With budget cuts already resulting in schools in Broward to suffer across the county, the least the school boards should have to worry about is having to pay for un-needed repairs or overpriced renovations from contractors.  

Auditors in Broward County are reporting double billing and overinflated lodging and food costs, among many other allegations against the two contracting companies hired to preform repairs on Broward County schools after Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Missing and falsified paperwork will prolong the investigation, however, auditors are currently investigating the situation as best they can.  Broward County taxpayers should not be happy, as the contractors may have ripped off more than $750,000!   With this amount, we could have had computers placed at every child’s desk in the Broward County schools, replaced old text books, or made expansions on overcrowded schools.

Notable Miami Community Charter School jumped from a dangerous ‘F’ rating last year, to an ‘A’ rating this year. This amazing accomplishment is not frequently seen, so kudos to all of the teachers, parents and students of Miami Community Charter School! 

Miami Dade increased their ‘A’ schools from a total of 171 last year, to 210 this year.  And Broward County also saw an increase with 141 ‘A’ schools last year, up to 162 this year.

Schools in Miami have been improving each year in their testing scores, and overall ranks as a ‘B’ rated county.  Broward County also shows improvement each year, and remains with an ‘A’ rated county grade.

To look up your schools rating go to schoolgrades.fldoe.org

With the introduction of Tours That Talk at the Miami Metrozoo, parents and kids alike can explore on their own time and freedom at the touch of a button!  These interactive tours allow exhibits to include pre-recorded information that makes things come to life.  With more freedom to go from place to place throughout the zoo on your on time frame, you will feel very relaxed and entertained with this educational experience. Miami Dade students are frequent visitors of the zoo, and will be those of the first to experiment and explore the new Tours That Talk.

Starting April 15th through May 11th, Deering Estates will have a wide range of art on display, portraying the work of the students from public and private schools all across Miami-Dade County.  Students in the area learn various art expressions and mediums in their curriculum, and many are thrilled to have the chance to display their work to their friends and family, and to the public!

Deering Estate is located in Cutler Ridge at 16701 SW 72nd Avenue, and is open from 10am until 5pm every day. Stroll the halls and enjoy the pastel or watercolor creations, clay sculptures, or digital art! There is so much to see, so mark your calendar and head on over to Deering Estate this weekend.  You will not be disappointed!

An idea being tossed around at the time is increasing the number of classes students currently have from 6 to 7 periods in a day.  Teachers in the county would have to teach 6 of the 7 periods of the day, instead of the current 5 out of 6 periods. Though the length of the school day would remain the same, the number of students a teach would have would be increased, of course resulting in one additional classroom full of term papers and grading.  This issue is predicted to be the heat of discussion amongst high school educators once the idea is officially presented.

But with many other issues on the line such as the halt in school construction, including that for schools in need of expansion and construction of new schools in areas where there are just too many students, will Broward County be able to keep up the highly rated schools? And will struggling schools fall even farther behind?

Recently the Autism Program was recognized for its outstanding commitment to its students. Teachers in the program were recognized individually with small gifts and awards, and noted for their great program with students who do well and enjoy the program .  Students also received small gifts as well, putting a smile on each child’s face!

Though several cuts have come to the school’s budget, and the teachers often times feel this impact the greatest, these committed and resourceful individuals keep these programs in the schools effective and successful. The recognition and thanks to them all is well deserved!

Books and school aside, much of practical learning is also done outside of the classroom, but with no time outside from homework, school hours, and sleep, it is not likely any child in Broward County will see too much outside learning during the school year.

So Broward County parents, keep up the fight to have your children’s time back.  Besides, how can you even try to have a conversation with your child during dinner if he or she has her math or science book open in the meantime? 

New guidelines were recently developed, but guidelines are just guidelines…and who knows what will happen from there.  The new guidelines set by the Broward County School Board gives a basis of 10 minutes of homework per grade level. So 60 minutes for a 6th grader, and up to 2 hours for a senior in high school.  The guidelines also urge teachers to somehow be sure not to schedule large projects in different subjects at the same time.

Even teachers agree they see a big difference in those students who attended pre-K.  The state-funded program began in 2005, and is available at no charge to any child at the age of 4.  And with results continuing to show improvement in students, the program will likely stay for quite some time. 

In BrowardCounty this year, the kindergarten students preparedness was at 88%, and Palm Beach at 87%. 

The new building will be completed this Fall, with students and teachers inside by November 12th, 2009. 

The Presidential Inauguration happens every four years, dating all the way back to April 30th, 1789, the day on which George Washington became the very first president of the United States.  And since March 4, 1805, a tradition had been set with Thomas Jefferson’s second inauguration, that a parade would be held for the president to march down Pennsylvania Avenue. Through the years, and due to security reasons, often times the president would only walk part of the way.

The JP Taravella Marching Band will travel to Washington, DC to prepare for the event, which will take place on January 20th. The band has begun fundraising to raise the $150,000 needed to cover their expenses for the trip.  For more information about making a donation for the group, visit the website for JP Taravella High School Band & Orchestra.  You can also find about other upcoming performances for the band on their website.