Natalie La Roche Pietri
Education ReporterNatalie La Roche Pietri is the education reporter at WLRN.
Before joining WLRN, Natalie interned at the Boston Globe on the Great Divide, a team dedicated to investigating race, class, and inequality in Boston-area schools.
She covered general news as an intern at the Miami Herald, and reported on camera covering politics in Washington, D.C, as an NBCU Academy Diversity, Equity and Inclusion fellow.
Natalie graduated from Florida International University with a double major in digital communications and English. She was the managing editor for Caplin News, a student media digital publication at FIU, and president of the Society of Professional Journalists at FIU.
Originally from Venezuela, Natalie grew up in Broward and speaks fluent Spanish. You can reach her at nlarochep@wlrnnews.org and follow her on X at @natalaroche.
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The district is facing a $60 million shortfall for 2026 and is looking at ways to cut costs, including potential cuts to overtime pay and keeping roles unfilled. -
The investment will train educators, enhance digital infrastructure and develop AI-centered curriculum resources for college and K–12 faculty. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez drew laughter at a panel in the downtown campus when he admitted to using AI to put together a last-minute speech. -
St. Augustine will be home to the planned Florida’s Black History Museum, on land where Florida Memorial University once stood. -
Industries targeted by the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program include technology, medicine and mechanics. Programs in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties will benefit from the Workforce CAP. -
In a narrow 5-4 vote Tuesday, the school board approved modifying the policy that — until now — banned student cell phone use, from morning bell to dismissal. -
Declining enrollment in Palm Beach County schools forced at least 120 teachers to be reassigned — and could also mean $25 million dollars in state funding cuts. -
The district will continue to invest in expanding and strengthening the surveillance network through a new project.
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The district hosted a series of community meetings in September to gather feedback from families and anxieties about potential impacts, including how students with special needs might be affected. Tuesday's meeting recapped the findings and potential strategies. -
Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach and William Dandy Middle School in Fort Lauderdale are the first schools in the district to house Health and Resource Hubs, offering preventative screenings, general check-ups, counseling and more. -
The U.S. Department of Education claims the popular leadership program, Latinos for Action, for K-12 students discriminates against non-Latino students, though everyone —regardless of race or ethnicity— is allowed to enroll. -
Success Academy is expanding to Miami, thanks to a $50 million gift from billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and Florida's Schools of Hope program, which allows charter operators to essentially operate out of district buildings at no cost. -
The increase puts starting teacher salaries in Monroe County thousands of dollars above the state average.
