Posted on June 19th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Florida Legislature Has Passed a Budget and it includes MSS
Budgets will Assist Funding Marine Science Station
The Florida Legislature today passed a $78.7 billion budget in a Special Budget Session. (see Washington Post Article of Florida Budget: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/19/florida-legislature-to-vote-on-budget-end-special-/)
I am pleased that one of the items that was approved by both the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives was a $125,000 recurring funding for the Citrus School’s Marine Science Station. Since 1967, the Citrus County School Board has operated the Marine Science Station (MSS) as an educational enrichment center for marine and environmental sciences.
This educational facility provides outstanding learning opportunities for over 2,000 plus elementary and secondary school students from Citrus County per academic year (4th grade, 7th grade science and high school science students) as well as scores of other student from around the State of Florida and nation. The MSS’s hands-on laboratory and field-based educational experiences are an integral component of the science curriculum of Citrus County Schools and are offered to the schools, teachers, students, parents and other learning institutions. The MSS also features The Berry L. Cannon Memorial Aquarium which was dedicated in 1970 to the distinguished honor and memory of Berry M. Cannon, a civilian aquanaut who died during a dive in the U.S. Navy. This Aquarium is in re-development and will be an exciting addition to the learning at the MSS.
I want to thank Senator Charles Dean; House Appropriations Committee and Joint Legislative Budget Commission, Chairman, Representative Richard Corcoran; along with Representative Jimmie T. Smith who worked to ensure that the MSS funding was included in the State budget. Lastly I want to thank Gene McGee for all his work on this matter and for his commitment to our schools and community.
The MSS has been a continual commitment of the Citrus County School Board and me to ensure its ongoing positive impacts for the students of not only Citrus County but also Florida. This good news happens to come on the same day as my wife and I picked up our middle school daughter after she attended this week’s MSS Summer Week Camp. Our daughter’s description of camp as soon as she saw us was, “Mom and dad it was the best camp I have EVER been to. I learned so much, I can’t wait to go back.” To see the many photos taken during this summer’s camp at the MSS visit: https://www.facebook.com/marinesciencestation
It is my hope now that Governor Rick Scott signs this budget and includes the MSS funding. This funding will be essential to assisting the School District in its commitment to the MSS.
I am encouraged about the education portion of the State budget this year and as we learn more about the rest of the educational funding I will share it with you.
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on June 15th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Citrus County School District FCAT 2.0 Science & EOC Test Results Spring 2015
Inverness, Florida – June 15, 2015 – At the end of each school year, the Florida Department of Education releases the results of student learning measured on the State of Florida assessments. Due to the implementation of new assessments that align to the new Florida Standards, the only data available at this time is FCAT 2.0 Science for grades 5 and 8, Biology 1, Civics (new for 2015), and US History. Florida Standards Assessment scores for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry may be released at a later date once the legislative required validity study is completed.
Grade 5 Science scores showed the most significant increase with the district percent of proficient students who earned a Level 3 or higher increased from 57 percent in 2014 to 62 percent in 2015, outperforming the state by 5 percentage points. In addition, Citrus County’s Grade 5 Science proficiency scores ranked 8th among the 67 counties.
http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/results/2015.stml
With these spring assessments, Citrus County district data exceeded the state averages in every area except for Civics where the district matched the state’s average. This is also the first year in which scores are reported with proficiency levels in 7th grade Civics.
“During a year of significant changes in standards and challenges with testing, our students and teachers sustain high achievement. The pressures continue to mount as our standards shift and state assessments increase in rigor. I am proud of our students and school teams who continuously collaborate to improve teaching and learning,” stated Superintendent Sam Himmel. “These outcomes serve as an affirmation of the dedication and commitment of our staff, students, and community that lead to a very high quality public school education in our “A” rated school district,” added Himmel.
Contact: Sandra “Sam” Himmel
Superintendent – Citrus County Schools
himmels@citrus.k12.fl.us
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on June 14th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Chronicle: Educational renaissance
Thank you to Chronicle Reporter Abdon Sidibe for his article ‘Educational renaissance’ in Sunday, June 14th, 2015 Citrus Chronicle on the Renaissance Center. Below is an excerpt;
“Citrus County School Board members voted unanimously Tuesday to extend for another year the lease of a Marion County company which operates the Renaissance Center.
