Update from Special Budget Workshop Meeting

Tuesday, June 7^th, the Citrus County School Board met for a special budget workshop.  A major topic of this workshop was funding  the Paraprofessional Teacher Aides for the 2011-2012 school year.  The workshop was attended by nearly all of  our school principals.   Each grade level  (elementary, middle, and high school ) was represented by at least one principal who presented information about student grades, test scores, class schedules and other school data in order to  provide the board with  a clear indication of the use of these aides.  These presentations  allowed board members the  opportunity to ask questions about how aides are utilized and discuss how other programs  might be affected by a reduction in the budget.   Ken Blocker, Executive Director of Business Services, shared that our district would be receiving two additional grants for next school year totaling approximately $450,000.  Mr. Blocker indicated that funding one aide at each school would cost approximately $300,000.  Because this was a workshop, no official vote was taken about the funding of aides but a majority of the board indicated they were in favor of  using the onetime grant monies  for a one year “term” for funding one aide at each school.

Other school budget concerns and items were discussed at the meeting but board members felt more information was need before moving forward. I will continue to keep you informed about the difficult decisions we are facing this month.

Our next school board meeting is this Tuesday, June 15^th, 2011, at 4:00pm.

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School district fares well in FCAT

Citrus ahead of state averages

In a year that saw the launch of a more rigorous test and a grading system designed to avoid sharp highs and lows, the Citrus County School District distinguished itself.

Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) results released recently showed the district ahead of state averages in 14 out of 16 scored areas.

“I think when you look at all the cuts and jobs we had to not fill in the last couple of years and look at the consolidation of jobs, I think when you see results like this, it shows the hard work the teachers, staff and kids do every day to be successful,” said Sandra “Sam” Himmel, superintendent of Citrus County schools.

For Himmel, the most remarkable thing about the results is the number of schools with 85 percent or more students scoring high in reading and math.

“I think when you get in those numbers, I think that’s phenomenal,” she said, “and it just goes back to all the hard work that everybody does.”

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CRMS students get hands-on experience with the water cycle

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Crystal River Middle School science students got more than their feet wet while studying the Floridan Aquifer and the water cycle.

Last month, they went on a snorkeling field trip to the Rainbow River, and a smaller group later put their knowledge to work teaching what they had learned to Crystal River Primary School kindergarteners.

The Rainbow River field trip gave eighth-grade students a hands-on view of where water comes from, why it’s important to conserve this resource and a better understanding of the water cycle.

They participated in a lab at school in which they put plastic zipper bags over some leaves on trees to collect the water that trees give off, a process called transpiration. They created posters, door hangers and made bookmarks with water conservation messages on them. They watched a video about a group of scientists who went scuba diving in the Floridan Aquifer in Alachua County. They also created a poster listing the reasons that invasive plant species are bad.

During the boat trip, students learned more about the Rainbow River, such as how many gallons of water it produces, the local wildlife they might see, and more information about the springs they would explore. Students also had a chance to search for fossils such as shark teeth, animal bones and ancient artifacts such as arrowheads.

After lunch, they students participated in a community service, pulling hydrilla, an invasive species of plant, out of the Rainbow River. They examined the hydrilla for live animals such as crawfish, fish and shrimp so they could throw them back into the water. Park rangers bagged up the hydrilla to dispose of it properly.

To prepare for their trip to Crystal River Primary School, students spent many days writing and illustrating their children’s stories about the water cycle, seen through the “eyes” of a single drop of water.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District provided free children’s materials related to water conservation and the water cycle.

During the field trip to Crystal River Primary, 29 Crystal River eighth-graders visited six kindergarten classes. The eighth-graders read their stories and helped the kindergarteners with educational activities about water.

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