Sarasota County Schools News

JOINT EFFORT -- State Senator Nancy Detert, right, tells reporters Feb. 26 in Sarasota that she is working with Sarasota County Superintendent of Schools Lori White, center, and Manatee County Superintendent Tim McGonegal, left, to relieve some of the budget strain on school districts by allowing them more flexibility in the use of state allocations.

SARASOTA – The chairwoman of the Florida Senate Education Committee met Feb. 26 with the superintendents of the Sarasota and Manatee county school districts to discuss how local and state officials can work together to address the current funding crisis in K-12 education.

State Sen. Nancy Detert, Sarasota County Superintendent Lori White and Manatee County Superintendent Tim McGonegal told reporters after their meeting that allowing school districts greater flexibility in using available funds will be the key to reducing the impact of budget cuts on classrooms.

Detert said that according to the 2009 Quality Counts report from Education Week, the Florida schools rank 10^th in the nation in overall school quality. Florida ranked 31^st in 2007.

That good news was the result of improved funding from the state and very hard work by educators and students, she said. She described the $496 million cut in state funding for K-12 education this year as “heartbreaking for all of us.”

Detert acknowledged that local school districts have cut their budgets to the bone. Sarasota has reduced its budget by $82 million in the past two years, a roughly 20 percent reduction.

She suggested that relaxing restrictions on how local districts can spend the money they do have might help ease the strain. Although the state has in recent years narrowly prescribed how school districts may spend their allocations, the recent improvement in student achievement indicates that school districts are being well managed and should be allowed more latitude.

“Lori White and Tim McGonegal are doing a great job,” Detert said. “They have more than earned our trust.”

Detert said she has introduced legislation that will allow schools to apply funds in five categories to non-recurring expenses outside of those areas. She has proposed allowing more flexibility in the use of funds earmarked for safe schools, supplemental academic instruction, supplemental reading instruction, the Teachers Lead program and the Florida School Recognition program. “We will outline broad categories and allow you to spend the money as you see fit,” Detert said.

Sarasota County Schools Budget Director Al Weidner said it would be difficult to divert funding from the first three categories because they pay for law enforcement officers on school campuses and for instructional support for under-performing students. Some of the $3.6 million Sarasota expects to receive in the other two categories, however, could be helpful in filling budget gaps.

Detert’s bill also includes a provision to allow $100 per student in funds normally allocated for construction and other capital investments to be applied to the purchase of vehicles and insurance. That provision would allow additional flexibility in the expenditure of about $4 million, Weidner said.

Superintendent White said she understands the reductions in state revenues and appreciates the trust and confidence Sen. Detert expressed in local school administrators. “Hold us accountable, but don’t restrict our flexibility,” White said.

Detert suggested that she would support even more flexibility in the use of capital funds. She said enrollment in Florida schools is leveling off or declining in most counties, so there is little need to build schools at the pace that was necessary three years ago. It would be sensible, she said, to apply some of those funds to operational needs until the current economic crisis is under control.

Significant savings also might be realized by freezing class sizes at current levels, she said. Although reducing class sizes is popular among parents and teachers, it is expensive.

“The class-size amendment has cost $88,771,000 so far,” she said. “It’s a huge budget-busting bill.”

Moreover, the class-size amendment currently in place calls for further reductions as early as next year. “I’d be happy with where we are now,” Detert said. “We may need to go back to the voters with the question of whether (further reducing class size) is the best use of very scarce dollars.”

Detert said, “Step one is to prove we have looked over every single penny. Once you’ve reached that point and it’s favorable, you have to look at new sources of revenue.”

She said she would support some revenue-enhancing measures such as taxing Internet purchases and increasing cigarette taxes. Although those new taxes would help a little, they would not solve the problem, she said.

“It will be hard for us to cut our way to success and it will be hard to tax our way to success,” she said. “What will help overall is to create jobs. That’s where education is part of the solution.”

SARASOTA – Sarasota Middle School has been selected as a State School of Character, reflecting its commitment to character education. The school marked the announcement with a celebration in its cafeteria Feb. 25 during all three student lunch breaks.

The State Schools of Character (SSOC) competition is a way for schools and districts in many states to receive recognition at the state level for exemplary character education programs.

“We are honored to be named a State School of Character,” said Karen Rose, principal of Sarasota Middle School. “Through our Community of Caring program and in everything we do, we emphasize the values of caring, trust and responsibility, as well as the importance of family. This distinction is another tangible reminder of our commitment to building character in our students.”

Schools in Florida and 25 other states that participate in SSOC programs apply to their state sponsor as the first level of the National Schools of Character (NSOC) application process. SSOC winners become eligible for the NSOC level competition, sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Character Education Partnership.

