Lee County School District, Florida

From Sunshine Review

Jump to: navigation, search
Taxes
Budget
Meetings
Elected Officials
Administrative Officials
Contracts
Audits
Public records
Academics
Background checks
School district websites

Contents

Lee County School District is a school district in Florida. The school system has a total attendance of 78,728 students project for the 2009-2010 school year. The Florida Department of Education provides a list of past, current, and future school enrollment totals for each district.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Florida school district websites

[edit] The good

  • Budget is published.[1]
  • School board members are listed with contact information.[2] Meeting schedule, minutes and agendas available.[3]
  • Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[4]
  • Audits are available.[5]
  • Union contracts are posted.[6]
  • Information on background checks is provided.[7]
  • Public records request information is provided.[8]
  • Testing and academic performance information is posted.[9]

[edit] Awards

Lee County School District also provides live streaming video of the district’s TV station. Also, according to Lee County School District Spokesman Joe Donzelli, the site has won several awards in the past few years based on its design, content and innovative features.[10]

“The beauty of a Web site as compared to a hard-copy item is that a Web site can be updated and modified in real time, which we do on a daily basis. It’s nice to see that outside agencies continue to recognize our site for all of the information it provides, and we will continue to work to improve its effectiveness as the central communication vehicle for Lee County Public Schools,” Donzelli said in a statement.[11]

[edit] The bad

  • Does not provide information on taxes, vendor contracts.

[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. [12]

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 Lee, School Board members are elected by a districtwide vote. Members serve four-year terms on a staggered basis. A chairperson and a vice-chairperson are elected each year by the School Board.[13]

Below are the school district board members:[14]

School board member District Term Term expires
Robert Chilmonik District 1 2nd 2010
Jeanne Dozier District 2 3rd 2012
Jane Kuckel, Chairman District 3 3rd 2012
Steven Teuber, Vice Chairman District 4 2nd 2010
Elinor Scricca District 5 2nd 2010

[edit] School Budget

The School Board is considering a $1.42 billion budget for 2009-10. Salaries make up 65% of the district's general fund.[15]

The 2008-2009 budget totaled $1,541,390,264, a 5% ($73 million) decrease from the 2008 amended budget.[16]

There are currently 75,634 students enrolled in the district.[17]

On August 11, 2009, the school board instructed Superintendent James Browder to look into borrowing $25 million from a federal stimulus program. The money would have to be used to renovate schools or for construction projects that result in additional student services. They would have 15 years to pay it back without interest.[18]

In addition, the Lee County School District is slated to receive $11,625,397 in Title I Grant allocations under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.[19]

[edit] Mill revenue

Below are the mill rates collected by the school district:

Year Millage Rate Estimate Revenue
2009-2010[15] 7.508 (proposed) $68,000,000
2007-2008[20] 6.868

[edit] Academic performance

[edit] 2007-2009

Lee has seen an increase in schools earning an A grade every year since 2002. In 2009 the district earned an A for the first time, with 71 schools earning either an A or B.[21]

Below is a chart of the school's grade based on the student's performance of the statewide test called the FCAT.[22] To see results, click "show".

[edit] Unions

The Teachers Association of Lee County (TALC) is the teacher's union for this school district.[23] Mark Castellano currently serves as President.[24]

They describe their mission, in part, as providing "a mean for member locals to unite for common goals such as legislation, negotiations, membership, public relations or other areas deemed appropriate by the Service Unit Council."[25]

[edit] School choice

See also: Florida school choice

There are currently nineteen Charter Schools in the Lee County School District, eight of which are Recognized Charter Schools. The data below is based on information taken from a February 2009 survey. [26]

