Union 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
- School principal[1] and superintendent contact information[2]
- School board meeting agendas posted.[3] Board members listed with email addresses.[4]
- Annual report lists FCAT scores for the district.[5]
- Provides information on background checks as covered under the Jessica Lunsford Act.[6]
[edit] The bad
- Meeting minutes and schedule not posted.
- Does not provide information on taxes, budget, and contracts.
- School board policies toward audits posted, but none of the actual audits.[7]
- Information not available on how to make open 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. [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.
The Union County School District Superintendent in 2009 was Carlton Faulk.
| Member | District |
|---|---|
| Allen Parish | District 1 |
| Alvin Griffis, chairman | District 2 |
| Marsan Carr | District 3 |
| Sandra Floyd | District 4 |
| George Green, Jr | District 5 |
[edit] Teacher contracts
In Fall 2008, Union County School and teacher union officials agreed on a new contract:[9]
- Pay for teachers with a Bachelor's degree starts at $33,250 and peaks at $50,677
- Pay for teachers with a Master's degree starts at $34,750 and peaks at $53,272
- A 1.78% step and 2.5% for the top step
In Summer 2005, the pay range for teacher's with Bachelor's degrees was $28,000-$46,596.[10]
[edit] School budget
The most recent budget compiled states that the total spending budget for the district is $16,950,000, which is split roughly into four major segments:
- Instruction: $9,310,000
- Teacher Salaries: $5,781,000
- Pupils: $609,000
- Total Support Services: $5,895,000
In addition, the total student population amounts to 2,290.[11]
[edit] Academic performance
According to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in the 2008-09 school year only 17% of 3rd grade students scored below grade-level, however, 69% of 10th grade students scored below grade-level. In the 10th grade, the grade with highest percentage of below average scores, retained 12 students out of grand total of 176 students.[5]
[edit] 2006-2009
Below is a chart of the school's grade based on the student's performance of the statewide test called the FCAT.[12]
| School | Level | Grade: 2006-07 | Grade: 2007-08 | Grade: 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Butler Elementary School | Elementary | A | A | A |
| Lake Butler Middle School | Combination | C | C | A |
| Union County High School | High | C | D | B |
[edit] Unions
No information available on the unions in the Union County School District. The statewide teachers union is the Florida Education Association.[13]
[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
Union County School District is comprised of an adult education center, elementary, middle and high school, however the district does not have any charter school options.[15] The state of Florida has two enrollment policies: intradistrict and interdistrict policies. In other words, students can transfer to other schools within and outside of the district.[16]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ↑ Our Schools
- ↑ Superintendent
- ↑ Meeting Agendas
- ↑ Members of the Board
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Union County School District,"Annual FCAT Report, 2008-09," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Jessica Lunsford Act
- ↑ Policies - Audits
- ↑ School board powers and duties, Florida statute
- ↑ Florida Education Negotiators,"Volume XXIII, Fall 2008," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Florida Education Negotiators,"Volume IX, Summer 2005, Part 2," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Union County School District Information
- ↑ Florida School Accountability Reports
- ↑ Center for Union Facts,"Florida," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Florida School Boards Association members list
- ↑ Union County School District,"Our Schools," retrieved July 31, 2009
- ↑ Education Commission of the States,"Open Enrollment: 50-State Report," retrieved July 31, 2009
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