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Flagler County School Board

The “School Choice” Swindle Is Demolishing Public Schools

August 16, 2024 | Pierre Tristam | 73 Comments

Paul Renner channeled his inner Jerry Falwell school choice. (© FlaglerLive)

“School choice” is an orchestrated demolition of public schools and the social contract. The focus-group euphemism masks the thieving of tax dollars to subsidize private schools, transforming what was once an aspiration of fringe Christian and anti-government militants into state doctrine. Flagler County schools are losing close to $11 million this year to “choice.”

With Some Reservations and $635,000 in Renovations, School District Prepares to Rent Old Courthouse

August 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

The Flagler County Historical Society has long had its eyes on the old, historic courthouse across the street from Holden House, the museum and public face of the society. The late Sisco Deen, left, who died less than a year ago, was looking at the courthouse scene in August 2015, when the facility reopened as a Christian school. The school is now moving and ceding the way to the school district. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County School Board and the Flagler County Commission are preparing to sign a joint agreement that will lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to the district for just two years, with two options to renew for five years each, and an option to buy. Some school board members have reservations about the building’s quality, but will not stand in the way of approving the lease.

Appeals Court Backs DeSantis School Board Appointment, Rejecting Election

August 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

school board appointments

Calculating a vacated seat by the moment when a resignation becomes effective rather than when it is announced, a three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by James Golden that an election should be held in November for the Manatee County school-board seat that will be vacated by Rich Tatem.

Latest Flagler School Board Follies: Hunt Celebrates Mediocrity, Furry Abuses His Seat to Push ‘Endorsements’

August 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 19 Comments

Thing One and Thing Two, though Sally Hunt has stopped showing up to most meetings. (© FlaglerLive)

“Board member comments” at the Flagler school board have devolved almost always into a disaster, an embarrassment, a circus of ignorance, hypocrisy, stupidity or bigotry, compliments of the board’s trilobites: Sally Hunt, Will Furry and Christy Chong. No wonder they prefer illegal secret meetings. No wonder Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro can’t wait to escape the asylum. The sane ones weren’t there Tuesday to witness the latest drivel from Furry and Hunt, the first illegal, the second just creepy.

Flagler Schools Losing $10.8 Million to Pay for 1,250 Students to Attend Private, Religious or Home School

July 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 49 Comments

As it has almost every year for the past 30 years, the state, which sets the local school tax rate, has reduced that tax rate, limiting the local district's ability to compete for students. In addition, the state is now subsidizing private school education, in essence opening a two-front war on local districts: limited dollars, and more competition. (© FlaglerLive)

Three take-aways largely explain how the state is gradually emaciating traditional public education’s budget by lowering the tax rate, as it has almost every year since 1995, by diverting millions of dollars to subsidize families’ private, religious and homeschool education bills, and by causing an inevitable exodus of students from public school to privately subsidized education, but at public expense. 

How Flagler Schools’ ‘Truth in Millage’ Budget Hid $10 Million Going to Private and Home School Tuition

July 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 26 Comments

Patty Wormeck, who oversees the Flagler school district's finances, presenting the new year's budget at a meeting last week. (© FlaglerLive via Flagler schools video)

Until Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin asked for the numbers to be detailed and published, the school district was hiding $10 million it is receiving from the state only for it to be redistributed to families who use use the money–an average of $8,000 per student–to pay for private, religious or home school bills, and for transportation. The amount of public money going to private schooling is surging, as are the number of students going that route.

Derek Barrs, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview

July 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Derek Barrs. (© FlaglerLive)

Derek Barrs is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Janie Ruddy  in District 3. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.

Flagler School District Yet Again Stuck at a B for 3rd Straight Year, But All Schools are at A or B

July 24, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Mediocrity wins again. Notably, Sally Hunt, center, has been a no-show at recent meetings. (© FlaglerLive)

A third of Florida’s school districts scored an A in the 2023-24 school year. The Flagler County school district was not among them. For the third year in a row, and for the 10th of the last 11th grading years, the district remains stuck at a B, one of 26 districts in that pack. Seventeen districts scored a C. None scored lower. Two districts were not graded. The Florida Department of Education released the grades today.

Janie Ruddy, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview Template

July 24, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Janie Ruddy. (© FlaglerLive)

Janie Ruddy is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Derek Barrs in District 3. The District 3 and District 5 seats are both open as incumbents Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro have opted not to run again. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.

