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Jeffrey S. Solochek - Education Reporter
Jeffrey S. Solochek

Education Reporter

I've been an education reporter for more than 25 years, in Illinois, Texas and Florida. Why stick with it? Because I see education as key to our community, whether it's about children learning, teachers and staff working, or residents seeking the best for their tax dollars. Our school systems are critical to our society, and I strive to tell you what's going on there. I've worked at the Tampa Bay Times since 2000, covering statewide education issues as well as the districts in Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Think I've missed something? Send your ideas my way. I read all my emails.

  1. Death penalty phase opens for 2018 Parkland school shooter
    2 hours ago• The Education Gradebook
    People comfort each other as they sit and mourn at one of seventeen crosses, Feb. 15, 2018, after a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla. The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history ever to make it to trial is finally went before a jury on Monday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
  2. Dueling conferences offer distinct messages on future of Florida education
    Yesterday• The Education Gradebook
    Karen Jaroch (right), 57, of Tampa looks at shirts during the Moms for Liberty National Summit Friday, July 15, 2022 in Tampa.
  3. At Moms for Liberty event in Tampa, a push to win school board elections
    Jul. 15• The Education Gradebook
    Gov. DeSantis is presented with "The Liberty Sword" during the Moms for Liberty National Summit on Friday, July 15, 2022 in Tampa.
  5. Moms for Liberty brings its message to Tampa summit
    Jul. 15• The Education Gradebook
    Maddie Pellicer (left) and Angela Dubach (center) help register participants arriving for the first annual Moms for Liberty national summit on July 14, 2022, at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.
  6. The University of Florida has a new civics center. Its origin is murky.
    Jul. 14• The Education Gradebook
    In this aerial view, Century Tower rises from the center of the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.
  7. Florida district renegotiates paid COVID leave for employees in isolation
    Jul. 13• The Education Gradebook
    Pinellas County teacher union and school district representatives agreed in July 2022 to extend their COVID leave policy, which had expired in March.
  8. Pinellas to reimburse school employees who lost pay during quarantines
    Jul. 12• The Education Gradebook
    The school board on Tuesday approved an agreement extending its COVID sick leave plan through the end of June. It had expired in March, meaning about 275 quarantined teachers and staff whose paid sick days had expired were forced into unpaid time off during that period.
  9. Politics does not roil all Florida school board races
    Jul. 12• The Education Gradebook
    A table of candidate handouts are on display during the Tiger Bay candidate forum for the Hillsborough County School Board on Friday, June 17, 2022, at The Cuban Club in Tampa.
  10. False rumors swirl over Florida’s survey of university politics
    Jul. 11• The Education Gradebook
    Florida Sen. Ray Rodrigues advanced legislation to have state universities conduct annual surveys about campus ideology. It did not require anyone to register their political beliefs with the state, unlike what some critics have suggested.
  11. Florida issues final grades using FSA scores
    Jul. 8• The Education Gradebook
    Lakewood Elementary School in St. Petersburg, which once was among the state's lowest performers, held most of it improvements in the latest round of state testing. It earned a B grade, down from an A in 2021.
  12. Florida schools, universities grapple with pandemic aftermath
    Jul. 7• The Education Gradebook
    A view of Library West at the center of the University of Florida campus in Gainesville.
  13. Florida school board races bring voters clear choices
    Jul. 6• The Education Gradebook
    Florida voters will decide Aug. 23 who sits on school boards across the state.
  14. Pasco County School Board race in full swing as issues come into focus
    Jul. 6• The Education Gradebook
    Bus drivers for the Pasco County school system demonstrate April 29, 2022 at district headquarters, saying they are underpaid. Employee salaries, along with district finances and a proposed property tax referendum are among the issues in this year's races for School Board.
  15. Small Christian college in Michigan influences Florida education policy
    Jul. 5• The Education Gradebook
    Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran speaks about his education philosophy during a May 5 speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan.
  16. New Florida education laws — including controversial ones — take hold today
    Jul. 1• The Education Gradebook
    An unidentified family attended Gov. Ron DeSantis' signing of legislation that places new requirements on school book selection, at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University on March 25, 2022. DeSantis said the new law provides additional rights for parents in their children's education.
  17. At Tarpon Springs High, staff turnover raises questions
    Jun. 30• The Education Gradebook
    Pinellas School Board chairperson Eileen Long wants answers to why four Tarpon Springs High School assistant principals quit their jobs over the past year.
  18. Florida works on ‘parental rights’ rules as fights over the law rage on
    Jun. 30• The Education Gradebook
    Students at Hillsborough High School participate in a statewide school walk-out in March to protest legislation to limit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. Battles over the measure, which takes effect Friday, continue across the state in courts, school board sessions and political campaigns.
  19. Does Pasco School Board candidate live in his district? Opponents say no.
    Jun. 30• The Education Gradebook
    As a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Pasco County School Board, Al Hernandez is facing questions from opponents about his residency.
  20. Alarma entre maestros de Florida por contenido de materiales de educación cívica
    Jun. 29• CENTRO
    Ashley Johnson enseña educación cívica a estudiantes de séptimo grado en Lauderdale Lakes Middle durante el primer día de clases, en Broward, el miércoles 18 de agosto del 2021.
  21. Florida teachers raise red flags over new state civics materials
    Jun. 29• The Education Gradebook
    Ashley Johnson teaches civics to seventh graders at Lauderdale Lakes Middle on the first day of school in Broward on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. Teachers are raising concerns about new civics materials being presented to them for the 2022-23 school year.
  22. Florida grapples with new education laws as their effective date nears
    Jun. 28• The Education Gradebook
    Schoolchildren holding signs against the concept of critical race theory stand on stage alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he addresses the crowd before signing HB 7 in April. A federal judge is considering whether to delay implementation of the law.
  23. Florida school board races draw partisan interest from both sides
    Jun. 27• The Education Gradebook
    Candidates for Pinellas School Board District 7, Karl Nurse (far left) and Caprice Edmond (far right) are pictured on Election Day at The Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 in St. Petersburg. School board races across Florida have become more partisan just two years later.
  24. Florida religious schools face no change after high court voucher ruling
    Jun. 24• The Education Gradebook
    Academy of the Holy Names Catholic School in Tampa is one of several religious schools in Florida that accepts tax credit scholarships.
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