Eight dogs, eight cats, seven snakes, four rats, and two bearded dragons

Shelter Visits

Was out this afternoon visiting some of our school shelter sites. One of the shelters I stopped by was Lecanto Primary which is a shelter for evacuees with animals. At the current count, there were eight dogs, eight cats, seven snakes, four rats, and two bearded dragons. Yes, SEVEN SNAKES!

It is always so great seeing firsthand our community come together to take care of one another. Visiting these shelters you see it on many levels. Thank you to our Citrus County Government, Health Department, Citrus County Sheriffs Deputies, and our Citrus County School District staff and administrators. These people are often working 12-hour shifts (or more) away from their own families to provide a safe place for those in need within our community. Some even stay overnight. The food service workers are preparing meals and snacks, custodians are keeping the facilities continually clean, office staff are constantly checking people in and out and busy taking care of miscellaneous needs, Deputies were ensuring that everyone’s safe, and school administrators are making sure everything at the facility was running smoothly. While visiting I also saw our Assistant Superintendent Mike Mullen and his wife Marcia who was going to the sites checking on things and bringing extra supplies if needed, and Assistant Superintendent Jonny Bishop and other district leaders were out at other sites and facilities doing the same. While at Central Ridge Elementary shelter, Walmart had a team member bring out extra cases of bottled water.

We are so grateful to everyone!

CITRUS COUNTY SHELTERS

Shelters are currently available at the following locations:

• Forest Ridge Elementary School (Special Needs) – 2927 North Forest Ridge Blvd., Hernando, FL 34442
• Lecanto Primary (Pet Friendly) – 3790 W Educational Path, Lecanto, FL 34461
• Central Ridge Elementary School (General Population) – 185 West Citrus Springs Blvd., Citrus Springs, FL 34434
• Citrus High School (General Population) – 600 West Highland Blvd., Inverness, FL 34452

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Veterans In the Classroom 2022

Calling all Veterans!

As one of the events of the annual Veterans Appreciation Week, the Citrus County School Veterans in the Classroom (VITC) program allows veterans to give presentations about their military service to Citrus County schoolchildren.

The VITC program will operate from Oct. 31 through Nov. 10. Veterans interested in participating in this event are required to register on the Citrus County school district website at www.citrusschools.org.  Registration closes Oct. 14. Please pass this along.

LINK HERE – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczLbfwpkQjG9jkidoIHRCxbEZbHZSavTGX7gUePij2LX1ilQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3q7Bam4PLCU5AmZBN9nQ2wZYlWrJbBrFEa0Fg3yLM47OIbyMXj3YMv34M

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COSSBA’s Inaugural Urban Boards Alliance Symposium

This past week I had the honor as president of the Florida School Board Association (FSBA) to help represent Florida’s delegation at the inaugural Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA)’s Urban Boards Alliance (UBA) Symposium.

This was my first time representing Florida at this level and being able to learn and collaborate with local education leaders from across the country. UBA provides many resources to help further support school board members in creating educational strategies and sharing best practices that address and improve the educational outcomes of students within challenging environments.

This conference was additionally special because less than a year ago COSSBA and UBA did not exist. Florida and several other states after years of challenges with another national organization left that organization and unified with a number of other states in the creation of COSSBA. The expectation from Florida and other states was to create a truly nonpartisan student-focused organization that supports school board members from across the country. COSSBA now includes nearly 23 state school board organizations and continues to gain additional states. It’s why my heart was so warmed when on the last day I sat with two school board members from different states who had attended the same type of events with the other organization, they shared how far more appropriate this organization, its focus, and its nonpartisan approach is. They expressed how this event was focused on students’ needs and student outcomes and how we as board members can best continue to meet the needs of our students and families.

Florida was represented by a small but powerful delegation led by UBA founder Dr. Steve Gallon, Miami Dade school board member and vice chairman. In addition, President-Elect Tina Certain, Federal Committee Chairperson, Bev Slough, FSBA CEO, Andrea Messina, Duval Board Members Warren A. Jones, Lori Hershey and me attended. Dr. Gallon is always a powerful and eloquent speaker and presenter. Whether you are shaking your head in an affirmation or he is causing you to reflect cannot help but respect him and his work.

While at the UBA symposium we gained important resources to address student achievement barriers, student mental health, and other areas of current interest and need among school leaders. Thank you to UBA leadership for their work putting together this important event.

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