Posted on April 16th, 2023 by
Thomas E Kennedy
Busy and rewarding times
Over the past few weeks, it’s been a busy and incredibly rewarding time. I apologize for not being able to post my updates more regularly, but I thought I’d take a moment to share some photos and highlights with you.
I attended several School Advisory Council (SAC) meetings, including those at Central Ridge Elementary and Crystal River Primary. SACs, as I’ve shared in the past, are made up of parents, community members, and school staff who work together to support the school’s goals and improve the educational experience for students. It was great to hear from parents and staff about the positive things happening at the school, as well as some areas where they’d like to see more support. The school administrative teams, teachers, parents, and students all shared about the innovative work to engage their students and create a positive educational environment. I was impressed by their focus on student-centered learning at the school.
I also served on the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Section 2 Appeal Hearings and completed our last hearings for the school year. These hearings are a complex and challenging process, but ultimately, we were able to make fair and informed decisions that I believe will benefit students and schools.
Of course, I also attended a number of Citrus County School Board meetings and workshops during this time. The Board voted and/or gave feedback on different decisions related to policy, budget, and other important issues. It’s always a busy and productive time, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. During one of our school board meetings, Citrus County School’s Robotics Team gave a presentation of their 2022-2023 robotic creation used to compete recently in their first major competition in Tallahassee. Students on the team come from CHS, LHS, and CRHS, and they shared about the important STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills they are learning building these robotics and programming/coding them to complete different tasks. Our robotics program was the work and passion of Rene’ Johnson, Citrus County School District Director of Federal Programs.
One of the highlights of the past few weeks was attending the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) and Urban Board Alliance (UBA) national conference and General Assembly meeting. I was there representing the Citrus County School Board and serving as the President of the Florida School Board Association. It was COSSBA’s first national conference and General Assembly meeting, which took place in Tampa, Florida. This was significant because Florida, along with several other states, left a national organization in 2021 after facing years of challenges and unified with a number of other states in creating COSSBA. The aim was to establish a truly nonpartisan student-focused organization that supports school board members from across the country. COSSBA now includes over 24 state school board organizations and continues to grow. The conference brought together school board members from across the country to learn from each other and share best practices on teacher retention and recruiting, school safety, and other important topics. It was inspiring to hear from so many dedicated individuals who are working to improve education in their communities.
It is also the 2023 Florida legislative session, and I have been communicating with our legislators and state leaders on proposed legislation. I am always appreciative of our state legislators and leaders who take the time to listen to our concerns. I especially want to thank our local leaders, Representative Ralph Massullo and Senator Blaise Ingoglia, and their respective staff.
Finally, I had the chance to visit several schools in the district. This is by far my favorite thing to do as a school board member. It’s always exciting to see the great work that our teachers and staff are doing to support students. I was especially impressed by the innovative approaches I saw in our schools, such as project-based learning and STEM initiatives.
These past few weeks have been busy but incredibly rewarding. It’s an honor to represent Citrus County students, families, staff, and schools. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and look forward to continuing to work towards the goal of providing a high-quality education to all students in our district.
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I’m delighted to share some fantastic news with you all. Today, we have a reason to celebrate and be grateful for the exceptional work of the Florida House of Representative Education & Employment Committee Chairman Dr. Ralph Massullo, who has filed one of the most positive and impactful amendments for our Class of 2023 at-risk graduates.
