Alachua County Public Schools, Florida

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Alachua County Public Schools is a school districted in the U.S. state of Florida. The school system has a total attendance of 26,900 students project for the 2009-2010 school year.[1] The Florida Department of Education provides a list of past, current, and future school enrollment totals for each district.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites

[edit] The good

  • Budget and audit information is available. [2]
  • Elected and administrative officials' contact information is given. [3]
  • The website has some information on public records. [4]
  • The website has school board meeting information. [5]
  • Information about background checks are conducted is posted on the teacher applications.[6]
  • Purchasing procedures are posted on the site.[7]

[edit] The bad

  • The website does not have information on academic performance.
  • The budget includes money collected from mills and tax revenue. Not is included on the elections or the tax rates themselves.
  • Teacher contract and vendor contracts above $10,000 are not posted on the site.

[edit] School board

Map of Alachua Public School districts

The school board controls school property, establishes, organizes, and operates the schools of the district, including: establishing schools, adopting enrollment plans, providing for school elimination and consolidation, cooperating with school boards of adjoining districts in maintaining schools, maintaining the school year schedule and other more specific duties as outlined in the Florida statute. [8]

It operates, controls and supervises the district's public schools as well as determines the rate of school district taxes, with the option of two or more school districts operating and financing educational programs together.

In Alachua a Chairman and Vice-Chair are selected for one year terms. It is also in charge of hiring the school's superintendent.[9]

The Chairman is in charge of presiding over the public meetings, calling special meetings, and appointing or providing selection for committees. The position is also responsible for signing notes, minutes, conveyances, contracts, and other legal instruments.[10] The Vice-Chairman shall assume and discharge the duties of the Chairman in his/her absence, disability, or disqualification.[10] The Superintendent shall serve as secretary and executive officer of the Board. Currently, Daniel Boyd Jr., Ed.D. is serving as the superintendent.

Below are the school district board members:[11]

School board member District Term Term expires
Tina Pinkoson, Chair District 1 2nd 2010
Eileen Roy District 2 2nd 2010
F. Wesley Eubank, Vice-Chair District 3 2nd 2010
Barbara Sharpe District 4 1st 2010
Virginia Childs District 5 2nd 2010

[edit] Teacher contracts

In 2006, the School Board approved the highest raise in three decades.[12] Under the new contract the board spent an additional $11.8 million on salaries and benefits, including a $200,000 savings on health insurance.[12]

The earnings jump, a beginning salary was raised from $28,375 to $30,700 and all other salaries were increased by 7.65 percent.[12] The new contracts also reduced the number of steps for teachers to reach the top salary scale from 27 to 26.[12] These contracts were effect until 2009.[13]

[edit] School budget

Breakdown of 2008-2009 budget

In 2008-2009 the school district expects to spend $336,236,058. Of this total budget 79 percent is dedicated to teacher salaries and benefits. The school district has had to cut spending in the school district by $9 million during the 2007-2008 year with $5 million being cut from the state budget and another $4 million being held back by Gov. Charlie Crist.[1] Since this occurred, the district's legislative priorities have moved in the direction of raising more money from Federal funds and moving away from dollars being raised locally.[14]

Alachua Public Schools is slotted to receive $5,019,307 under the Recovery Act.[15]

To get the money from the Recovery Act, states are obligated to restore school funding for the coming year back to the levels provided in the 2005-06 school year. The Act outlines that if states could not do that, as Florida said it could not, then they needed to apply for a waiver and show that state education funding for the impending year was the same or more as the current school year, percentage wise.

Other legislative efforts for funding include:[14]

  • The district has also asked for more flexibility in spending of appropriated funds, including those from the lottery, FEEP and 2-mill funds.
  • Phasing out funding for private schools through school vouchers.
  • Repealing and/or delaying any unfunded mandates and legislative requirements.
  • Provide a new funding source for new school construction and for cost incurred when schools are used as emergency shelters.

