Gadsden County School District, 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 are listed with contact information.[1] Meeting schedule is posted.[2]
- Superintendent listed with contact information.[3] Administrative officials listed under respective departments.
- Assessment and testing information is provided.[4] Student progression plan posted.[5]
- Union contract posted.[6][7]
[edit] The bad
- Does not provide information on meeting minutes and agendas, budget, vendor contracts, taxes, audits, background checks, and how to make public record requests.
[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. [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 Gadsden, a chairman and vice-chairman, and other officers that the Board may determine, are elected annually by the Board. The chairman must preside at all School Board meetings and appoint committees among his other responsibilities as may be prescribed by the law or by action of the Board. The Superintendent shall serve as secretary and executive officer of the Board and at any organizational meeting, the Superintendent shall act as chairman until the organization of the School Board is completed. [9] Reginald James is the current Superintendent of Gadsden County School District. Sonja Bridges and Bonnie Wood are the current Assistant Superintendents of Gadsden County School District.
The following are the members of the Gadsden County School Board.
| School board member | District |
|---|---|
| Eric Hinson | District 1 |
| Judge Helms | District 2 |
| Isaac Simmons, Jr. | District 3 |
| Charlie Frost | District 4 |
| Roger Milton, Chair | District 5 |
Reginald C. James is the superintendent of the district.
[edit] Teacher contracts
[edit] School budget
In 2008, total revenue for Gadsden County School District was $59,002,000 while total expenditures were $57,211,000. The average spending per student in Gadsden County was $8,781. [10] The average teacher salary is $37,698. The financial breakdown is as follows [11]:
- Instruction: $25,495,000
- Teacher Salaries: $16,964,000
- Pupils: $3,028,000
- Total Support Services: $23,160,000
In 2009, the federal stimulus will provide Gadsden County School District with $1.9 million. Superintendent James and other district administrators were worried that they were going to have to cut 70 positions to save money. Now, only 20 positions will be cut.[12]
[edit] Academic performance
Florida Public Schools are graded based on the performance of students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
[edit] 2007-2010
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: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee | Combination | C | C |
| Crossroad Academy | Combination | A | A |
| East Gadsden High | High | D | F |
| Gadsden Elementary Magnet | Elementary | A | A |
| George W. Munroe | Combination | C | C |
| Greensboro Elementary | Combination | A | A |
| Gretna | Elementary | B | C |
| Havana Elementary | Elementary | B | C |
| Havana Middle | Middle | C | C |
| James A. Shanks | Middle | D | C |
| St. Johns | Elementary | C | A |
| Stewart Street | Elementary | A | B |
| West Gadsden High | High | F | F |
[edit] Unions
The Gadsden County Classroom Teachers Association (GCCTA) is the teacher's union for this district.
[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.[14]
[edit] School choice
Currently, charter schools are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program and in the same manner as public schools. Since 2009, Gadsden County has one charter school--Crossroad Academy--with 247 students. [15] According to the statewide FCAT test, Crossroad Academy remains one of the academically highest-performing schools in Gadsden County from 2007-2010.
Florida has an open enrollment policy, which means that if a child attends or is assigned to a low-performing school in the district (based on School Accountability AYP Reports), then his/her parents have the right to use an Opportunity Scholarship to attend a high-performing school. Intradistrict choice allows parents to put their children in public schools, public charter schools, or private schools as long as there is room for more students while interdistrict choice allows children to attend such schools in a neighboring district. [16]
[edit] External links
- County School District official website
- Local School Directory - Gadsden County
- School Finder - Gadsden County
- School Matters - Gadsden County
- Gadsden County School Board Policy 2008-2009
- Salary Schedule 2007-2008
[edit] References
- ↑ School Board
- ↑ Meetings
- ↑ Superintendent Contact Info
- ↑ Assessment and Testing
- ↑ Student Progression Plan
- ↑ 2006-09 GESPA Contract
- ↑ 2007-08 GCCTA Contract
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ Organization and Officers of the Board 2.21
- ↑ Budget Information
- ↑ Budget Breakdown
- ↑ Stimulus Money Saves Jobs At Gadsden County Schools
- ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
- ↑ Gadsden County Charter Schools
- ↑ Know your school choice options in Florida
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