Superintendent shares about local Impact of Proposed State Budget
This afternoon Superintendent of Citrus County Schools, Sandra “Sam” Himmel sent out an email to staff regarding the impending state budget and the most recent figures of how it will impact Citrus County. If the current State budget passes, Citrus County Schools would see a decrease of $21.99 per student, which equates to a loss of over $300,000. (see letter below)
I want to make you aware of the current budget being proposed by our Legislators in Tallahassee. Below is a press release from the Superintendent’s Association stating our position in reference to the current proposed budget.
The local impact for us in Citrus County would be a decrease of $21.99 per student, which equates to a loss of over $300,000. Along with this decrease in funding, we have an increase in the District’s contribution to the Florida Retirement System of over $300,000.
As you will read in the press release, we are asking Legislators to increase the funding back to Governor Scott’s and the Senate’s original proposed budget.
There is still hope that the Legislators could reconsider as the budget has not been approved. I am sending this to you to keep you informed of the budget process that is taking place in Tallahassee.
Sam Himmel Superintendent Citrus County Schools
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Twenty-years of military services is a great accomplishment in itself– that on top of twenty-years of educational services to remarkable. On Sunday, April 30, 2017 the City of Crystal River agreed when, Mayor Jim Farley gave Crystal River High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Senior Chief Sparkman, USN (ret.) the key to the City of Crystal River for his 20 years of dedication to the CRHS and the Navy Science JROTC program.
Thank you Senior Chief!
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Legislature Tells Schools Boards No Standing Required for Pledge
Law passed in 2016 session, School Board Disagrees
A year ago the Florida State Legislature passed a “train bill” HB 7029 by huge margins. I was against that bill (as I remain today) for many items that were in that bill. Tuck into HB 7029 at the last minute was language that mandated that local school boards must, “… student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge, including standing and placing the right hand over his or her heart.” This bill was signed into law and is now Florida Statute 1003.44.
Today during our School Board Workshop when the policy was presented for review I spoke out again about this new Florida Statute. The rest of the school board also spoke up and disagreed with this law.
The Board asked the School Board’s attorney, Wes Bradshaw to present alternative language which would meet Florida Statute but emphasizes that students are required to stand for the Pledge, unless requested in writing by the parent or guardian.
If you are interested in watching the video on this part of the School Board Meeting visit; https://youtu.be/BdjRztAqptg
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Every train has some ‘cool’ cars too! SB 926 maybe this year’s educational train bill and there are some good parts to it. This amendment is one of the good parts.
For a number of years I have been lobbying anyone that would listen in the Florida legislature to revise Florida Statute 1003.4282 to better apply participation in competitive athletics to the physical education wavier in high school.
This session Citrus County’s Florida House of Representative Ralph E. Massullo, MD, graciously ran HB 6015 and Senator Debbie Mayfield ran the Senate companion bill SB 782. Yesterday in SB 926’s final committee stop in the Senate Rules Committee, Senator Anitere Flores introduced an amendment that includes the language that Rep. Massullo and Sen. Mayfield have in their bills respective bills and included it in SB 926. This is most encouraging and positive. Sen. Flores’s SB 926 with this amendment passed Senate Rules Committee unanimously. Next SB 926 moves to the full Senate floor.
If passed what could result is a significant number of students that participate in interscholastic sports would no longer have to also take P.E. at the school or virtually and thereby give up other course options.
Florida law requires that a student achieves one-credit in physical education for graduation. Currently there are P.E. waivers that a student can get if they successfully complete marching band, JORTC, dance and on a stricter basis, interscholastic sport, due to the courses’ physical endurance work. This amendment would improve the current statute to read, “Participation in an interscholastic sport at the junior varsity or varsity level for two full seasons shall satisfy the one-credit requirement in physical education.”
I appreciate Sen. Flores bring forward this amendment and Senator Wilton Simpson, who has also been encouraging and helping improve this statute.
Stay tune…
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Ms. Messina I have the highest respect for and she is one of our state’s leading public educational policy experts. Ms. Messina is a former English teacher, Charlotte County School Board Member, and FSBA Professional Development Coordinator. She was my new school board member, teacher when I was first elected to office and she is still someone I reach out to on many school board issues.
This Gradebook podcast addresses several issues that the Florida legislature is working on– in particular, capital dollar funding for school districts.
Ms. Messina does an excellent job explaining how current proposed legislation looks to further reduce, the already reduced capital funding to local school districts.
This afternoon Superintendent of Citrus County Schools, Sandra “Sam” Himmel sent out an email to staff regarding the impending state budget and the most recent figures of how it will impact Citrus County. If the current State budget passes, Citrus County Schools would see a decrease of $21.99 per student, which equates to a loss of over $300,000. (see letter below)
