Clay County Schools, Florida

From Sunshine Review

Jump to: navigation, search
Taxes
Budget
Meetings
Elected Officials
Administrative Officials
Contracts
Audits
Public records
Academics
Background checks
School district websites

Contents

Clay County School District is a school district in Florida. The school system has a total attendance of 35,898 students project for the 2009-2010 school year. 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

  • School board members are listed with contact information. Meeting schedule, minutes, and agendas available.[1]
  • Awarded vendor contracts[2] and labor contracts posted.[3]
  • Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[4]
  • Millage rate posted.[5]
  • FCAT results available.[6]
  • Information on student progression plans are available.[7]
  • Background check policy is posted.[8]

[edit] The bad

  • Potential budget cuts are listed, actual budget is not online.[9]
  • Does not provide information on audits and how to make public records requests.
Working for accountable government now


[edit] School board

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. [10]

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.

The superintendent at Clay County School District in 2009 was Ben Wortham.[11]

School board member District
Carol Vallencourt District 1
Carol Studdard District 2
Charles Van Zant, Jr., Chair District 3
Frank Farrell District 4
Lisa Graham, Vice-Chair District 5

[edit] Teacher contracts

In August 2009 the school board and the Clay County Education Association, the local teachers' union, are in the middle of negotiations for the 2009-2010 school year.[12] The temporary 2009-2010 teacher salary schedule can be found here.

Below are details on the 2008-2009 teacher salary schedule:[13]

  • Pay for teachers with a Bachelor's degree starts at $37,800, for teachers with 0 years experience, and peaks at $60,000, for teachers with 27 years or more experience.
  • Pay for teachers with a Master's degree starts at $39,800, for teachers with 0 years experience, and peaks at $62,000, for teachers with 27 years or more experience.
  • Pay for Specialist teachers starts at $40,500, for teachers with 0 years experience, and peaks at $62,700, for teachers with 27 years or more experience.
  • Pay for teachers with a Doctorate starts at $41,100, for teachers with 0 years experience, and peaks at $63,300, for teachers with 27 years or more experience.

[edit] School budget

The total budget for the upcoming school year is estimated at $363 million. The proposed millage rate for the 2009-2010 school year is 7.7733.[14] According to the most recent budget information reported by the Clay County School District the annual operating budget is $283,942,962.99. The majority of the districts funds, 64.38%, is from the state, only 0.33% of funds is federal and the remaining 24.08% comes from local revenue. The current millage rate in the county is 7.6590. The expenditure per students is approximately $7,921.55.[15]

The school has discussed potential budget cuts for the 2009-10 year which total to $27,909,500.[16] Also the school is slated to receive $2,249,298 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

On Monday, August 3, 2009, the school board adopted a new tax levy to make up for lost state revenue. The quarter-mill tax is estimated to generate $5.2 million annually in new revenue, however not all of the funds may reach the district. A portion of the generated revenue will likely go to the state, said board officials. In other efforts to account for the lost revenue and balance the county budget, earlier this year board members approved cutting more than $25 million from the budget. Cuts included 450 jobs, cutting each of the county's schools by 15 percent and reducing county school programs.[14]

[edit] Academic Performance

Of the 37 schools in Clay County 17 schools received an "A" three years in a row for 2006-2009, according to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) test results.[17] In 2009 the average class size for K-3rd grade is 18; grades 4-8 is 22; grades 9-12 is 25.[18]

[edit] 2006-2009

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 "show".

[edit] Unions

The Clay County Education Association (CCEA) is the teacher's union for this school district. The statewide teachers union is the Florida Education Association.[19]

  • In mid-August 2009, the Clay County school board officials rejected, for the second time, a CCEA proposed salary schedule that included a step and salary increases. The district countered with a flat schedule - no raise or step. The CCEA has requested "financial information in order to better assess the situation." The CCEA continues to push for adding a step to the salary schedule.[20]
  • The association urged the Clay County school board to adopt a new quarter-mill tax. CCEA president Elizabeth Crane said that the levy is imperative because the Legislature inadequately funded education.[14]

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying

The school district pays membership dues to the Florida School Boards Association, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association.[21]

[edit] Corporal punishment

In 2004, it was reported that Clay County was still practicing corporal punishment, with 134 spanking recorded in 2004[22]

[edit] School choice

See also: Florida school choice

Clay County School District is comprised of a series of elementary, middle and high schools, however the district does not have any charter school options. Despite the lack of charter schools the district has 13 "academies" that offers instruction in a specific career topic like technology or culinary arts.[23] The state of Florida has two enrollment policies: intradistrict and interdistrict policies. In other words, students can transfer to other schools within and outside of the district.[24] Specific to Clay County the school district has a school choice plan called the "District Controlled Open Enrollment Plan."[25]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ School Board
  2. ↑ Awarded Bids
  3. ↑ Human Resources
  4. ↑ Administration
  5. ↑ Financial Facts
  6. ↑ Test Scores
  7. ↑ Student Progression Plan search
  8. ↑ Background Checks
  9. ↑ Budget Cuts
  10. ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
  11. ↑ Clay County Schools,"Administration," retrieved August 18, 2009
  12. ↑ Clay County Education Association Blog,"CCEA's Salary Proposal Rejected by the School Board!!," August 14, 2009
  13. ↑ Clay County School District,"2008-2009 Teacher Salary Schedule," retrieved August 19, 2009
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Clay Today,"School Board adds new tax to proposed budget," August 4, 2009
  15. ↑ Clay County School District,"Financial Facts," retrieved August 19, 2009
  16. ↑ Clay County Schools, Potential budget cuts 2009-10
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Florida School Accountability Reports
  18. ↑ Clay County School District,"Class size," retrieved August 19, 2009
  19. ↑ Center for Union Facts,"Florida," retrieved July 31, 2009
  20. ↑ Clay County Education Association Blog,"CCEA's Salary Proposal Rejected by the School Board!!," August 14, 2009
  21. ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
  22. ↑ Associated Press, Records reveal Duval County leads state in school corporal punishment, January 12, 2004
  23. ↑ Clay County School District,"Schools," retrieved August 19, 2009
  24. ↑ Education Commission of the States,"Open Enrollment: 50-State Report," retrieved August 18, 2009
  25. ↑ Clay County School District,"District Controlled Open Enrollment Plan," retrieved August 19, 2009


v • d • e
School districts in Florida
Alachua • Baker • Bay District • Bradford • Brevard • Broward • Calhoun • Charlotte • Citrus • Clay • Collier • Columbia • DeSoto • Dixie • Duval • Escambia • Flagler • Franklin • Gadsden • Gilchrist • Glades • Gulf • Hamilton • Hardee • Hendry • Hernando • Highlands • Hillsborough • Holmes • Indian River • Jackson • Jefferson • Lafayette • Lake • Lee • Leon • Levy • Liberty • Madison • Manatee • Marion • Martin • Monroe • Miami-Dade • Nassau • Okaloosa • Okeechobee • Orange • Osceola • Palm Beach • Pasco • Pinellas • Polk • Putnam • Santa Rosa • Sarasota • Seminole • St. Johns • St. Lucie • Sumter • Suwannee • Taylor • Union • Volusia • Wakulla • Walton • Washington
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
Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Clay_County_Schools,_Florida"