Sarasota Middle School is located at 4826 Ashton Road, Sarasota. More information is available at www.SarasotaMiddleSchool.com.

OSPREY - BusinessWeek magazine recently rated Pine View School at the top of the list for “Best Overall Academic Performance” among public high schools in Florida. Pine View is a Sarasota County public school serving intellectually gifted students in grades two through 12.

The national business magazine based its ratings of U.S. public high schools in each state, including charter schools and magnet schools, on the work of GreatSchools, a non-profit organization that hosts a Web site for parents. Florida schools were rated for Best Overall Academic Performance, Best Low Income (Pensacola High School) and Best Improved (Bartow Senior High School). Schools in all three categories were selected based on the most recent available state math, reading and science standardized test scores for public schools. Math and reading were weighted twice as heavily as science. The schools with the "Best Overall Academic Performance" had the best weighted test scores.

“We’re pleased that BusinessWeek and GreatSchools have recognized Pine View’s outstanding academic performance,” said Steve Largo, principal. “Our students, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff all contributed to this achievement. It’s particularly gratifying to receive this recognition during our 40^th anniversary year, as we celebrate our tradition of excellence.”

The complete article is available at www.BusinessWeek.com by typing “America’s best high schools” in the search box. More information about Pine View is available at www.SarasotaCountySchools/pvs.

SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County Parks and Recreation is offering Spring Vacation in the Parks recreation programs for children in grades K-5 during the Sarasota County Public Schools system’s spring break April 6-10, 2009. Registration for Spring Vacation in the Parks is now open; registration for summer camp programs in Sarasota County parks starts Monday, March 9.

Half-day sessions are offered at Colonial Oaks Park and Oak Park School. Children may attend as many or as few as desired with morning sessions running 7:30 a.m. to noon and afternoon sessions run from 1-5:30 p.m. A supervised lunch hour is provided to those attending both sessions. The cost is $8 per session.

The traditional day camp program at Colonial Oaks Park offers a variety of activities including sports, games, arts and crafts and nature activities as well as a daily presenter.

The Oak Park School therapeutic recreation program is designed for those with developmental and physical disabilities.

Newtown Estates Park offers a full day Open Gym program that includes sports, games, arts and crafts and more. Parents are responsible for providing lunch and snacks for their children. Staff will be on hand to supervise children during game time and sports activities. The cost is $8 for the week.

Advance registration is required. Register online at www.parksonline.scgov.net, pick up a registration form at any Sarasota County recreation center or library and return the form to Spring Vacation in the Parks, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota 34241, or call 941-861-9870. Information about summer camps is also available at the same Web site and phone number; registration for summer camps begins Monday, March 9. 

For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask about Spring Vacation in the Parks.

SARASOTA – Members of the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), a renowned dance company that appeared Feb. 18 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, visited Booker High School’s Visual & Performing Arts (VPA) program earlier that day to teach a master class for upper-level students.

“We are delighted that Hubbard Street Dance Chicago brought its professional expertise to the dance department of our VPA program,” said Colleen Glenney, coordinator of the VPA programs at Booker High and Booker Middle School. “This was a great opportunity for our students, and we are grateful to HSDC and the Van Wezel for making it available.”

HSDC is known for developing new talent and collaborating with artists in music, visual art and theatre. Since its founding in 1977, the organization has expanded beyond its main company to include Hubbard Street 2, which cultivates young professional dancers and choreographers and serves as the foundation of HSDC’s education initiatives in jazz, ballet, modern, tap, African, Hip-Hop and Pilates at levels from basic to professional.

Booker High School is located at 3201 N. Orange Ave. in Sarasota. Its Visual & Performing Arts program, a county-wide magnet program, provides highly specialized and intensive training for students with special talents in the visual and performing arts areas of dance, music, television and media arts, theater (performance and technical), and visual arts.

SARASOTA COUNTY – Twenty-nine National Merit Scholar Finalists from Sarasota County public high schools were notified recently that they have reached the next step in the prestigious awards program, qualifying them to be considered for various college scholarships. Semifinalists were announced in September 2008.

The national group of some 15,000 finalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school graduating seniors. About 8,000 National Merit Scholar designees are chosen from this group of finalists to receive a $2,500 single-payment National Merit Scholarship, a college-sponsored scholarship or a corporate-sponsored scholarship. The scholarships are awarded from March through mid-June.

