Author Archive

Thomas Kennedy

I was elected to the Citrus County School Board in November 2010. I currently serves as the School Board Chairman for the 2013-2014 term. I also serve on the ESE/START Committee, HS Diploma Sub-Committee, Citrus County School Year Calendar 2013-2014 Committee, High School Directions Committee, Pupil Progression Plan for Elementary Schools Committee, HRMD Committee, Technology Committee, Technology Standards Sub-Committee, and the Consultant Continuing Contract Selection Committee. In 1989 I moved to Crystal River, Florida, where I met my now wife of 18 years I was volunteering at Crystal River Middle School. In 1990, I began working as a new construction consultant. By the mid 1990s I was working on the sales, design, and building end of home construction. By the late half of the 1990s I began working with commercial real estate and construction involving property location scouting and feasibility studies. In 1999, my business partner and I began a small homes development and construction company building speculative homes in the Pine Ridge and Central Ridge area of Citrus County. For over 20 years I have worked in most aspects of the construction and real estate businesses from site selection, feasibility studies, land acquisition, residential and commercial design and on-site construction supervision. In 1999 my business partner and I formed a small new home development company, Roken Development, Inc. and we began developing speculative homes on properties in the Central Ridge and Pine Ridge Estates areas of Citrus County. In the last several years we have developed and sold over 50 homes in Pine Ridge Estates alone. I, personally, have been responsible for construction scheduling, bank reconciliations, payroll, quarterly tax filings and the handling of accounts payable and accounts receivable. In 2005 our company expanded to become a full construction company, Roken Construction, Inc. and I took over all site management of our construction projects. Although my background is in the private sector, I also have an understanding of the workings of the public school system as I have been personally exposed to the schools systems through involvement for the past five years with the School Advisory Enhancement Counsel, and also have been indirectly aware of many of the schools goals, issues and problems by being married for 18 years to a teacher in the Citrus County School District. As a result of this combination, it has provided me a unique insight into the needs of the private sector as well as the challenges the public school system faces. In addition to being elected to the Citrus County School Board in the fall of 2010. I have always been involved in community service. As a young adult, I worked with youth ministries in my church .When my oldest child began school at Citrus Springs Elementary (CSES) my wife and I began volunteering in the school and we were elected to the School Advisory Enhancement Counsel (SAEC). After serving for two years as a voting member of SAEC, I was nominated and elected as Chairperson. I served as Chairperson for two years at CSES until the elementary schools were rezoned. When we were rezoned for Central Ridge Elementary School (CRE) I was nominated and elected to serve as its SAEC Chairperson. A large part of our responsibilities on SAEC is to review students’ testing data and performance and then use that data to guide the development of the classroom curriculum. In addition to helping shape curriculum, I assisted in the development of school policy and was responsible for helping to write the School Improvement Plans (SIP). As Chairperson, I also served on interview committees for administration and staff was part of a team that developed and voted on budgets. I have also had the pleasure of working with children out of school as I am a certified USA Swimming Coach and have current certifications in CPR, Safety Training for Swim Coaches and First Aid. As a dyslexic (a person with a learning disability), I know first-hand the challenges that students with learning disabilities face and can appreciate what teachers of students with learning disabilities must do to best assist those students in being successful. Technology became a great tool in helping myself and others with more serious disabilities. Today technology plays a big part of my life. I am constantly reading up on the newest in technology and keeping my skills fresh to the point my wife and friends affectionately nicknamed me, “Techno Thom”.

Homepage: http://www.thomastalksoncitrusschools.com

Citrus Schools Summer Break Spot Program

Citrus Schools Summer Break Spot Program Free summer food service Citrus County School’s Food and Nutrition Services will again participate in the Summer Food Service Program during the months of June and July. The Summer Food Service Program, also called the ‘Summer Break Spot’ in Florida, is a federal nutrition program that nonprofit groups and […]

Washington Post: Citrus’s High Schools are AGAIN among America’s Most Challenging High Schools 2017

Washington Post: Citrus’s High Schools are AGAIN among America’s Most Challenging High Schools 2017 Today we learned that all three of our high schools in Citrus County were again recognized by the Washington Post as “America’s Most Challenging High Schools”. In addition, all our high schools also saw and increase in their ranking. Of the […]

Florida Senate passes education testing bill– moves back to House

Florida Senate passes education testing bill– moves back to House Time is running out… On Thursday, the Florida Senate passed a large educational train bill.  While this bill had hoped to significantly reduce the state mandated assessments students must take, in the end the bill only eliminates one assessment, the Algebra 2 end-of-course (EOC) exam.  […]

Superintendent shares about local Impact of Proposed State Budget

Superintendent shares about local Impact of Proposed State Budget This afternoon Superintendent of Citrus County Schools, Sandra “Sam” Himmel sent out an email to staff regarding the impending state budget and the most recent figures of how it will impact Citrus County.  If the current State budget passes, Citrus County Schools would see a decrease […]

Sparkman Receives Keys to City

Sparkman Receives Keys to City Twenty-years of military services is a great accomplishment in itself– that on top of twenty-years of educational services to remarkable.  On Sunday, April 30, 2017 the City of Crystal River agreed when, Mayor Jim Farley gave Crystal River High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Senior Chief Sparkman, […]

Thank you Teachers & Staff

We are so grateful for the commitment each of you have in your work for students, schools and community! Thank you!