Okeechobee County School Board, Florida
From Sunshine Review
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Contents |
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites
[edit] The good
- Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[1]
- School board members are listed but only mailing addresses are provided. Meeting date/time posted. [2]
[edit] The bad
- Does not provide information on meeting minutes and agendas, taxes, budget, contracts, audits, academic performance, and background checks.
- Information is not provided on 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. [3]
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 Okeechobee County the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected annually by the school board every November. [4] The Chairman presides at all board meetings and can appoint committees, call special meetings and appoint committees. The Vice-Chairman presides over meetings in the absence of the Chairman, and performs any other duties of the Chairman as required by circumstances. [4]
The Superintendent is responsible for the administration of the entire school system. [5] The Superintendent will serve as Secretary and Executive Officer of the School Board and serves as chairman during organizational meetings until the organization of the School Board is completed. The Superintendent also has the authority to call special and emergency meetings. [4]
The members of the Okechobee County School Board in Florida are: [2]
| Member | District |
|---|---|
| Joe Arnold | District 1 |
| Kelly Owens, Chairman | District 2 |
| Gay Carlton | District 3 |
| India Riedel, Vice Chairman | District 4 |
| David Williams | District 5 |
The Superintendent is Dr. Patricia G. Cooper. [2]
[edit] Schools Budget
In 2007-2008 the budget for the Okeechobee County School Board was $55,954,000, out of which $19,860,000 (or about 35.4% of the total budget) is spent on teacher and administrative position salaries.[6] The average spending per student was $7,665, with 7,329 students enrolled in the district. [7]
[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.[8]
| School | Level | Grade: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School | Elementary | B | A |
| Everglades Elementary School | Elementary | C | A |
| North Elementary School | Elementary | B | A |
| Okeechobee Freshman Campus | High | B | B |
| Okeechobee High School | High | D | C |
| Osceola Middle School | Middle | A | B |
| Seminole Elementary School | Elementary | B | A |
| South Elementary School | Elementary | A | A |
| Yearling Middle School | Combination | A | A |
[edit] Controversy
In late 2007 the Okeechobee County School Board banned all clubs based on sexual orientation on the basis that they interfered with "abstinence only sex education". [9]
[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. [10] The results are included in Florida school districts lobbying totals. (For information on the project or to start your own, see the project page.)
Okeechobee County School Board has one registered lobbyists with the Florida legislature and executive for 2009.[11] [12]
The school district pays membership dues to the Florida School Boards Association, a taxpayer-funded lobbying association.[13]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Okeechobee County School District official website
- School Matters - Okeechobee County
- Great Schools - Okeechobee County
[edit] References
- ↑ Departments
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 School board
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Okeechobee County School Board Governance and Organization
- ↑ School Administration
- ↑ Okeechobee County School District Information
- ↑ Okeechobee County School District: Overview & Information
- ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ Okeechobee County School Board bans sexual orientation clubs, Treasure Coast Business Journal
- ↑ Online Sunshine - Lobbying Information
- ↑ Florida Executive — 2009 Registrations By Principal Name
- ↑ Florida Legislature — 2009 Registrations By Principal Name
- ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
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