The following students are the National Merit Scholar Finalists from Sarasota County public high schools:

Booker High School

Jordan Stafford

North Port High School

Cassie Urmano

Pine View School

Joshua Achiam

Brian Barnes

Laura Berkey

John Bowers

Anne Carothers

Taylor Coffman

Daniel Curhan

Molly Domingo

Omri Drucker

Samantha Farmer

Maxwell Froman

Vera Higgs

Christian McLaren

Caterina Mosti

Hanna Perry

Nicholas Pologruto

Adara Robbins

Courtney Schaefer

Matthew Schnack

Kenneth Shafer

Steven Taylor

Karly Tufenkjian

Avital Yohann

Riverview High School

Morgan Finkelstein

Jessica Oynick

Sarasota High School

Grier Ferguson

Alex Krinsky

Tamara Teeter Knapp, art facilitator from Expressive Arts Florida, works Fruitville Elementary students on the “Building Friendship” art project to help children with autism and their peers learn from each other. Their artwork was featured in a Towles Court gallery exhibit in Sarasota.

SARASOTA – A diverse group of students — from children with autism to their academically gifted schoolmates — gained a better understanding of each other by creating art that was featured in the exhibit, “Building Friendships: Fostering Acceptance and Understanding of Others Through the Arts.” The exhibit was on display from Jan. 24 through Feb. 7 at Expressive Arts Florida in Sarasota’s Towles Court Arts District.

In the nine-week special project at Fruitville Elementary School, children with autism were paired with regular-education and gifted students to create art and learn about each other. Children in the latter two groups learned about autism through “The Autism Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism,” by Ellen Sabin. About 100 students participated in the project.

The project was made possible by a $5,000 grant from the Leslie and Margaret Weller Arts Education Program of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Thirteen classes had 63 sessions with two professional artists to create works of art, many of which will be displayed in the exhibit.

“The project was more successful than we ever imagined,” said Marjorie Williams, a teacher on Fruitville Elementary Autism Team. “Students were selected based on their attitudes about other students, and the post-test demonstrated a dramatic change in acceptance after the project. But it was the actions and behaviors of these students that were most impressive. The children did not want to stop working with their new friends and they wrote beautiful entries in their journals about their experiences.

“Teachers are planning other activities together, integrating students into classrooms with children who are different from each other and helping them connect with reading buddies. The project has really helped build bridges among our students, and we hope the artwork in this exhibit affected people the same way.”

SARASOTA COUNTY – Sarasota County students in Career and Technical Education programs are celebrating National CTE Month this February by arranging “building blocks for a successful career.” The phrase is the theme of this year’s annual recognition of the importance of Career and Technical Education to students of all ages, and to the American workforce.

As part of National CTE Month, the Business Information Technology Small Learning Community at Venice High School held the school’s first Entrepreneur Career Fair on Feb. 5. The event was designed to give students a chance to talk with representatives of businesses in the community about their careers and the education required. About 1,200 students attended.

A variety of fields were represented, including engineering, contracting and development, accounting, banking, financial consulting, real estate, law, sales and marketing, graphic design, journalism, the performing arts, fashion design, cosmetology, the culinary arts, early childhood education, healthcare, physical therapy, veterinary medicine, environmental protection, aviation, the military and firefighting, among others. Guests were treated to a lunch created by the school’s Culinary Arts program in its on-campus café, The Lemon Tree.

Students from VHS Medical Academy score in regional contest

Recent achievements of students across the county illustrate how the combination of CTE and academic programs has created a formula for success.

In late January, 21 students from the Medical Academy, a Small Learning Community at Venice High School, students competed in the Florida Region 5 Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) leadership conference at the Manatee Technical Institute. First-place, second-place and third-place winners from VHS were:

• Johnny Albu, Erik Otterbach, Travis Walton: first place, HOSA Bowl

• Steve Fiorentino, Malaka Freidman: first place, CPR/First Aid

• Katie Edwards: first place, Physical Therapy
• Ornella Bricoune, Victoria Kiernan, Alyssa White: first place, Creative Problem Solving
• Samantha Graf: first place, Medical Spelling
• Heather Kopp, Jennie Williams: second place, Career Health Display
• Jessica Gorrill: second place, Medical Terminology
• Hannah Greenwald: second place, Nursing Assisting
• Elizabeth DeJong, Aubrey Ward: third place, Forensic Medicine

SCTI achieves 100% pass rate for students in two programs on national exams

Students in the nursing program at the Sarasota County Technical Institute (SCTI) are celebrating their 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the first time in five years the program has achieved this distinction. Last year the Florida pass rate was about 82 percent; the national rate was approximately 86 percent. The rate at SCTI last year was about 91 percent.

The achievement means that all of the 23 recent graduates of nursing program at SCTI are able to work as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and receive one year of credit toward their Associates Degree in Nursing (Registered Nurse or RN) at Manatee Community College or other community colleges.

The nursing program at SCTI is a full-time day course lasting 1,350 hours (1 year). At least 675 hours are scheduled in area hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics and doctors’ offices, where students provide patient care under the direct supervision of their instructors.

