Columbia County Schools, Florida
From Sunshine Review
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Contents |
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites
[edit] The good
- School board members listed with contact information. Meeting schedule and agendas posted.[1]
- Student progression plans posted.[2]
- Administrative officials listed with contact information.[3]
- Board policy on public records requests is posted, but no contact information is available.[4]
- Policy on background checks posted.[5]
[edit] The bad
- Does not provide information on meeting minutes, taxes, budget, audits, and union contracts.
- Awarded vendor bids are posted, but no information is available on the contracts.[6]
[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. [7]
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 Columbia County School District in 2009 was Mike Millikin.[8]
| Member | District | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Linard Johnson | District 1 | 2012 |
| Charles Maxwell | District 2 | 2012 |
| Steve Nelson | District 3 | 2010 |
| Keith Hudson, Vice Chair | District 4 | 2012 |
| Glen Hunter, Chair | District 5 | 2010 |
[edit] Teacher contracts
Teacher contracts are negotiated by the Florida School Labor Relations Services (FSLRS), a joint venture of the Florida School Board. The primary function of FSLRS is to consult with school district personnel and school board members in the area of employee and labor relations.[9] An account of the teacher and administrative salaries, as well as an account of benefits and bargaining, can be found here.
Below are details on the 2007-2008 teacher salary schedule:[10]
- Pay for administrators starts at $59,575 and peaks at $72,346.
- Pay for elementary school principals starts at $67,204 and peaks at $78,507.
- Pay for a director with a Bachelor's degree or higher starts at $68,518 and peaks at $79,896.
- Pay for a high school principal starts at $71,980 and peaks at $83,572.
- Pay for an assistant superintendent starts at $76,105 and peaks at $87,775.
[edit] School budget
Columbia County has provided scarce information regarding the operating budget. However, in a letter to faculty and staff, the Superintendent, Mike Millikin, stated that the Florida legislature cut the school budget by $7 million in 2008 and 2007.[11]
For the 2009-2010 school year, the district is expected to receive $3.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. This funding, however, is expected to run out in two years.
In the 2006-07 school year the Columbia County School District had approximately $82,733,000 in total revenue and $84,402,000 in total expenditures. The district, however, receives the majority of it's revenue, nearly 64%, from the state. Approximately 22% of total revenue is local and 14% is comprised of federal funds.[12]
[edit] Academic Performance
Of the 12 schools in Columbia County County 4 schools received an "A" three years in a row for 2006-2009, according to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) test results.[13]
[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.[13] To see results, click "show".
| School | Level | Grade: 2006-07 | Grade: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia City Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | A |
| Columbia High School | High | D | D | D |
| Eastside Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | A |
| Five Point Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | C |
| Fort White Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | A |
| Fort White High School | Combination | C | B | B |
| Lake City Middle School | Middle | B | A | A |
| Melrose Park Elementary School | Elementary | B | A | A |
| Niblack Elementary School | Elementary | C | B | A |
| Richardson Middle School | Combination | C | C | C |
| Summers Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | B |
| Westside Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | A |
[edit] Unions
No information appears to be available on the unions in the Columbia County School District. The statewide teachers union is the Florida Education Association.[14]
[edit] School choice
- See also: Florida school choice
There are appear to be no charter schools in the Columbia County School District, however Florida does have an open enrollment policy. 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.[15]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ↑ School Board
- ↑ Student Progression Plan
- ↑ Departments
- ↑ Records Policy
- ↑ Background Check
- ↑ Bid Results
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ Columbia County School District,"Superintendent," retrieved August 20, 2009
- ↑ Florida School Boards Association,"Florida School Labor Relations Services," retrieved August 20, 2009
- ↑ Columbia County School District,"2007-2008 Administrative Pay Grades," retrieved August 20, 2009
- ↑ Columbia County School District,"Superintendent Notes:School Budget," retrieved August 20, 2009
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics,"Columbia School District Fiscal Details," retrieved August 20, 2009
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ Center for Union Facts,"Florida," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Education Commission of the States,"Open Enrollment: 50-State Report," retrieved August 20, 2009
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