Archive for News & Updates

Flawed teacher’s bonus program based on SAT/ACT scores the Legislature wants to be made permanent

Posted on December 1st, 2015 by

Flawed teacher’s bonus program based on SAT/ACT scores the Legislature wants to be made permanent

for-the-bestThe Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Florida House Education Committee will consider legislation to make the flawed and controversial ‘Best and Brightest’ teacher bonus program permanent. (see ‘Florida’s controversial teacher bonus based on SAT scores returns’; http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/floridas-controversial-teacher-bonus-based-on-sat-scores-returns/2255954)

This would mean that potentially the State Legislature would spend $44 million taxpayer dollars a year to give teachers up to $10,000 in bonus wages—but only if they had SAT or ACT test scores in the 80th percentile. The Florida Senate is also going to be taking up this issue and they have a little different approach. They still want to tie the bonus to SAT and ACT scores but they want to lower the scores required down to the 60th percentile in hopes of giving more teachers and opportunity of receiving the bonus.

Here is a thought—if the Legislature wants to reward those teaching (and I greatly welcome that thinking) why not provide those funds proportionately to each district to distribute as they see fit locally. Why is the Legislature micromanaging our local communities? Why are those that are often critical of the Federal Government’s overreaching tactics are doing the same thing to local school districts?

If this is about trying to help with the national and state wide teaching shortage we are entering then there are far better methods to encouraging and incentifying people to become teachers. For example increase teacher college tuition grants which are then tied to minimum number of years of service in a public school. This would both benefit the individual teacher and our schools and communities.

$44 million tax dollars last State budget cycle were set aside to give teacher bonuses due to test scores many of them took as juniors and seniors in high school. Further the Legislature ignored again the concerns of this program expressed by parents, teachers, administrators, superintendents, school board members, and community leaders. We must ask again—when it comes to public educational policies and funding who does the Legislature listen too?

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School Board November 2015 Meeting Recap

Posted on November 20th, 2015 by

School Board November 2015 Meeting Recap

12239348_1017704458292512_9039572596670190559_oLast Tuesday, November 10th, 2015 was our regular meeting of the Citrus County School Board. Nothing about the day was regular.

That morning Lecanto High School had a tragic event happen. A young man attempted to take his life by shooting himself in a classroom. Thank God no one other than the shooter was physically injured. The Sherriff’s department is still investigating the event and has asked for patience with the investigation. (Read Chronicle article, “Sheriff urges patience with shooting investigation” for more details.)

We have heard about the many staff, students, administrators, student services, first responders, deputies and Sherriff staff that contributed to caring for our students that day at LHS. We thank each of them for all they did to keep our students and staff safe.

This day was my last meeting in Chairman’s term and it was also my rotation for having opening exercises. I asked Anna Lane, Senior at Crystal River High School, Health Academy, Nursing Program, to play our National Anthem on the violin. Miss Lane was accompanied by her father, Rev. Stephen Lane of the Faith Lutheran Church in Hernando who also offered a special prayer due to the events of the day.

To See Video of Miss Anna Lane Playing click on link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJhrSahij4&t=2m8s or video below

Last in the meeting School Board Member Linda Powers was elected the district’s new chairwoman and School Board Member Ginger Bryant was elected vice chairwoman.

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Chronicle on HJR 539: ‘Politics has no place in schools’

Posted on November 16th, 2015 by

Chronicle-Editorial-11-15-2015Chronicle on HJR 539: ‘Politics has no place in schools’

Thank you Chronicle for understanding why this proposed bill (HJR 529-http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2016/0539) is not good for students, schools, our communities and tax payers.

Read their editorial by visiting this link;

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Deutschman: Stupid ideas from legislators

Posted on November 8th, 2015 by

Deutschman: Stupid ideas from legislators

“It seems like common sense goes out the window when Legislators think they have a better idea…”

CaptureIn Sunday’s Citrus County Chronicle there is an excellent column by retired four term Citrus County School Board member Pat Deutschman entitled, ‘Stupid ideas from legislators‘.  I greatly encourage you to read this column.

In the column Ms. Detschman shares, “Billions of tax payers dollars have been wasted re-creating a new wheel only to be discarded in place of yet another wheel — all with potential flat tires that were ignored in their design. We need legislators who represent the public not the political agenda.”

Thank you Ms. Detschman for continuingly looking out for our kids and schools!

