What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Paddling in Schools: Would You Support It?

One Florida County has given elementary school principals the green light to paddle misbehaving students. What do you think about this, Tampa Bay?

A trip to the principal’s office in Marion County elementary schools might mean more for misbehaving students than a call to parents and possible detention detail. Principals there have been given the green light to paddle unruly pupils. The county’s school board decided April 23 that it was high time this once banned practice was brought back into the educational system. Citing repeat disciplinary problems with students where nothing else worked to get kids on track, board member Carol Ely, a retired principal, put the idea on the table. While the measure passed, principals don’t have carte blanche to paddle kids. Principals must first obtain standing written permission from parents, and they must get verbal permission before each …

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Expansion Delayed at St. Pete College's Midtown Campus

The college is quadrupling the size of its Midtown campus, but will repeat the process of selecting a construction company.

Is the FCAT Too Stressful for Students?

As testing continues in classrooms across the state we’re wondering how your kids are holding up.

Expansion Delayed at St. Pete College's Midtown Campus

The college is quadrupling the size of its Midtown campus, but will repeat the process of selecting a construction company.

Redevelopment of St. Petersburg College's Midtown Campus has been slowed by a decision to repeat the selection process for a builder. According to the Tampa Bay Times, interviews for the construction firms were never opened to the public, nor recorded, as required by Florida law. The board of trustees voted to throw out the selection of a Rhode Island construction company for the $14 million contract and restart the process, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The college is quadrupling the size of its Midtown campus. The new 45,000-square-foot, three-story classroom building will be on 4 acres at 22nd Street and 13th Avenue South, just north of the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center. Midtown is just south of downtown St. Petersburg. The decison …

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Pinellas Releases 2013-14 School Calendar

The new academic year begins Aug. 19 for St. Petersburg students.

St. Petersburg parents hoping to get a jump on planning activities around next year's Pinellas County school calendar are in luck. The school district has released its list of important dates for the 2013-14 school year. This school year (2012-13) ends Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Students only have two more days off before the year ends. The first one is Monday, April 29, which is a teacher professional development day. That means kids get to stay home, but teachers have to hit the books. The last holiday off of the school year is Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day, according to the district’s calendar. Here’s a look at the 2013-14 school schedule: Source: Pinellas County Schools

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Pinellas Schools to Revamp Dropout, Behavioral Programs

A district review of dropout prevention and alternative education programs showed there was room for improvement. What changes would you like to see made, St. Pete?

Pinellas County School Board members want to see the district do a better job in handling troubled students. Specifically, board members want the district improve the way it handles disruptive kids and those who are at risk for dropping out. A recent countywide review of programs geared toward troubled kids showed the district’s programs are not used as much as they could be, The Tampa Tribune reported. To remedy that, the district hopes to add programs meant to get students who have fallen off track back on grade level faster. It also wants to boost its technical education programs. Plans are also in the works to revamp programs that target kids who are chronically disruptive in classrooms. School Board Vice Chairwoman Peggy O’Shea said …

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Police: Nothing Found After Bomb Threat at St. Pete College

The campus was evacuated and searched by St. Petersburg Police on Friday morning, officials said.

Updated, 12:13 p.m.: Officers and school officials say no threatening or unusual items were found during a search Friday morning after a bomb threat was called in to St. Petersburg College. Classes will go on as scheduled for the remainder of the day, school officials said. St. Petersburg Police will continue their investigation to identify who called in the threat, a police spokesperson said.   Earlier: Police were searching the St. Petersburg College campus following a bomb threat Friday morning, officials said. Nothing had been found so far, according to an email sent by a St. Petersburg Police spokesperson shortly after 11 a.m. Friday. Morning classes were canceled and the school was evacuated, police spokesperson Mike Puetz said. …

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Tuition Hike in Store for USF-St. Pete Students?

Florida lawmakers are considering another 6 percent raise in tuition at the state’s universities.

St. Pete high school students who want to further their education at the University of South Florida or another state university may soon find themselves paying more to get in. Even though funding for universities is up and budget cuts are off the table for the first time in years, Florida lawmakers are considering a tuition hike of 6 percent, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Over the past few years, tuition at Florida’s universities has climbed by as much as 15 percent as funding from the state fell. While funding is improving, lawmakers say the hike is needed to help offset some of the damage done during leaner years, the Times reports. Gov. Rick Scott, however, does not agree. He’s promised to veto any proposal that includes a hike in …

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USF St. Pete Has a New Leader

The incoming chancellor formerly led a branch campus of Penn State University.

Dr. Sophia Wisniewska is the new chancellor of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Wisniewska, 61, has led Penn State Brandywine for the past eight years. She was tapped from a field of 784 applications, the Tampa Bay Times reports. She replaces Margaret Sullivan, who resigned last summer. According to the The Tampa Bay Times, Wisniewska said in a phone interview after her appointment was announced Tuesday: "I think the institution has more of an opportunity to establish its own reputation, its own ranking, and to move forward with developing new programs and new service." Judy Genshaft, the president of the USF System, announced the appointment on the USF St. Pete website. In an open letter to…

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