Hendry 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 are listed but only contact information is mailing address.[1]
- Meeting schedule[2], minutes and agendas are posted.[3]
- Student progression plan is posted.[4] Link provided to FCAT test results/information.[5]
- Union contracts posted.[6]
[edit] The bad
- Site does not have a search function.
- Budget updates posted but full budget does not appear to be online.[7]
- Administrative officials listed but contact information not provided.[8]
- Does not provide information on taxes, vendor contracts, 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. [9]
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.
List of school board members 2009-2010:[10]
| School Board Member | District | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Clinard | District 1 | 2010 |
| Sally Berg | District 2 | 2012 |
| Patrick Langford, Chair | District 3 | 2010 |
| Dwayne Brown | District 4 | 2012 |
| Matthew Beatty, Vice Chair | District 5 | 2010 |
Richard A. Murphy is the Superintendent of the district.
In addition to board information, the Hendry County School website includes a "Hendry County School Board Strategic Plan 2007-2012" [11]
[edit] Teacher Contracts
The current collective bargaining agreement between the HCEA (Hendry County Education Association) and the District School Board of Hendry County organizes salary distribution around seniority and level of education in a specific teacher's field. Amounts range from $33,840 (incoming teachers with a bachelors degree) to $58,000 (PhD holders with twenty-five or more years of experience). Teachers are also suggested and encouraged to participate in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), for which they would receive a one-time subsidy equaling to ninety percent of the participation fee, so long as it does not exceed $1800. In return, the teacher agrees to pay the remaining ten percent of the certification fee and participate in the program during the school year. Additionally, such teachers will receive an annual bonus equal to ten percent of the prior year's average statewide salary for classroom teachers, to be paid in two installment every six months. These bonus opportunities are contingent on adequate federal funding, criteria decided upon by the school board.[12]
[edit] School Budget
Total Revenue: $61,622,000
Total Expenditures: $61,352,000
Spending Per Student: $8,096[13]
According to the Superintendent's recent Budget update, the budget for 2009-2010 reflects an overall 9.1% reduction in revenues for the district, which is better than last years 18% reduction. The 9.1% will include $2,300,000 of approved Federal stimulus money.[14]
The Hendry County School District is also slated to receive $1,493,949 in Title I Grant allocations under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.[15]
[edit] Academic Performance
[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.[16]
| School | Level | Grade: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School | Elementary | C | C |
| Clewiston High School | High | C | F |
| Clewiston Middle School | Combination | C | C |
| Country Oaks Elementary School | Elementary | A | A |
| Eastside Elementary School | Elementary | B | A |
| Edward A. Upthegrove Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Labelle Elementary School | Elementary | A | A |
| Labelle High School | High | C | D |
| Labelle Middle School | Combination | B | B |
| Westside Elementary School | Elementary | B | C |
[edit] Unions
The Hendry County school district is currently under a collective bargaining agreement with the Hendry County Education Association, which negotiates for participation in federally-funded school programs, in addition to general administrative funds.
[edit] School choice
- See also: Florida school choice
According to a recent survey, Hendry County currently has no charter school opportunities, even though Florida has 378 charter schools statewide.[17]
[edit] Public Records
In late 2008 reporters organized by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors requested the most recent budget emails from central Florida county and school district officials in order to audit the responses.
The Hendry County School District responded to the request for e-mails by saying “Why? Are you a reporter?” [18]
See also public record requests meet with confusion in central Florida.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ↑ School Board
- ↑ Schedule
- ↑ Minutes and agendas
- ↑ Student Progression Plan
- ↑ FCAT Results
- ↑ Union Contracts
- ↑ Budget Updates
- ↑ Superintendent's Office
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ School board members
- ↑ Hendry County School Board Strategic Brief 2007-2012
- ↑ Collective Bargaining Agreement
- ↑ Hendry County School District: Overview & Information
- ↑ Superintendent's Budget Update: May 2009
- ↑ Grants to Local Educational Agencies - FLORIDA
- ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ [http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Information/Charter_Schools/Directory/Default.aspx Florida Charter School List by District
- ↑ Lee County's records prove to be open book, The News Press, November 22, 2008
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