Kate Payne
Education ReporterKate is an FSU graduate and worked at WFSU Public Media as a multimedia reporter before heading off to Iowa Public Radio. At IPR, Kate served as the Eastern Iowa Reporter, responsible for covering an important region for the state. While at IPR, Kate distinguished herself by breaking news about the Iowa Democratic 2020 caucuses, reporting on a book ban of sorts at Iowa prisons, and real-time breaking news of the aftermath from a devastating derecho. Also, Kate was a driving force behind IPR's election year podcast, Caucusland. Reach Kate at kpayne@wlrnnews.org
Person Page
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A Miami-Dade County School Board member says he's quoting from Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb" in every graduation speech he gives — after a school restricted access to the poem for elementary students. -
So far this school year, there have been more book bans in Florida than almost any other state, according to an analysis by the free expression advocacy group PEN America. The former president of the state's library association has acknowledged that advocates for intellectual freedom are "being out-organized."
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At a time when state officials are restricting how race, identity and history can be taught, scores of students from across Miami-Dade County gathered to test their knowledge of the world's first Black republic. The Haitian History Bee is a celebration of culture and heritage that advocates say isn't taught enough in public schools.
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Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz says local officials acted properly when they decided to restrict elementary students at a public school in Miami-Dade County from reading the poem recited at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The move came after a parent claimed the poem was 'indoctrinating' students.
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More than 20,000 new immigrant students have enrolled in Miami-Dade County Public Schools this year - more enrollments than the district saw after Hurricane Maria. The majority come from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, crisis-hit countries covered by Biden's new parole program.
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A frequent applicant, a Haitian-American, an internal candidate and leaders from Detroit and Houston: these are the profiles of the semifinalists in the search for the Broward County school district’s new superintendent.
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The pool of semifinalists include an internal candidate, an administrator in neighboring Palm Beach County, and other career educators who have worked in Detroit, D.C. and Houston public schools.
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For nearly 160 years, Black Floridians have been marking May 20th as Emancipation Day — the day when a Union general officially declared the Florida's enslaved people were free. Communities across the state are hosting events to celebrate the day.
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After the Broward County School Board voted to reopen its search for the district's next superintendent, five more applicants came forward. But of those, only two are qualified for the job, according to the district.
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During a formal ceremony on FIU's campus, President Ken Jessell pledged to advance "freedom of thought and expression" and “respect the dignity of all individuals." The investiture comes just days after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law banning diversity programs on public campuses and restricting what can be taught at universities.
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These days, prom can cost hundreds of dollars — money many families in Miami-Dade County don’t have. That’s where the school district’s Prom Boutique comes in. Everything at the shop is free for students whose families are struggling financially.
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Search consultants hired by Florida Atlantic University thought they'd have the summer to recruit a pool of promising, qualified candidates to be the school's next leader. Instead, the application window will close on May 16 — just three weeks after it opened.