Bonita Springs Charter School is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $109,778 in 2008. The School offers grade levels K-8th to 1,275 students.
Cape Coral Charter School is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $48,280 in 2008. The school offers grade levels PREK-8th to 537 students.
Christa Mcaulliffe Elementary School K-5 is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $44,965 in 2008. The school offers grade levels PREK-5th to 633 students.
City Of Cape Coral Charter High School offers grade levels 9th-12th to 69 students.
City Of Cape Coral Charter High School offers grade levels 9th-12th to 69 students.
Coronado High School offers grade levels 9th-12th to 204 students.
Fort Myers Preparatory And Fitness Academy offers grade levels K-8th to 44 students.
Gateway Charter Elementary School is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $132,154 in 2008. The school offers grade levels K-8th to 999 students.
Gateway Charter High School is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $63,028 in 2008. The school offers grade levels 9th-12th to 806 students.
Gateway Intermediate Charter School 5-8 offers grade levels 5th-8th to 861 students.
Lee Alternative Charter High School offers grade levels 9th-12th to 201 students.
Lee Charter Academy is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $16,116 in 2008. The school offers grade levels K-8th to 170 students.
Life Institute For Education Academy offers grade levels 6th-12th to 34 students.
Life Skills Center offers grade levels 9th-12th to 262 students.
North Nicholas High School offers grade levels 9th-12th to 400 students.
Oasis Elementary School K-5 is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $51,675 in 2008. The school offers grade levels K-5th to 606 students.
Oasis Middle offers grade levels 6th-8th to 600 students.
Richard Milburn Academy offers grade levels PREK, 9th-12th to 340 students.
Six Mile Charter Academy is a Recognized Charter School that was awarded $82,111 in 2008. The school offers grade levels K-8th to 927 students.
The Island School offers grade levels K-6th to 57 students

[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.[27]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Working for accountable government now


  1. ↑ Budgets
  2. ↑ Board members
  3. ↑ Meetings
  4. ↑ Departments
  5. ↑ Audit Reports
  6. ↑ Employee Relations
  7. ↑ Background Checks
  8. ↑ Records Requests
  9. ↑ 4 Parents
  10. ↑ Marco News, Web sites for Collier, Lee school districts graded on transparency, September 9, 2009
  11. ↑ Naples News, Web sites for Collier, Lee school districts graded on transparency, September 9, 2009
  12. ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
  13. ↑ Lee County School Board
  14. ↑ School Board Bios
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 North Fort Myers Neighbor, School board to consider $1.42 billion budget, July 27, 2009
  16. ↑ 2008-09 Tentative Budget Book
  17. ↑ Lee County School District Information
  18. ↑ [http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/509193.html Cape Coral Daily Breeze, School district could borrow $25M in stimulus funds, August 12, 2009]
  19. ↑ Grants to Local Educational Agencies - FLORIDA
  20. ↑ Naples News, Lee County School Board approves $1.55 billion budget, September 9, 2009
  21. ↑ Lee County Public Schools - School Performance Grades
  22. ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
  23. ↑ Island Coast FEA
  24. ↑ Island Coast FEA - TALC
  25. ↑ Island Coast FEA - Our Mission
  26. ↑ Charter Schools by district
  27. ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list


v • d • e
School districts in Florida
Alachua • Baker • Bay District • Bradford • Brevard • Broward • Calhoun • Charlotte • Citrus • Clay • Collier • Columbia • DeSoto • Dixie • Duval • Escambia • Flagler • Franklin • Gadsden • Gilchrist • Glades • Gulf • Hamilton • Hardee • Hendry • Hernando • Highlands • Hillsborough • Holmes • Indian River • Jackson • Jefferson • Lafayette • Lake • Lee • Leon • Levy • Liberty • Madison • Manatee • Marion • Martin • Monroe • Miami-Dade • Nassau • Okaloosa • Okeechobee • Orange • Osceola • Palm Beach • Pasco • Pinellas • Polk • Putnam • Santa Rosa • Sarasota • Seminole • St. Johns • St. Lucie • Sumter • Suwannee • Taylor • Union • Volusia • Wakulla • Walton • Washington
Special school districts

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind • Dozier/Okeechobee School District • Eckerd Youth District • Alexander D. Henderson University School • Florida State University Schools •

Florida A&M Developmental Research School • P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School
Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Lee_County_School_District,_Florida"