If the extension wasn’t endorsement enough, district officials indicate the company is doing a great job running the school.
The school board voted last year to hand over operations of the school to Silver River Mentoring & Instruction Inc., or SRMI. The Ocala-based company promised it could run the school cheaper and more effectively. The contract was for two years, with an opt-out clause for the district after one year.”
(Follow this link to read rest of story: http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/educational-renaissance)
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on June 9th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
BOCC Votes 5-0 to keep School Concurrency
“Well done Commissioners!”
I want to greatly thank each of the five Board of County Commissioners for voting unanimously to maintain school concurrency, essentially reversing their previous decision to remove school concurrency.
Each of the Commissioners asked excellent questions and the County Staff provided essential feedback. This decision by the Commissioners was a positive one because it was not only in the best interest of our students, schools and taxpayers, but I hope will begin a new positive collaborative relationship with our two governing bodies.
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 31st, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Citrus County School Board Summer Communication
(Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more! Below is just the introductory.)
We are fortunate to be part of a community that values education, supports education, and is firmly committed to helping students succeed. The accomplishments and achievements featured in this special publication are the result of the combined efforts of talented teachers, excellent instructional leaders, quality staff, hardworking students, and involved parents and families. In addition, we have many community volunteers and business partners who never stop giving! Just this year our graduating students in the Class of 2015 received over $550,000.00 in scholarships from local clubs, groups and affiliations.
We plan to provide information to our community three times a year to celebrate and to better understand Citrus County Schools and our mission – to educate ALL students through relevant curriculum and experiences for life in an everchanging world. This may include district goals, curriculum,
instructional practices, assessments, technology, resources, and achievements that contribute to the successes of Citrus County Schools. This inaugural publication spotlights outstanding accomplishments throughout the school year and additional information for this summer and next school year.
Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more!
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 26th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
What a great Graduation Week!!
One of the best weeks of the year for me as a School Board member is high school graduation week. It has been tradition long before I was elected to the school board for all the School Board members to attend each of the Senior Awards Ceremonies and each of the High School Graduations. Each year the schools rotate the order of the graduations. This year CREST was the first on our list, followed by Withlacoochee Technical College, Citrus High School, Lecanto High School and finishing this year at Crystal River High School.
Each school’s graduation is filled with unique and distinctive traditions which make each event so special. It is a night that the surrounding communities pause to also participate and support the graduations. It is an honor to get to play a small role in attending these special memorable events. We are grateful as board members to have an opportunity to be close enough to offer a simple, “congratulations” to the graduates—perhaps give a hug and often “hoot and holler”. For these are the most special of moments not to be taken for granted. Most of these students have struggled in one form or another to get to this day. They have been challenged more than they could have ever understood when they began as freshman— and they have persevered.
We want to also take this time to thank some people that made this day special for our students— the marvelous district and school staff at each of the schools who worked so hard to again give our students’ and their families a successful and memorable graduation. Each day at the three main high school football fields a large stage for the graduation is installed and the field is filled with chairs for the graduates and their families. Through the outstanding work of John Colasanti, Coordinator of Maintenance for the School District and his staff; the high school Athletic Directors, Tony Stukes, Ron Allan, Larry Bishop; and the school Head custodians, Larry Summerlin, Robert McKinnon, and Jeff Fisher. These individuals and their teams are amazing as immediately following the graduation ceremonies they begin to break down the stage, chairs and sound systems, and relocating them to the next school. They repeat this all week until the last ceremony is over, then pack everything away for next year. There work is essential in creating important positive memories for our students and their families. We thank them for the work they did this past week and each day for our kids!
We want to congratulate each of the students in the Class of 2015, and wish them the best as they continue in their individual successes.
CHS Class of 2015
LHS Class of 2015
CRHS Class of 2015
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Filed under: News & Updates
The Florida Legislature today passed a $78.7 billion budget in a Special Budget Session. (see Washington Post Article of Florida Budget: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/19/florida-legislature-to-vote-on-budget-end-special-/)
