sources of funding, including corporate sponsors, parental donations and community events.

Friday Declared "White Hot Heat Day" for South Florida Students
Friday is designated “White Hot Heat Day” for all students, faculty and administrators for Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools.
 
May 29, 2013

2013 Valedictorians and Salutatorians

Weston team wins NASA contest
Cypress Bay High School students rocketed to the top of a field of nearly 600 entries from 20 countries in this year's NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest.

Weston high school ranked in Top 20 in state
U.S. News & World Report ranked Cypress Bay High School in Weston number 15 out of almost 800 Florida high schools.

School's parent involvement program wins award
CastleHill Elementary School's monthly parent night programs were recently honored as recipients of a BrowardCounty Public Schools Community Involvement Award. The Everyone Counts Family Program was honored alongside parents, volunteers, mentors, and business and community partnerships at Broward Schools' annual awards and recognition gala. The theme for this year's community involvement celebration was "You Make a World of Difference."

Driftwood Middle in Hollywood a Green Ribbon School
DriftwoodMiddle School in Hollywood was recently named a U.S.Department of Education Green Ribbon School.
The school was one of 64 recognized nationwide for its efforts in reducing its environmental footprint, improving the health of students and staff and providing effective education on sustainability. It was the only one in Broward and one of three in the state to be honored.

Broward schools superintendent earns high praise in annual evaluation
For the second year in a row, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has earned high marks from the School Board. During his annual evaluation Tuesday, Runcie received an overall score of "highly effective" for the 2012-13 school year. School Board members touted his leadership and his ability to move the district into a climate of transparency and accountability.

Broward school bus drivers get pay hike
School bus drivers in Broward County will finally get raises after five years of stagnant pay. The school district and the Federation of Public and Private Employees agreed to give about 4,000 employees a 2 percent raise retroactive to April 1. Those employees include about 1,700 bus drivers, in addition to maintenance staff, campus security and school facility workers.

No legislative relief for Broward’s aging school buildings
With money for teacher raises and an overall state funding boost of $93 million, the recent state legislative session was in many ways a good one for Broward schools — with one glaring exception. When the Legislature wrapped up its business earlier this month, Broward left Tallahassee without any help in tackling its billions of dollars worth of school renovation and technology needs. Not only that, but there appears to be little hope that Florida’s staunchly anti-tax Legislature will pitch in next year either.

Broward struggling to fix aging schools
With no major boost to capital funding approved by the state Legislature this year, the Broward County school district is running out of options to fund long-term fixes for its deteriorating schools. On Tuesday, School Board members reviewed the district's five-year facility plan and acknowledged there was simply not enough capital money in the budget to meet all technology, transportation and maintenance needs. The capital budget pays for technology, transportation and construction costs and is separate from the operating budget, which pays for classroom expenses.

FCAT results are in for Florida students
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the 2012-13 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 (FCAT 2.0) Writing Assessment results for fourth grade, eighth grade, and tenth grade students today.

Above Influence March a success
When it rains, it pours and this time it was not only showering water, but students, parents and Broward County School employees who all drenched in a message of “Above the Influence.” The Above Influence March began at Kathleen C. Wright Administration Building and ended at the Huizenga Plaza.
 
May 30, 2013

Lauderdale teen wins national art contest
A Fort Lauderdale teenager’s artwork titled “Now That’s Real Comedy” will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Ritha Mirthil, a senior at Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale, painted a portrait of comedian Steve Harvey.  Mirthil will travel to Washington, D.C. in June to attend an unveiling ceremony hosted by the House of Representatives.
(Article in paper, not online)

Broward schools and bus drivers reach agreement
The Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and the Federation of Public and Private Employees (FOPE) were able to reach a tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year on May 23. The agreement was achieved after three years of discussion without reaching consensus. Because of this conflict there had been no salary increases for employees. The District and FOPE agreed to a 2% salary increase for approximately 4,000 employees represented by FOPE, effective April 1, 2013, according to Tracy Clark, spokesperson for the Broward County Public Schools district.

Broward County Public Schools and the Federation of Public & Private Employees reach tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year
On May 23, 2013, Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) and the Federation of Public and Private Employees (FOPE) successfully reached a tentative agreement for the 2012/13 school year. The agreement was reached after three years of discussion without reaching consensus. As a result, there had been no salary increases for employees.  The District and FOPE agreed to a 2% salary increase for approximately 4,000 employees represented by FOPE, effective April 1, 2013.
 
May 31, 2013

Leading Ladies, Tarzan take top awards at Cappies Gala
High school thespians celebrated their love of theater at the Cappies Gala last week, where 42 awards were given to Broward and Palm Beach County high school productions, cast members and student critics. J.P. Taravella High's "Leading Ladies" and University School of NSU's "Tarzan, the Stage Musical" took the top awards – best play and best musical – during the May 21 event at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in downtown FortLauderdale. Boca Raton Community High snagged Best Song for its production of "Anything Goes."

Dillard jazz band director gets Grammy nod
DillardHigh School's very own jazz director is getting recognized on the national stage -- by the Grammy Foundation. Christopher Dorsey, who leads Dillard Center for the Arts in FortLauderdale, is a quarterfinalist for the first-ever music educator award presented by The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. Dorsey is among 217 music teachers selected from 45 states for their contributions to music education. Semifinalists will be announced in August and the winner will attend the GrammyAwards and receive $10,000.
 
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