[edit] Mill revenue

Below are the mill rates collected by the school district:[1]

Year Millage Rate Estimate Revenue
2009-2010 8.359 $109,494,559
2007-2008 8.395 $102,563,456

[edit] Academic performance

Alachua County Public Schools has actually earned an ‘A’ grade for the last three years. The grade is based on the performance of students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. It is one of 34 schools in the state to receive an "A" status, and increased from 17 schools with an A rating to 21 in 2009-2010.[16]

However, two of the schools in the district dropped to an "F" grade, Duval Elementary dropping from an "A".[16] Despite this, six other elementary schools - Williams, Archer, Shell, Waldo, Terwilliger and Idylwild - improved by two letter grades. The High Schools followed a statewide trend, none of them receiving "A" grades.[16]

[edit] 2007-2009

Below is a chart of the school's grade based on the student's performance of the statewide test called the FCAT.[17] To see results, click on "Show".

[edit] Class size

Alachua County Public Schools will be receiving an additional $1.75 million dollars towards it's $28.3 million dollar budget for class size reduction.[1] Below is a chart of the student population by grade.[1]

PK / ESE K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
193 2,040 2,029 1,948 2,140 1,945 1,976 1,959 1,980 2,044 2,343 2,239 2,339 1,734 26,909

[edit] Unions

Teacher protest in 2000

The Alachua County Education Association (ACEA) is the teacher's union for this school district.[18]

In October of 2000, the ACEA led 200 of its members in a march against the school board during contract negotiations. The protest was the amount being negotiated for the teacher's raises and the hiring of teachers at a high pay scale outside of the district.[19]

The ACEA was also present at a rally in Tallahassee, Florida to protest merit pay.[20]

[edit] School choice

Currently, charter schools are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program and in the same manner as public schools. In 1997-98, Alachua approved three charter schools for 120 students.[1] According to the school budget, these schools are used to test different and innovative teaching techniques. Currently there are 12 charter schools in the district with 1,297 students. These schools operate within independent governing boards.

Part of the public schools 2009-2010 legislative priorities is to:[14]

  • Phase out the use of state dollars for private schools through school vouchers.
  • Apply the same accountability and fiscal standards currently in place for public schools.
  • Give boards/districts greater authority in the approval of governance of charter schools by eliminating the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission.
  • Require charter schools that close to return any funds to the district.

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying

Alachua County Public Schools has not reported any lobbying activity. Alachua County has lobbied for education initiatives in 2009[21], 2007 [22], and 2006 [23].

The school district pays membership dues to the Florida School Boards Association, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association. [24]

[edit] External links

[edit] Additional reading

[edit] References

Working for accountable government now


  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Alachua 2009-2010 Budget
  2. ↑ Budget Information
  3. ↑ County Officials' Information
  4. ↑ Public Records Information
  5. ↑ Meeting Information
  6. ↑ Personnel forms
  7. ↑ Purchasing procedures
  8. ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
  9. ↑ School board info
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Board Bylaws, 1070
  11. ↑ School board members
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Alachua County Public Schools Employee Express, Board approves highest raise in decades, Nov. 9, 2006
  13. ↑ 2006-2009 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, School Board of Alachua County and the Alachua County Education Association, Nov. 20, 2007
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Alachua Legislative Priorities, 2009
  15. ↑ Grants to Local Educational Agencies - FLORIDA
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Gainesville.com, County schools get an A, but two flunk, June 19, 2009
  17. ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
  18. ↑ Alachua County Education Association
  19. ↑ The Gainesville Iguana , October 2000
  20. ↑ ACEA Rally notice, APRIL 25, 2006
  21. ↑ 2009 LOBBYING REPORT Alachua County Q2
  22. ↑ 2007 LOBBYING REPORT Alachua County Midyear
  23. ↑ 2006 LOBBYING REPORT Alachua County Year end
  24. ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
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Special school districts

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind • Dozier/Okeechobee School District • Eckerd Youth District • Alexander D. Henderson University School • Florida State University Schools •

Florida A&M Developmental Research School • P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School
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