Monroe 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[2], agendas[3], and minutes[4] are available.
- Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[5]
- FCAT results and information are posted.[6] School accountability reports[7] and student progression plan are posted.[8]
- Budgets, audits and check registers are published.[9]
- Information on background checks is posted.[10]
- Vendor[11] and labor contracts are posted.[12]
[edit] The bad
- Does not contain information on taxes and how to make public records 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. [13]
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 Monroe, all members are elected in county wide elections. They each represent the entire school district, rather than an area within the district. Members are elected for staggered terms of four years.[14]
Monroe's Superintendent Randy Acevedo is currently in trial for misconduct after allegedly covering up for his wife's alleged theft of district funds.
Below are the school district board members:[15]
| School board member | District | Term | Term expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Pribramsky | District 1 | 1st | 2010 |
| Andy Griffiths, Chair | District 2 | 4th | 2012 |
| R. Duncan Mathewson III | District 3 | 2nd | 2012 |
| John Dick | District 4 | 1st | 2010 |
| Debra Walker, Vice-Chair | District 5 | 3rd | 2010 |
[edit] Superintendent misconduct trial
Suspended Superintendent Randy Acevedo of Monroe County School District in Florida went to trial on August 26, 2009 in front of a six-person jury. [16] Acevedo has been charged with three felony counts of misconduct. He allegedly covered up theft by his wife, former Adult Education Coordinator Monique Acevedo. Mrs. Acevedo is charged with four felonies alleging nearly $200,000 in theft of district funds and has a scheduled October trial date.
[edit] School Budget
Monroe County's spending budget on education, this past year, was $108,661,000, a sum compiled from the expenditures of four other sub-divisions:
- Instruction: $48,784,000
- Teacher Salaries: $31,312,000
- Pupils: $4,510,000
- Total Support Services: $31,429,000
In addition to this, there are currently 8,594 students enrolled in the district.[17]
[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.[18]
| School | Level | Grade: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Pine Academy | Elementary | NA | NA |
| Coral Shores High | High | A | B |
| Gerald Adams Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Glynn Archer Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Horace O'Bryant Middle | Middle | A | A |
| Key Largo School | Combination | A | A |
| Key West High | High | B | C |
| Marathon High | High | A | B |
| Montessori Elementary Charter School | Elementary | NA | NA |
| Plantation Key School | Combination | A | A |
| Poinciana Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Sigsbee Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Stanley Switlik Elementary | Elementary | A | A |
| Sugarloaf School | Combination | A | A |
| Treasure Village Montessori Charter School | Combination | A | A |
[edit] Lobbying
- Main article: Florida taxpayer-funded lobbying
Taxpayer-funded lobbying, public entities using funds to lobby for special interests, happens in cities, counties, and other entities. These activities are hard to track. The issues lobbied for may be diverse, but school lobbying typically deals with issues close to the school district or school board.
In July 2009, Sunshine Review submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the 27 Florida school districts with lobbyists registered for 2009 with the Florida legislature. [19] The results are included in Florida school districts lobbying totals. (For information on the project or to start your own, see the project page.) Monroe County School District has three registered lobbyists with the Florida legislature and executive for 2009.[20] [21]
[edit] Representation
The school district has had representation from Bryant Miller & Olive, but is now represented by Schoolhouse Consulting Group. Since 2004, Monroe County School District has spent $193,000 on lobbying contracts.
| Firm | Contract start | Contract end | Amount |
| Bryant Miller & Olive | 6-Jun-04 | 31-Dec-04 | $24,000 |
| Schoolhouse | 1-Jul-05 | 30-Jun-06 | $45,000 |
| Schoolhouse | Jun-06 | 1-June-07 | $45,000 |
| Schoolhouse | Jun-07 | Jun-08 | $45,000 |
| Schoolhouse | Jun-08 | Jun-09 | $34,000 |
[edit] Schoolhouse Consulting
The original contract with Schoolhouse Consulting was signed in 2005. Subsequent representation from Schoolhouse has come from a renewal of this contract. [22] The contract was sent to Vernis & Bowling, a law firm. Monroe County School District has spent $193,000 in contracts with the lobbying firm since 2005 (see "Representation). [23]
[edit] Bidding process, 2005
The firm won the bid to represent the school district against Mixon & Associates and Florida School Services in August 2005.[24] The school district asked for a firm that would focus on:
- FEFP
- Educational funding
- Education policy
- NCLB
- Title I
- Title VI
- IDEA and related legislation
- Housing and Community Development
- Workforce Development
The firm's response to the bid included the history of Schoolhouse Consulting, curriculum vitae for key members of the firm, and the most recent tax return at the time.
[edit] Bryant Miller & Olive
Representation from Bryant Miller & Olive included consultation with the district as well as representing the district before the executive and legislative branches. The contract with the firm includes a provision that costs accrued during the job would be paid for by the district.
| Amount | Date |
| $310.2 | 2/10/2004 |
| $492.91 | 2/25/2004 |
| $346.23 | 2/2/2004 |
| $616.74 | 1/22/2004 |
| $487.8 | 1/23/2004 |
| $128.94 | 1/23/2004 |
| $493.11 | 2/27/2004 |
| $384.3 | 2/24/2004 |
Outside of the contract amounts, the lobbying firm acquired $3260.23 in travel costs and other expenses during the 2004-2005 school year.
[edit] Most recent
For 2008-2009, Monroe County School District has spent $34,000 on a contract with Schoolhouse Consulting.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Monroe County School District official website
- School Matters - Monroe County
- Public School Review - Monroe County
- Local School Directory - Monroe County
[edit] References
- ↑ School Board
- ↑ Board Info
- ↑ Agendas
- ↑ Minutes
- ↑ Admin contacts
- ↑ Assessment
- ↑ Accountability Reports
- ↑ Student Progression Plan
- ↑ Finance
- ↑ Background Screenings
- ↑ Vendor Contracts
- ↑ Staff Documents
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ Monroe County School Board Manual - 140 - Membership
- ↑ School board members
- ↑ "Monroe County schools chief's misconduct trial begins," The Miami Herald, August 26, 2009
- ↑ Monroe County School District Information
- ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ Online Sunshine - Lobbying Information
- ↑ Florida Executive — 2009 Registrations By Principal Name
- ↑ Florida Legislature — 2009 Registrations By Principal Name
- ↑ 2005-2006 Contract with Schoolhouse Consulting
- ↑ Partial List of Payments
- ↑ Bids, proposal, and profile - Schoolhouse Consulting and Monroe County School District
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