You can read the entire column by following this link; http://tinyurl.com/pnpwtor

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New Proposed Bill Targets School Boards

Posted on November 4th, 2015 by

New Proposed Bill Targets School Boards

This is how they want to help education? Sure seems like political payback…

legisalators for HJROn Tuesday, two Florida State Legislators, Sen. Jeff Brandes (R), and Rep. Matt Caldwell (R), filed bills to ask Florida voters to amend the state constitution Article IX on education to permit abolishment of local school districts by law, and to change School Board elections from “nonpartisan” back to “partisan”.

I encourage you all to read Times Writer, Jeff Solochek, article, “Proposal aims to alter Florida school districts” in the Tampa Bay Times for better understanding of the bill; http://home.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/proposal-aims-to-alter-florida-school-districts/2252653

Parents, students, teachers, administrators, superintendents and school boards have been speaking out critically this year about the many negative impacts the “educational reforms” (such as student and school accountability systems, Florida Standards, and high stakes testing mandates), have had on our students, which the Florida Legislature has put into law over the last several years. With all the actual monumental public educational overhauls that these Florida stakeholders have made abundantly clear that are needed, this was not one of them.

It is hard to not identify this bill as political payback by these Legislators, and their desire to change State Constitution to permit them to pass more laws to further control School Boards and local schools even more.

What seems to make this even clearer that it is all about politics and not what is best for students, is the Legislators desire to change School Board elections from “nonpartisan” back to “partisan”. Our School Boards should be focused on our students and not partisan agendas. I would suggest that a far better proposed State Constitution amendment would be to remove the word “partisan” from the School Superintendents elections and all local elections.

I urge us to contact our Legislators and encourage them and their colleagues to not support this bill in any way.

We will continue to monitor this bill over the coming months and will keep you posted.

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Saving Children’s Lives with help of CCEF

Posted on November 2nd, 2015 by

Saving Children’s Lives with help of CCEF

Water safety program is vital

Water SafeAs a School Board from a rural community with a student population of approximately 70% coming from economically disadvantaged households we are often asked about some of our programs, “why is the school system to ‘that’? or that isn’t something the public school system should do”. In Citrus the majority of our students often come from homes that can’t provide the extra positive opportunities and as a School District we have learned that those experiences are vital in providing the opportunities for our students to be successful in the classroom and in their future.

One example of that is the Marine Science Station (MSS) in Crystal River where students in, 4th, 7th, and 10th grades get hands on real world experience learning about our water and marine environments. We regularly have students tell us that going out on a boat at the MSS is the first time they have ever been on a boat. Might seem small but the MSS impact one 7th grader so much that years later he became a Marine Scientist and now is the Administrator at the MSS.

Another such program which interestingly is also connected to water, is the Water Safety program in our elementary schools. Someone once asked us to justify this program and said, “So how many kids has this program saved”? My response, “every child that we don’t have to call 911 for about a drowning”. The Florida Department of Health states that, “Florida loses more children under age five to drowning than any other state. Annually in Florida, enough children to fill three to four preschool classrooms drown and do not live to see their fifth birthday. In 2013, Florida had the highest unintentional drowning rate in the nation for the 1–4 year old age group with a drowning rate of 7.54 per 100,000 population. Florida had the second highest drowning rate in the nation for the 1–14 year old age group with a drowning rate of 2.54 per 100,000 population.”

During the educational budget challenges over the last many years there were times when due to funding, the Water Safety program was listed as a possible cut. I have been happy that the School Board, Superintendent Himmel and Assistant Superintendent Mullen did not support cutting the program, but the challenge has been how to fund it. The State of Florida does not provide funding for programs like the MSS or the Water Safety as they are not “required”, so when the local School Board and Leadership team desires these programs we have to either find the funds in the ever stretched general fund or we have to find a person, group or organization that is just as committed to our students as the school system— enter the Citrus County Education Foundation.

CCEFThis past month, once again, the CCEF stepped forward to assist in funding the Water Safety program with the school district. As a USA Swimming certified swim coach, I wholeheartedly support the Water Safety program and I am grateful for the continual devotion CCEF has to our students’ education, safety and future.

SuncoastCUlogoThis week the CCEF will be giving teacher’s mini grants for the classroom totaling over $100,000. The CCEF is steadfast in its commitment to our students. We are indebted to the CCEF and its partners such as the Suncoast Credit Union. If you find yourself in a position to contribute to this find organization do not hesitate to do so, doing so is directly contributing to our students and their classrooms.

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