Posts Tagged ‘Lee County School Board’

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Local push to reduce testing mandates

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Teachers have repeatedly said students take too many tests and that Florida education is bogged down by standardized exams. Now, the president of the Lee County teachers union is getting into the fight.

On Tuesday, Lee teachers union president Mark Castellano presented a resolution to the board that calls upon state and federal lawmakers to reduce testing mandates they claim “caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools.”

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Educators say students are losing too much instructional time because teachers are emphasizing the FCAT and other exams, while outstanding educators are quitting the profession.

Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie school boards have passed the resolution against high-stakes testing.

The Lee County School Board will study the resolution and discuss it at its next board meeting in two weeks, board member Jeanne Dozier said. The board couldn’t discuss it Tuesday because just three board members were in attendance. Board member Mary Fischer was ill and board member Jane Kuckel left after the briefing meeting.

Bonnie Cunard, a Lee County teacher, hopes the board passes the resolution. She said her daughter, a Cape High senior, learned more in school than what was covered in the FCAT.

“What she learned can’t be measured by a test,” Cunard said. “We as a nation are still focused on bubbles. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on (standardized) tests.”

—Chris Umpierre

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Crickets

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

I’ve been attending Lee County School Board meetings off and on for 13 years. Some sessions feature highly controversial topics, like changing school bell times or firing a cheerleading coach who happens to work at Hooters. Others aren’t so contentious, and just a handful of community members take their turns behind the microphone to address board members.

But zero?

Nobody spoke during Tuesday’s public comment period. Nobody in a community of 600,000 or so residents. Nobody in a school district with 83,610 students and almost 10,000 employees. Nobody for an agency with a $1.4 billion — with a “b” — annual budget.

The lack of public comment is a rarity, for sure, but it does happen occasionally. The last “Bueller, Bueller” moment was Aug. 23, and without a stream of public speakers using their three minutes to address board members, the meeting was adjourned in 1 hour, 13 minutes. In the 12 regular meetings between then and Tuesday, the number of speakers ranged from one to 20, with the average being 6.4 speakers.

The board meets again May 1.

School Board room

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Single-member districts?

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Lee County NAACP leader James Muwakkil asked the Lee County School Board to consider moving to single-member districts. Single-member voting means that candidates would also have to campaign in their district, not countywide. Single-member districts reduces the costs of campaigning countywide. The move could get more minorities on the board (there are none now).

But this decision won’t be made by the school board. Moving to single-member districts requires a voting referendum.

The referendum can be initiated by two ways, according to the district’s attorney. The school board can create a resolution calling for a referendum or it can be started by a petition of 10 percent of Lee County voters.

Muwakkil also would like to expand the board from five board members to seven, with four being elected by single-member districts and three by countywide vote. But expanding the board is not a board decision. It has to be done via a voting referendum. To initiate that referendum, the Legislature would have to adopt a local law.

Anyway, board member Tom Scott seemed interested in doing a workshop on the topic. He said the process would probably take years to change even if the voting public wants it changed. There’s a lot of red tape involved.

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All’s quiet

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

This time, school board members didn’t verbally attack each other. No one called a member’s actions “despicable” or politically based.

Unlike last month’s blockbuster meeting, this week’s gathering was mundane. Board members seemed to get along and at one point member Jeanne Dozier joked with Chairman Mary Fischer. No one discussed the anonymous letters about Lee Superintendent Joseph Burke that has divided the board. Members Jane Kuckel and Dozier wanted the letter’s accusations investigated while Don Armstrong, Fischer and Tom Scott were forcefully against it.

Kuckel, who wrote an 11-page memo chastising Burke for issuing pay raises for two top aides, had a brief verbal confrontation with Burke on Tuesday. Kuckel questioned an agenda item that would grant $35,000 for a company to plan a dual language program at Tice Elementary. Kuckel wanted to see the program’s entire budget before voting on it.

Kuckel eventually relented and voted for the measure. The item passed 5-0, but Kuckel wasn’t happy.

“Why not be up front (about the program’s budget) before we hire her?” Kuckel told Burke. “I asked for detail and it’s not here. I’m not happy about this. When I put my ‘Yay’ to this motion I’m saying I know these things when I don’t know those things. That’s not the oath of office I took.”

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Say hello to the Fort Myers Institute of Technology

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

On Tuesday, the Lee County School Board will vote to change Lee County High Tech Center Central’s name to the Fort Myers Institute of Technology. The center picked the name from five finalists.

The 44-year-old postsecondary vocational school wants the new name to better identify itself to the community. Earlier this year, the center’s director William McCormick told the school board that many people aren’t sure what the High Tech Center does.

“Some people see our name and they’re not sure if it’s a high school or a postsecondary school,” McCormick said.

The center has about 1,300 students enrolled in its programs. Just 10 percent of students are Lee County high school students. The rest are postsecondary students seeking certifications in a array of fields such as nursing and automotive service technology.

“Some people see our name and they’re not sure if it’s a high school or a postsecondary school,” McCormick said.

The center has about 1,300 students enrolled in its programs. Just 10 percent of students are Lee County high school students. The rest are postsecondary students seeking certifications in an array of fields such as nursing and automotive service technology.

— Chris Umpierre

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School board members make 92 percent of meetings

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

With 2011 coming to a close, I figured I should take a look at school board attendance. The school board’s six-page meeting policy does not stipulate any attendance requirements, expect for a clause stating at least three members must be present. But board members are expected to attend every public meeting unless they’re ill.