Vincent Sullivan, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview Template

July 23, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Vincent Sullivan. (© FlaglerLive)

Vincent Sullivan is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Lauren Ramirez  in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.

Lauren Ramirez, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview

July 22, 2024 | Cheryl Tristam | 2 Comments

Lauren Ramirez. (© FlaglerLive)

Lauren Ramirez is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Vincent Sullivan in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.

Stetson Gets $500,000 State Grant to Rebuild Historic Hulley Tower

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

hulley tower stetson

Stetson University has received a $500,000 historic preservation grant from the State of Florida to reconstruct Hulley Tower, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places for its statewide significance.

2 Parents Suing Over Book Bans in St. Johns Schools Tell Flagler Freedom to Read Activists: ‘Be Loud and Proud’

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Anne Watts's message was clear. (© FlaglerLive)

Nancy Tray and Anne Watts, parents suing in federal court over book bans in St. Johns County, were guests today of the weekly meeting in Palm Coast of the Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a non-profit Chaired by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. The group took stock of the state of book bans in the two counties and the state, how to counter them, and what to expect next.

Flagler School District Will Negotiate Lease of Old Courthouse With the County, Eying Room for Historical Society

July 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

The old county courthouse may soon get its third tenant in its century history. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County school district’s plan to lease the old courthouse in Bunnell to shift half a dozen programs there would cost $632,000 in up-front renovations and $202,000 a year in rent and utilities. The Flagler County Historical Society had plans of its own for the old courthouse. The district will negotiate with both the county and the historical society in hopes of reaching mutually agreeable accommodations.

No Change in Sheriff’s Resource Deputies Assigned to Flagler Schools But Surging Costs Raise Questions

July 2, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Crossing guard Yvonne Fertall at Rymfire Elementary last spring. The surging cost of crossing guards to the school district, even though the number of guards isn;t changing, raised questions among school board members, as did the rising cost of school deputies. (Flagler Schools)

The Flagler County School District is preparing to approve a $1.38 million contract for its share of school resource deputies (SRDs) and crossing guards for the school year starting on Aug. 12, a 16 percent increase over this year’s $1.19 million contract. The increases drew questions from School Board member Colleen Conklin, who was startled by a 68 percent increase in the cost of crossing guards and the increase in deputies’ costs even though the number of guards or deputies isn’t changing.

Tiger Bay Straw Poll: Richardson Trounces Danko; Derek Barrs and Lauren Ramirez Take Schools, Alfin Hangs On

June 28, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Thursday's Flagler Tioger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every candidate on the local Aug. 20 primary ballot. (© FlaglerLive)

Thursday’s Flagler Tiger Bay Meet and Greet at the Palm Coast Community Center drew some 300 people and almost every local election candidate on the Aug. 20 primary ballot. A straw poll consisting of some 225 votes yielded a few arresting results, such as County Commission candidate Pam Richardson’s trouncing of an absent Ed Danko, and a not-too surprising tight race for mayor in Palm Coast.

Two Years Later, Star Teacher Fired Over a TikTok Second Signs Settlement and Hopes to Resume Career

June 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Abbey Cooke at a Flagler Pride event in Palm Coast in 2021. She was fired the next year. (© FlaglerLive)

Two years after Flagler County schools ended her stellar 12-year teaching career over a 15-second TikTok video of her dancing with some of her sixth-grade students to the sound of Lizzo and an errant, barely audible four-letter word that many students sing or mouth a dozen times a day, Abbey Cooke has signed a settlement agreement with the state, neither admitting nor denying guilt, and preserving her teaching license.

Flagler Tiger Bay Prepares for Largest Candidate Meet-and-Greet of Primary, Waving Off Fret Over Straw Poll

June 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 14 Comments

Flagler Tiger Bay's meet-and-greet featuring almost all the local candidates in the August primary election follows in the tradition of similar events, like the former Chamber of Commerce's hob knob of 2018, above, at the Palm Coast Community Center. (© FlaglerLive)

As of Monday some 40 local and state candidates had confirmed attendance at Thursday’s Tiger Bay Meet and Greet, what is expected to be the largest election gathering of the sort for Flagler County and Palm Coast politics ahead of the Aug. 20 primary. The three-hour free event starting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Palm Coast Community Center will include a voter-registration drive organized by the Supervisor of Elections’ office, and a straw poll, which one candidate is criticizing as a “sham.” He appears isolated.

