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“Come join us and learn more about our schools and programs”. ~Thomas
By Cheri Harris
Monday, February 21, 2011 at 12:00 am
Citrus County School Board members are taking a field trip.
In lieu of meeting in their regular spot at the District Services Center in Inverness, for Tuesday’s workshop, they will visit four schools.
They will begin their tour at Crystal River Middle School, checking in on the school’s AVID program and Penn Foster online classroom. They will also tour the remodeling/construction projects at Crystal River High School and Crystal River Primary School, followed by a visit to the International Baccalaureate program at Lecanto High School.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is geared to help students in the middle of the pack develop the skills they need to excel.
International Baccalaureate is an academically rigorous program that takes qualified students two years to complete, beginning the junior year of high school. Participating members of the class of 2012 will be the first to graduate with IB diplomas.
Bill Murray, school board chairman, said school board members have not taken a group tour since Central Ridge Elementary School, which first opened for the 2008-09 school year, was under construction.
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“Thank you to the Chronicle Editorial Board.” ~Thomas
THE ISSUE: School impact fee rate.
CHRONICLE EDITORIAL OPINION: Commission’s view is shortsighted.
Last May, county commissioners voted to reduce the transportation impact fee to zero until the end of 2010 to create a window of opportunity for encouraging new business activity.
On the heels of this bold move, the commission retained Duncan Associates to review the county’s impact fees. The report by Duncan Associates, which is the first phase of a multi-phase project to update impact fees, sparked opposing views by school board members and county commissioners during a recent public workshop on impact fees.
Although school board members unanimously recommended the county commission adopt the school impact fee at 100 percent of the rate recommended by Duncan Associates, county commissioners, with the exception of Commissioner Winn Webb, appeared inclined to set the school impact fee at 50 percent of the recommended rate even though school impact fees are not assessed for commercial development.
By singling out the school impact fee for a rate that would be only half of that recommended by Duncan Associates without first consulting the school board, county commissioners are relegating education to lower importance than the other impact fee categories they plan to adopt at 100 percent of the recommended rate.
Given that the Florida Constitution decrees, “The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida,” county commissioners are being dismissive of the school board’s constitutional responsibility for assuring a uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high-quality system of free public schools. They are also being dismissive of the overwhelming majority of Citrus County voters who affirmed this fundamental value last November when they approved the ad valorum restoration of .25 mills for school facilities maintenance and improvements.
While county commissioners are interested in leveraging the county’s economic future, they are overlooking the fact that the school board must also leverage for the future if quality education is to be maintained and enhanced. In this regard, a capable labor pool and quality school system are key to economic development and diversification since they are primary considerations for the relocation of businesses and families.
When it comes to school board matters, county commissioners are presumptuous to believe they know best. Therefore, if commissioners are to remain true to their goal of leveraging county impact fees to promote economic development in a fair and equitable manner for all parties, they need to consider school board members as full partners rather than silent partners on school impact fees by soliciting their input and seriously considering it.
(Source: www.chronicleonline.com/content/consider-school-board%E2%80%99s-fee-concerns-021911)
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“Kudos to Citrus County School District Food and Nutrition Services staff and Director Roy Pistone!” ~Thomas
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 12:00 am
THE ISSUE: Healthy eating.
CHRONICLE EDITORIAL OPINION: Teaching the lifestyle important.
Bye-bye mystery meat and hello healthy choices. Citrus County School District Food and Nutrition Services Director Roy Pistone has the right goal in mind when deciding what food is served at county schools.
Pistone will be the first to admit picking a healthy lunch in the food line at the school cafe is not going to happen based on nutritional merits; the food must also taste desirable and look good, or it will end up in the trash can. Kids have discriminating taste buds and cannot be fooled. They know what they like and don’t like.
The push for healthier food, such as a low-fat yogurt parfait with fruit and granola, French fries that are baked instead of fried, and whole wheat pizza crust is part of the equation. But diet also needs to go hand-in-hand with exercise. For decades, physical education has been a vital part of the school day — from recesses to weekly classes teaching exercise and team sports. It is as important as teaching good eating habits.
For more information check out the Citrus County School District Food and Nutrition Services at http://cafe.citrus.k12.fl.us/
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CREST Open House and EXPO on March 1, 2011 in the CREST Cafeteria from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
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I spent the better part of Wednesday, Feb 10th, 2011, at Withlacoochee Technical Institute (WTI). WTI is our vocational and adult education institution in the Citrus County School System. Withlacoochee Technical Institute is fully accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. WTI offers a wide variety of full and part-time programs in many different areas. WTI also is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). SACS CASI accredits over 13,000 schools and school systems throughout the United States and overseas and is the global leader in helping schools improve student learning through accreditation. (Click here for a listing of all Florida SACS CASI accredited schools.)
WTI offers over 18 different career and technical programs from nursing & medical, computers & technology, culinary, cosmetology, automotive, construction and much more. In addition, WTI is home to our county’s Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Academy, General Education Diploma (GED), Horizons, Teen Parents and other critical programs.
As I visited the classes, I was excited about the new career paths these students are embarking on. These students soon will be serving our community as nurses, deputies, massage therapists, auto mechanics, chefs and medical technicians.
At the Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Academy the next generation of deputies, police officers and criminal justice officers are being trained. Lt. Philip Royal, Academy Director, toured me through the classrooms and the different programs the academy offers.
Horizon is the drop out prevention program that is located at WTI. Horizon allows qualified students, including our teen parents, to participate in “virtual” courses to finish middle and high school. Upon completion of their courses, students can then participate in their home high school’s graduation.
What is always heart- warming to me as I visit our schools, departments, and programs are the teachers and staff that are dedicated to helping our students be successful. My time at WTI allowed me to see another clear example of that dedication and passion. These educators love what they do and share that enthusiasm with their students.
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