Board members, who earn a $38,742 salary set by Florida statute, also visit schools, partake in local civic groups and lobby legislators on non-meeting days.

I analyzed the board’s attendance at every public meeting since November 2010 when Mary Fischer, Tom Scott and Jane Kuckel were elected. The board has had 69 public meetings since then.

Here’s their attendance:

Don Armstrong: 92.7 percent

Tom Scott: 100 percent

Mary Fischer: 100 percent

Jeanne Dozier: 86.9 percent

Jane Kuckel: 82.6 percent

The board often schedules two or three meetings on the same day. In those cases, The News-Press analysis counted members as present or absent for each meeting. Members who arrived late or left early, or participated by telephone, were counted as attending.

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Gobble Gobble… Free turkeys for the kids!

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Most of the families of the kids on her school bus can’t afford to buy turkeys for Thanksgiving Day. So Lee bus driver Kathleen Robinson asked if the school board could donate a turkey for her to raffle off.

Robinson’s going to get 47 free turkeys.

At last week’s school board meeting, each of the five school board members agreed to give five turkeys to the kids on Robinson’s bus. Lee Superintendent Joseph Burke, Burke’s cabinet, union leaders and Robinson also chipped in to buy turkeys, increasing the Free Turkeys for the Kids total to 47. That means each of the 47 kids on Robinson’s bus will receive a free Publix turkey certificate for Thanksgiving. The kids were slated to get the certificates this Friday.

Robinson seemed to be surprised at the board’s quick action. She just wanted one turkey to raffle off to the kids. Lee school board member Jeanne Dozier helped change that.

“I’ll buy five turkeys for you and I challenge my other school board members to do the same,” Dozier said.

“I’ll buy six,” Board member Jane Kuckel said with a smile.

The school board members said they would purchase the turkeys and deliver them to Robinson. Turkey, by the way, will cost more this year. According to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, it will cost $21.57 for a 16-pound turkey this year. That’s up $1.35 from last year.

This isn’t the first time Robinson has done something for her kids. Last year, she got her kids to donate clothes to a battered women’s shelter and Tender Loving Care, a Cape Coral operated children’s home that provides families for children whose parents cannot provide for them. Below, is a 2010 picture of Robinson and her Mariner Middle School students. Robinson is pictured in the bottom right corner.

—The News-Press staff writer Chris Umpierre

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Are you in the Loop?

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Lee County School Board member Don Armstrong isn’t fond of the district’s monthly e-newsletter, Lee in the Loop. Board members writes articles for the monthly newsletter but Armstrong wants no part of it.

“I find it ridiculous. Nobody reads it,” Armstrong told board members at Tuesday’s workshop meeting. “I’m not going to participate in something that I think is not worthwhile.”

Board chairwoman Mary Fischer told Armstrong that there are some tasks board members don’t like but it’s part of the responsibility that comes with the job. Board member Tom Scott tried to get Armstrong to change his mind but he wanted no part of it.

“I think it’s unfortunate,” Scott said. “I think you have some obligations to the other board members. I’m not going to beat you over the head about it. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. The rest of us are going to have to pick up the slack.”

Lee in the Loop offers monthly information on board meetings, school activities and community events, according to the district web site. So my question is this: Do you read Lee in the Loop?

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Transportation changes on the way

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

The Lee County School District has a $50 million transportation department, a bus system that drives about 51,000 students to and from school every day. About 620 district buses are on the roads, driving 75,000 miles a day. There are many critics who say the transportation budget is too large. A recent transportation audit found the district can save $10 million by shortening routes.

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New Lee County Superintendent Joseph Burke agrees changes are needed. He hinted Friday that changes could be afoot.

“I asked (chief human resources officer) Greg Adkins to advertise two open former assistant transportation director positions,” Burke said. “We need to get those people on board because there are challenges obviously.”

Burke didn’t say what changes he has in mind. It’s too early. Burke doesn’t start officially working in Lee until July 1. But his contract negotiations gave a hint that he wants to cut Lee’s transportation budget. In his eight proposals for measurable goals during the contract process (the board decided not to create goals until Oct. 1), Burke listed this goal that caught my attention.

“The district transportation budget for 2012-13 is reduced by at least $6 million due to structural changes and efficiencies.”

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Where were Paula, Randy and Simon?

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Looking over my notes from Lee County’s superintendent search, I had one thought that never made it to print. As part of the interview process, the four finalists faced a “mock school board” for a presentation.

The pretend board consisted of union leader Donna Mutzenard, principal Vonnie Bryan, student Tia Smart, employee Susan Morales and community member Cedric Hall. Before the sessions, I wondered who would assume the personality of each real board member: Mary Fischer, Jeanne Dozier, Jane Kuckel, Don Armstrong and Tom Scott.

If you’ve ever visited Hollywood Studies at Disney World, you’ve probably seen the American Idol Experience. It’s just like the real show — contestants audition backstage, and three hopefuls are brought onto stage to perform in front of the audience and a panel of three judges. There’s a Paula, a Randy and a Simon. Granted, two of the three are no longer affiliated with the popular show, but judges still adopt their personas. The “Paula” wears short dresses and is highly complimentary of contestants. The “Randy” tries to connect on an urban level, and is fond of calling singers “dawgs.” And the “Simon” has a British accent and slams contestants with his sharp tongue.

So naturally I was disappointed to not see the “mock school board” actually mock the school board. People might have paid big bucks to see the Armstrong interpretation.

Lee County School Board

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