The demographics of the class reflect a varied population, including single parents, mid-life career changers due to the economic downturn and recent high-school graduates. Twenty of the 23 recent graduates have remained in Sarasota County and are either all employed or enrolled in college. The three students that moved out of state are employed in the nursing field.

In addition to nursing and other health programs, SCTI offers a course in Surgical Technology (ST), a one-year program in which students spend at least 50 percent of their credit time in operating rooms applying the technical skills learned in the classroom and skills lab. The recent graduating class in the ST program also had a 100 percent pass rate on the national exam, leading to certification as a surgical technologist and demonstrating that the student meets national standards for knowledge and skill in the field.

About CTE programs in Sarasota schools

In Sarasota County Schools, introduction to the CTE concept begins as early as elementary school, where activities allow students to explore career areas and make connections between school and the world of work. Middle-school courses enable students to explore career pathways, determine career interests and aptitudes, and develop basic technical skills in a variety of career areas.

High-school career-themed small learning communities provide career pathways and technical courses in nationally-recognized career clusters, including agriculture and natural resources; architecture and construction; the arts, audio-visual technology and communication; business, marketing and finance; health sciences; hospitality and tourism; human services, education and training; information technology; law, government and public safety; engineering; and transportation, among others.

CTE programs are offered at all eight middle schools and five comprehensive high schools throughout Sarasota County and at the Sarasota County Technical Institute. SCTI also offers career education for adults.

Suncoast Polytechnical High School (SPHS), a dedicated technical high school, opened in August 2008 to 150 freshman students from around the district. By the 2011-2012 academic year SPHS will accommodate 600 students in 23 classrooms. The school offers students pathways to higher education and the 21^st century workforce.

More information about CTE programs in Sarasota County Schools, as well as links to Web sites for SPHS, SCTI and other schools and resources, is available at www.ctesarasota.net.

SARASOTA – A North Port elementary school currently under construction needs a name. Citizens, including prospective students and their parents, are invited to be part of the process. The school, scheduled to open to students in August at the start of the 2009-10 school year, is currently referred to by its working title, Elementary I (capital letter “i”).

Name suggestions may be submitted to Kirk Hutchinson, the school’s principal, beginning Monday, Feb. 9. In order to be considered the names must be received by 4 p.m., Friday, March 13. They may be submitted in the following ways:

• Via e-mail to Kirk_Hutchinson@sarasota.k12.fl.us
• Via fax, attention Kirk Hutchinson, to 941-257-2319
• Via U.S. mail to:

            Kirk Hutchinson

            Elementary I

            4701 Huntsville Ave.

            North Port, FL 34288

Anyone submitting a name idea should include a brief explanation of the name’s significance and why he or she believes it is appropriate for the school. They should also include their contact information, because they may be asked to present their suggestion to the Elementary I School Naming Committee. The committee will include community representatives and Sarasota County School District staff.

School Board of Sarasota County policy states that schools should be named after the street, city or area where they are located, or in honor of a person who has made a significant contribution to the county, state or nation. Schools also may be named for individuals who provide major financial subsidies for their construction.

A school name will be recommended by the naming committee and submitted to the School Board, which has final approval authority. The board may approve a name that is not in strict adherence to the naming guidelines and/or a name that has not been recommended by the committee.

Elementary I is being built on Huntsville Avenue, one block south of the intersection of E. Price Boulevard and Atwater Street. The design for the school is a re-use of the plan for Lamarque Elementary, with some variations. It is also similar to Cranberry (North Port) and Tatum Ridge (Sarasota) elementary schools. The 124,000-square-foot school was designed by BRPH Architects/Engineers (architects of Lamarque, Cranberry and Tatum Ridge schools) and is being built on 35 acres by Jon F. Swift General Contractors. It will include 970 student stations.

The location is adjacent to the future Atwater Community Park, which will include youth ball fields. The school district is working closely with Sarasota County Emergency Management to build the school as an enhanced hurricane shelter, designed to withstand wind speeds of 180 miles per hour rather than the standard 130 mph.

Elementary I, like nearby Woodland Middle (opened in August 2008), incorporates “green” features into its construction. These include the use of regional building materials, recycled-content materials and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials; energy-efficient heating and air conditioning; minimized water usage; efficient storm water management and drought-tolerant landscaping. The district plans to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for Elementary I and Woodland Middle.

SARASOTA - Hal Nelson, assistant superintendent of Sarasota County Schools, was honored on Jan. 19 by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Committee of Sarasota. He received the MLK Award on the national holiday commemorating the birthday of the civil rights leader, for "championing equality, opportunity and fairness in education."

The committee cited Nelson’s work enhancing communication between the school district and the community, and advocating on behalf of students.