Emergency School Board Meeting for Friday due to Duke Energy
Emergency School Board Meeting for Friday due to Duke Energy
Comments Off on Emergency School Board Meeting for Friday due to Duke Energy
Filed under: News & Updates
Comments Off on Emergency School Board Meeting for Friday due to Duke Energy
Filed under: News & Updates
Marine Science Station Tour & Museum Dedication
From Marine Science Station Tour & Museum Dedication, posted by Citrus County School District on 11/17/2012 (199 items)
Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2
Comments Off on Marine Science Station Tour & Museum Dedication Photo Story
Filed under: News & Updates
School Board Annual Organizational Meeting & Swearing in of Elected OfficialsToday in compliance with Florida Statute was our annual school board’s organizational meeting which every two years is also when we swear into office our new board members and every four years the superintendent.
The meeting began with Superintendent giving the opening exercises which are the superintendent’s responsibilities at the annual organizational meeting.
The Honorable Judge Patricia V. Thomas who was a former school board member herself, swore in Sandra “Sam” Himmel as Superintendent of Schools and then swore in Virginia Bryant and Susan Hale as School Board Members.
Next the board elected the Chairperson for the coming board year. Virginia Bryant was voted as Chairperson and Patricia Deutschman as Vice Chairperson.
Lastly the board voted on the meeting days and times for the coming board year. I made a motion and Ms. Deutschman seconded and the School Board approved that Regular Business Meetings to be held on the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 4:00 p.m. and any Special Meetings/Workshops will be called as needed, which is typically the fourth Tuesday of each month.
I want to congratulation Superintendent Sam Himmel and School Board Member Virginia Bryant on being re-elected. I also want to congratulate newly elected School Board Member Susan Hale.
Comments Off on School Board Annual Organizational Meeting & Swearing in of Elected Officials
Filed under: News & Updates
The Citrus School Board renovation of the Marine Museum over a year ago and it is hoped at in the near future it will again be would fill the museum with more learning. The original museum was built in 1968 and was dedicated in 1969 in memory of form native and Navy person and Naval aquanaut Barry L. Cannon. Please join us at the Open House and rededication on November 17th, 2012 beginning at 9:00am thru 2:00pm with the dedication at 11:00am.
“This museum was named for the outstanding career of Barry L. Cannon, a civilian electronic engineer, whose life was cut short when he met death while working on the ocean floor the first day of the Navy’s Sea Lab III project off San Clemente Island, off the California coast, on Feb. 17, 1969. Cannon, who was 33 years old at the time of his death, was a veteran of the Navy’s Man-in-the-Sea program, an extensive and projected program to determine man’s ability to live and work in the ocean. Cannon also was a participating aquanaut during the Sea Lab II experiment conducted in 1965, La Jolla, Calif. CA Cannon was on active duty in the Navy from 1953 to 1957, attended the University of Nevada and received his BS Degree in electronics engineering from the University of Florida in 1962. He had been with the Navy Laboratory in Panama City since 1963.” (Excerpt from the Orlando Sentinel, written June 17th, 1970.)
Comments Off on MSS 45th Anniversary, Museum Rededication & Open House
Filed under: News & Updates
Post ElectionLike many of you I am so glad November 6th is behind us. This was my first local election as a sitting elected official and I learned a great deal both positive and negative. Now it is time for us to come together and continue to do the work for the students, families and citizens of Citrus County.
I was most disappointed that the .25 millage rate school referendum did not pass. This referendum was a continuance of revenue our students and schools were already receiving but that will now sunset this coming year. Since this referendum did not pass our school budget will be impacted and reduced further by approximately $2.5 million dollars annually. This, along with the anticipated Florida Supreme Court’s decision on the Florida Retirement System’s “3% contribution” law suit, which many believe will be held as unconstitutional, will further reduce our Citrus County School System’s budget by an additional $2.5 million dollars. That is potentially $5 million in new lost funds to our school budget and that is before any new state or federal mandates or unanticipated new costs. This will have a serious impacts as we begin the budget process in the next months.
I will miss working with School Board Member Bill Murray whose farewell meeting was November 13th, 2012 but I am very excited to begin working with newly elected School Board Member Susan Hale. Ms. Hale brings a great deal of experience both from the private banking/human resources area, public school teaching and the Florida Department of Education where she has served as a dispensatory board member for teachers certifications. I welcome Ms. Hale and wish her the very best as she begins to serve the students of Citrus County on the School Board.
Lastly, I am pleased to continue to work with Superintendent Sam Himmel. I cannot express well enough how much I appreciate the style and manner in which Ms. Himmel works with her board members. She makes sure that her staff and executive team are always available to us for answering any questions or addressing any issues. She goes out of her way to see that we are informed of daily happenings within our school system. She brings us in to ask our opinions on issues even when she does not have to. We are a team at the School District and it is an honor to serve with them. We are “Team Students”!!
Comments Off on Post Election
Filed under: News & Updates
Recap of School Board MeetingTuesday’s November 13th board meeting covered a wide range of items. It was also our farewell meeting to board member Bill Murray.
Several citizens attended the board meeting to speak about whether the school board should or should not maintain Concurrency and School Residential Impact Fees. See Mike Wright’s story in the November 14, 212 edition of the Citrus Chronicle, “School board: We want our impact fees”, to read more about that issue.
During the board meeting several items were approved. Some of those items include revisions to policies 7.10, “School Budget Systems”, 7.20, “Accounting and Control Procedures” and also repeal and revisions policy 8.60, “Acceptable Use Policy” for computer and internet use by staff. The board also approved the Superintendent’s recommendation for the new Assistant Principal at Citrus Springs Middle School, Deirdre Murray. In addition, the board approved to advertise for a Public Hearing at the January 8, 2013 School Board Meeting to approve the revisions of Policy 7.33, “Petty Cash Funds/Change Funds”, Policy 6.18, “Contracts: Instructional and Administrative Personnel”, Policy 5.75, “Verification of High School Diploma for Admission to Withlacoochee Technical Institute Postsecondary Programs”, and Policy 2.70, “Prohibiting Discrimination, Including Sexual and Other Forms of Harassment”.
Assistant Superintendent of CC Schools, Ken Blocker, gave a budget update and shared that, as a school board, he believes we should begin formulating a budget plan now for the 2013-2014 budget. Mr. Block explained that with the Florida Retirement System law suit still pending it could mean $7million retroactively and a $2.3million loss going forward. In addition, now that on November 6th the .25 millage rate referendums did not pass, there will be an additional $2.5 million in lost funding and as a result we may be in for some serious budget challenges.
November 13, 2012 was Board Member Bill Murray’s farewell meeting as a school board member. When I first was sworn into the board as a member I knew Bill Murray best personally from conversations with him. What I knew about Bill was that he had strong opinions based on what was best for students, and how our district could better succeed. Over the last two years I have depended on Bill to balance my own thoughts and opinions. That is perhaps hard for those that haven’t sat in these positions to understand but each board member bring something different to the table, such as a critical voice to our discussions and decisions. Bill was one whose opinion, even when it might differ from my own, was critical to my final vote. I valued that even if Bill and I voted differently we could go to lunch afterwards and talk about sports or family and the vote did not change how he felt about you. It has been an honor to learn from you, and work alongside of you. I will miss having my seat next to you but I won’t miss you altogether as I hope for us to have a regular lunch date. Thank you, Mr. Bill!
Comments Off on Recap of School Board Meeting
Filed under: News & Updates