Purple Heart Anniversary

Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776, Military Order of the Purple Heart

Today at our August 2016 Regular School Board Member in honor of August 7th Purple Heart Anniversary, Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776, Military Order of the Purple Heart Commander “Bud” Allen and Chapter Adjutant and Historian Curt Ebitz helped with the opening exercises.

The Citrus County School District was again recognized for being the First Purple Heart School District and for the Veteran’s in the classroom program.  During the meeting a new plaque honoring Citrus County School District as being the First Purple Heart School District was unveiled.

During the opening Curt Ebitz read the ‘The History of the Purple Heart’  and shared that approximately 130 Purple Heart recipients currently live in Citrus County.

The History of the Purple Heart, first known as “Badge of Military Merit”

At his headquarters in Newburgh, New York, on August 7, 1782, General George Washington devised two new badges of distinction for enlisted men and noncommissioned officers. To signify loyal military service, he ordered a chevron to be worn on the left sleeve of the uniform coat for the rank and file who had completed three years of duty “with bravery, fidelity, and good conduct”; two chevrons signified six years of service. The second badge, for “any singularly meritorious Action,” was the “Figure of a Heart in Purple Cloth or Silk edged with narrow Lace or Binding.” This device, the Badge of Military Merit, was affixed to the uniform coat above the left breast and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge and to have his name and regiment inscribed in a Book of Merit. The Badge specifically honored the lower ranks, where decorations were unknown in contemporary European Armies. As Washington intended, the road to glory in a patriot army is thus open to all.”

Pre-WW2 Awards: The Purple Heart as we know it today was reestablished in 1932 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The original criteria for award of the Purple Heart as published in the War Department Circular No. 6 of February 22, 1932 states that the medal be awarded to anyone serving in the Army who had received combat-related injuries or had received the AEF’s Meritorious Service Citation Certificate during WWI, the latter criteria harkening back to the intent of George Washington’s “Badge of Military Merit”.

WWII Awards: In April 1942 the War Department amended its policy regarding the issuance of the Purple Heart. The new regulations authorized the posthumous award of the Purple Heart retroactive to December 7, 1941, and eliminated the use of the medal as a merit award.

(source: http://www.citruspurpleheart.org/page3.html)

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Half Penny for Schools

Mail in election ballots for the August 30^th primary have begun being mailed, and no issue for our school district’s future may be more important than the Half-Penny for Schools Capital Referendum.

The State Legislature in 2008 have reduced the maximum millage rate a local school district can levy—first from 2.0 down to 1.75 mils, and then again down to 1.5 mils.  This coupled with the reduction in property values means that since 2008 Citrus County School district has lost and have had to cut over $75 million dollars from capital outlay with over $40 million dollars in the last four years alone.  School Districts around the state have been forced to request from voters’ school funding referendums so that schools’ capital needs may be adequately funded.  Nearly every surrounding county school district has had to pass a referendum to help fund school capital needs.  In addition, even with the new gas plants coming on line, soon Citrus County will lose two more electric generating plants at the local energy plant.

Citrus County Schools is recognized as a High Performing School District by the Florida Department of Education in part due to our School District’s positive annual financial audits. Citrus County Schools is one of the lowest school districts in Florida for the percent of budget spent on district-level expenditures.  As a school district our School Board, Superintendent, administrators, departments, schools, teachers and staff focus on classroom needs.

Cutting the budget more and priority funding alone will not be enough.  That is why the School Board unanimously approved a ballot referendum for funding Citrus School’s Capital needs to be placed on the August 30^th, 2016 primary ballot. 

The funds raised will all stay locally! It is estimated that this referendum could raise approximately $6.5 million dollars annually. It is projected that 20% of the tax will be paid by tourists and out of county residents. The cost annually for Citrus—it is estimated that a family of four with an average household income of $40,000 the estimated tax will be $50 per year or $4.17 per month.  The benefits to our students, schools, community and potentially to property values for a continually highly rated successful school district is enormous.

I urge you to support this very important referendum.

For more information, visit http://citruseducation.com/salestax.htm

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Former Student reflects on past School Board Member Patience Nave

Please read this outstanding commentary by Cortney Stewart about a wonderful lady, former Citrus County School Board Member, the Honorable Patience Nave.  I had the great pleasure of having a private lunch with Ms. Nave as a young first time candidate in early 2010.  Ms. Nave was one of two former Board Members that graced me with some of their knowledge.  Ms. Nave was a great inspiration and I will never forget one of the best pieces of advice that she shared with me.  Ms. Nave said, “there will be days when you get frustrated, you will feel like some people are not listening and you will be discouraged.  That is the most important time to be with students.  Go over to any school and walk through the door and just hang out.  Being around the kids will bring everything back into prospective and give you the strength to continue.”  That very advice I have used over and over since being in office and I am indebted to Ms. Nave. God bless her family as they temporarily say goodbye.  But Ms. Nave would share with us that it is only temporary.

Excerpt from the Citrus Chronicle’s story, ‘Saying goodbye to a hero‘ by Cortney Stewart

I said goodbye to one of my heroes this week.

On Thursday, July 28, 2016, former Citrus County School Board member Patience Nave took her final breath in this world and her first in eternity. She died in Richmond, Kentucky, surrounded by her three daughters.

A saint is finally home. 

From 1996 to 2004, Patience served the students and the educators of Citrus County with fervor and passion. You could disagree with some of her politics, and many people did, but you couldn’t disagree with the intensity with which she fought for the students of our community to have the very best education that could be offered them. 

It was in that sphere that I met Patience. I was 14. She was 68. I was a freshman in high school. She was a retired educator in her second career. 

At the time I was a newbie on the staff of the Lecanto High School newspaper, trying to make my mark as a journalist. So I decided to cover the real news happening in the world and not what was considered news at the school itself — like the student outcry for more pizza options at lunch and different dress code regulations. 

Please follow this link to read the complete story: http://goo.gl/m5Fz4t

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