Kathy Kleinlein brings diverse background to role as School Board chair

Dr. Kathy Kleinlein

SARASOTA – Members of the School Board of Sarasota County have elected Kathy Kleinlein as chair. She will serve until the board’s next annual election of the chair in November.
Kleinlein is serving her second term on the School Board, representing District 5 (Venice, North Port and Englewood). She was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. She previously served as chair of the School Board in 2004-05.

“I am delighted to serve again as chair of the School Board of Sarasota County,” said Kleinlein. “Our administration, teachers, support staff, parents and students are committed to the very best in educational resources and achievement, and we try to facilitate that commitment in every decision we make.”

Kleinlein holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English, a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance, a master’s in Theology and a doctorate in Education. Kleinlein was a high school and college English teacher prior to becoming a training and development executive with such companies as Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Reuters America.

In 1974 Kleinlein became the first woman in the U.S. to be directly commissioned into the Army National Guard. She is a veteran of the 42nd Infantry “Rainbow” Division, New York. Her military experience includes firing a 155mm howitzer, driving a tank and qualifying on the M60 machine gun.

Kleinlein moved to Englewood in 1991 with her husband Ken. She has served on the Sarasota County Planning Commission, the Venice Regional Medical Center Board, the founding committee for Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence (SCOPE), the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, the Sarasota County Library Advisory Board, the Re-Inventing Government Board and the Englewood Inter-Agency Council, among many other organizations. She is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women.

She is Director of Faith Formation for the 10 counties that comprise the Diocese of Venice and a published author, national seminar leader and workshop facilitator on issues of faith.

At the same annual School Board reorganization meeting Nov. 20 in which Kleinlein was elected chair, Caroline Zucker was elected vice chair.

More information about the School Board of Sarasota and Sarasota County Schools is available at www.SarasotaCountySchools.net.

District breaks ground for Suncoast Polytechnical High

SARASOTA – School district officials, high school students and representatives of the business community took another step toward “a new school, a new world of opportunities” Dec. 3 at a groundbreaking ceremony for Suncoast Polytechnical High School. Construction of the new facility is already well under way near the corner of Beneva and Proctor roads on the campus of the Sarasota County Technical Institute (SCTI). The school is scheduled to open in August 2008.



GROUNDBREAKING EVENT – Sarasota County School District officials, contractors and representatives of the area business community celebrate the beginning of construction of Suncoast Polytechnical High School on Beneva Road. The participants pictured are, from left, David Sessions, President, Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.; Paul Pitcher, Project Manager, Sarasota County Schools; Kasey Teimouri, Project Designer, Schenkel Shultz Architecture; Lori White, Associate Superintendent, Sarasota County Schools; Stephen Cantees, Executive Director of High Schools; Frank Kovach, Sarasota County School Board Member; Caroline Zucker, Sarasota County School Board Vice-Chair; Dr. Kathy Kleinlein, Sarasota County School Board Chair; Shirley Brown, Sarasota County School Board Member; David Vollrath; Chairman, Suncoast Workforce Board Education Alliance; Dr. Gary Norris, Superintendent of Schools; Martyna Habrat, Riverview High School student; Dr. Jennifer Putnam, Suncoast Polytechnical High School Principal.

The name Suncoast Polytechnical High School was selected by a committee of school officials and community members and approved by the School Board in November. It was suggested by Riverview High School junior Martyna Habrat because of the variety of technology-oriented classes and career paths the school will offer.

Habrat was one of several speakers at the ceremony. She spoke of the real-world educational opportunities Suncoast Polytechnical High School will provide its students.

Other speakers included Kathy Kleinlein, chair of the School Board of Sarasota County; Gary Norris, superintendent of schools; Jennifer Putnam, principal of the new school; representatives of Schenkel Shultz Architecture and Willis A. Smith Construction, designers and builders of the school, respectively; Dale Vollrath of TRC Staffing Services, Sarasota, representing the Suncoast Workforce Board and the Suncoast Education Alliance; Kathy Baylis, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County; and Steve Queior, president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

Steve Cantees, the executive director of high schools for the district, served as master of ceremonies. Music was provided by the Booker High School Saxophone Quartet. Riverview High School vocalist James Taylor sang the Nation Anthem and the Sarasota High School ROTC Color Guard posted the colors.

Vollrath called Suncoast Polytechnical “a dream come true…representing new horizons, visions and opportunities…to prepare students for the 21st century global workforce.” Baylis said business leaders will welcome the “focus on talent” that the new school will provide to attract and retain a wide variety of companies.

Queior quoted author H.G. Wells, who said, “The future is a race between education and catastrophe.” Queior added, “This new school will help education win the race.”

Putnam read excerpts from essays written by middle school students who already have enrolled in Suncoast Polytechnical High School and will be part of its first graduating class in 2012. One student named Matthew said, “I love to take things apart and put them back together. I think SPHS will help to inspire me and create better goals, to help me with my dreams in life.”

The comments from students are in keeping with one of the school’s taglines: “Learn what you love. Love what you learn.”

The 67,000-square-foot high school is being built to accommodate 600 students in 23 classrooms. It has been designed to attract highly motivated students with a strong interest in technology, whether they are planning to pursue a college degree, seek other post-secondary education or enter the work force after graduation. Core curriculum classes such as language arts, math and social studies will have a technology and business focus.

A second career technical school for south county students is scheduled to open in Venice in 2009. More information about Suncoast Polytechnical High School is available at www.sarasotacountyschools.net/sphs.

U.S. News ranks Pine View sixth among nation’s best high schools

OSPREY – Pine View School, a Sarasota County public school designed to meet the needs of intellectually gifted students in grades two through 12, has been ranked sixth in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best high schools in the United States. The list is the magazine’s first ranking of America’s best high schools. It appears with accompanying articles in the Dec. 10 issue, now available on newsstands.

“This is a much-appreciated recognition for all the efforts of our entire school community,” said Pine View Principal Steve Largo. “Teachers, staff, parents — and of course our students — deserve credit for this amazing accomplishment.”

The magazine’s rankings are based on an analysis of nearly 19,000 public high schools in the U.S. The magazine’s data research staff, using a formula produced in collaboration with School Evaluation Services, analyzed schools based on various factors. The measures included students’ performance on standardized state tests such as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), an assessment of how well the school’s disadvantaged students performed, and whether the school provided rigorous college-level coursework.

The highest-performing schools were then ranked into three categories of more than 2,300 high schools: Gold Medal (the 100 best), Silver Medal (405 schools) and Bronze Medal (1,806 schools). Four Florida high schools, including Pine View, ranked in the top 10 of the magazine’s 100 Gold Medal schools.

Pine View School, 1 Python Path, Osprey, was established in 1969. Pine View is open to students throughout Sarasota County, who may be referred to the school by administrators, teachers, staff members or parents. Students are admitted based on a series of tests, recommendations and other pertinent data as required by the State Department of Education. The information is reviewed by a committee of teachers and other Sarasota County Schools personnel.

Students who are identified as intellectually gifted may attend either Pine View or a gifted program offered at another Sarasota County public school, wherever it is determined their needs are best met. A student may be invited to enroll only at the beginning of the academic school year at Pine View, pending eligibility, performance and academic suitability. The basic curriculum conforms to local and state requirements as expressed in accreditation standards and the officially approved programs of studies. However, there are some curricular variations, such as self-pacing, independent study, ungraded classes and mini-courses. Many children are enrolled in courses which cross grade levels.

More information about Pine View School and other Sarasota County Schools is available at www.sarasotacountyschools.net. The U.S. News & World Report Web site is www.usnews.com.