Students and families are gathering school supplies ahead of their return to classes the week of Aug. 10. Florida’s back to school sales tax holiday runs through Aug. 20.
The big story: Kids head back to school in just over a week. It’s time to supply up.
Several Tampa Bay groups are offering free supplies and services, from backpacks to haircuts and laundry, as costs continue to climb. Check out these events.
Saturday, Aug. 1
Back2School Bash: 9 a.m. -1 p.m., 215 Sydney Washer Road, Dover. The Hillsborough County Fair and Hillsborough County school district, along with local non-profits, churches, and businesses, will give away backpacks and supplies on a walkup basis.
Hillsborough County Public Schools Back to School Fair 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 8021 Citrus Park Town Center, Tampa. Free book bags for the first 1,000 kids.
Back to School laundry: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (while supplies last), 1410 E. 17th Ave., Tampa. Friendly City Laundry is offering free laundry and notary services.
Bounce Back to School 5th Annual Backpack Giveaway: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., 2184 9th Avenue S, St Petersburg. Several local organizations and the City of St. Petersburg are giving away backpacks.
Tampa Bay Rowdies Back to School Supply Drive: 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., 230 1st St SE, St. Petersburg. The Rowdies are hosting a school supplies giveaway with the Tampa Bay School Supply Drive, working with the Hillsborough and Pinellas Education Foundations.
New teacher supplies: 9 a.m.-noon, 3102 N. Habana Avenue, Tampa, FL The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association is offering a free market of school supplies for new teachers.
Saturday Aug. 8
Back to School Bash: 10 a.m.-noon, 9701 Little Rd, New Port Richey. The Regency Park Library is giving away school supplies and offering backpack decorating.
Back to School Bash: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 7745 Ridge Rd, Port Richey. The Salvation Army of Pasco County is offering free school supplies and haircuts.
Tampa Back 2 School Bash: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 250 Westshore Plaza, Tampa. Imagine Orthodontics is giving away 500 backpacks.
Bullard Family Foundation Back to School Bash 9:01 a.m.- 1:01 p.m., 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa. The Bullard Family Foundation will give away 30,000 backpacks with school supplies. They will also offer free medical, dental and vision screenings along with glasses and haircuts. Register in advance here.
In other school supply news … Many teachers dip into their own accounts to pay for essential classroom supplies, WUSF reports.
Hot topics
Schools continue to grapple with student absenteeism.
Absenteeism: About one in three Florida students was chronically absent from school in 2022-23, the 10th highest rate in the nation, Islander News reports.
Bus rides: The Duval County school district is adding electric buses to its fleet, Jacksonville Today reports.
College opportunities: Polk State College students have new options to transfer into Florida Polytechnic University under an agreement the schools completed this week, the Ledger reports.
New schools: A developer of prime real estate near Disney World has dropped plans for a resort district on the site, instead adding a much needed high school to the proposed project, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
New teachers: The Brevard County school district welcomed about 350 new teachers for the upcoming year, WKMG reports.
Raises: More than half of Leon County teachers won’t be getting raises this year as the district struggles to balance its budget, WCTV reports.
Superintendents: More details are coming out about Miami-Dade County’s newly appointed superintendent, the Miami Herald reports.
Teaching assignments: Some Alachua County parents and children are getting frustrated as their assigned teachers were sent to different schools just days before classes resume, WCJB reports.
Vaping: The Escambia County school district is expanding its program offering a second chance to students caught vaping for the first time, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
From the court docket … A Florida Atlantic University student is suing a campus fraternity over allegations of dangerous hazing activities, WLRN reports.
In their own words
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Maria Vazquez
“It’s about funding. Not being able to pay employees who pour themselves into our students. Declining enrollment, competition, recruitment and retention.” — Maria Vazquez, Orange County superintendent, on challenges facing public education (WESH)
“I look at attending Santa Fe as a bridge between myself and the rest of my life having financial stability and a consistent career.” — Hope Marshall, Santa Fe College student, on assumptions that the school’s students all are there while waiting to attend UF (WUFT)
“The adults themselves haven’t been able to come to consensus on this, right? And so now it falls to the kids. Let them lead the way.” — Jeffrey Riley, Day of AI executive director, on a national student led initiative to develop consistent AI rules for schools (NPR)
Quick quiz
Kindergartners at New River Elementary in Pasco County practice math skills with then-principal Colleen Wilkinson in 2025.
A new Florida Chamber Foundation report looked into the academic readiness of children entering kindergarten in 2025. What percent did it find ready to learn?
a) 80%
b) 63%
c) 44%
Find the answer in this story from WFTV. Find the chamber report here.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
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