Historic Sweep: Flagler’s 5 Constitutionals Elected Without Opposition as Shelly Edmonson Wins Tax Collector’s Seat

June 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

flagler constitutionals reelected

Clerk of Court Tom Bexley, Tax Collector-Elect Edmonson, Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart and Sheriff Rick Staly were elected without opposition today, the first time an entire slate of constitutionals managed the feat in memory. Edmonson will take over for Suzanne Johnston, who decided to retire after 20 years as the tax collector.

Sheriff: Increase School Board’s Cost Share of Campus Deputies to 60%, Lower County’s Share to 40%

June 10, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Sheriff Rick Staly with Superintendent LaShakia Moore last month during a press conference about recurring threats to schools. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Sheriff is recommending to the County Commission that the 50-50 cost share for school resource deputies, or SRDs, between the School Board and the County Commission be changed. Staly is recommending that the School Board shoulder 60 percent of the cost, adding $300,000 to the district’s budget, while lowering the county’s responsibility an equal amount. 

Sally Hunt Confirms She’ll Resign, But Late Enough To Ensure DeSantis, Not Voters, Will Choose Replacement

June 4, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 33 Comments

sally hunt resignation

Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt today confirmed that she will resign her seat before November. She did not say when precisely between now and then. She appears to be purposefully doing so late enough to have prevented an election to fill the remaining two years of her terms. Gov. Ron DeSantis would fill the seat with his own appointment, which could take months after the seat becomes vacant.

Lured by State’s $3,000 ‘Civics’ Bonus, Thousands of Florida Teachers Train in Christian Nationalist Tenets

May 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 22 Comments

Gov. Ron DeSantis with some of the 4,500 Florida teachers who last year completed the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course and receive a $3,000 bonus, according to a release issued by the governor's office.

Training materials produced by the Florida Department of Education direct middle and high school teachers to indoctrinate students in the tenets of Christian nationalism, a right-wing effort to merge Christian and American identities. Thousands of Florida teachers, lured by cash stipends, have attended trainings featuring these materials.  

After All the Battles to Keep Belle Terre Swim Club Open, Here’s the Public’s Chance to Still Have Access

May 31, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

belle terre swim club

The Belle Terre Swim Club’s Advisory Committee is soliciting $20-a-month memberships that would enable members to use the facility on an hourly and daily basis. But at least 120 members are needed to open the club one hour a day. The committee’s goal is to build up to enough members to open the facility several hours a day, six days a week.

Flagler School Board Supportive of Leasing Old Courthouse in Bunnell as Christian School Exits

May 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

The old courthouse is a cherished landmark in Bunnell and the county. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County school district is likely to take over the lease of the old Flagler County courthouse in Bunnell, which since August 2015 has been the home of First Baptist Academy, a Christian school. The school is leaving in August. The county has been looking for a new tenant. The school district has been looking to consolidate a half dozen programs under one roof. It would do so at the courthouse t a cost of at least $212,000 a year, not including the cost of reconstructing the building according to district needs.

School Board Appears Clueless as Unexpected Conflict Over Fair Use Emerges at Belle Terre Swim Club

May 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Students in a Flagler Fluid class at Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club. (Facebook)

Flagler Fluid, the private swim-team organization that’s been renting the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club for years, is suddenly facing scheduling conflict provoked by the school district division controlling access to the club that the school board earlier this year voted to close to all but specific uses. Board members were unaware of the conflict.

‘No Credible Threat to Flagler Schools’ as String of Menaces Take Toll on Students, Parents and Faculty

May 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Lashakia Moore

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said today that while the series of phoned-in threats to district schools has taken a toll on students, faculty and parents, none were credible, and she would not give the caller the satisfaction of cancelling events. The district’s crisis-intervention teams have been spending time in schools.

13 Year Old Arrested in Daytona Beach in Copycat ‘Dare’ to Blow Up Buddy Taylor Middle School

May 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly with Superintendent LaShakia Moore at this evening's press conference. (© FlaglerLive)

A 13-year-old adolescent was arrested by Daytona Beach police today and charged with making one call threatening to blow up Buddy Taylor Middle School in late morning today. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said the threat is believed to be a copycat following a week of similar calls threatening to shoot up Flagler County schools, shoot cops who’d respond to the threats or detonate bombs.

Baffled and Rattled, Flagler Community, Schools and Cops Grapple with Response to Bogus ‘Swatting’ Disruptions

May 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

Sheriff Rick Staly with Superintendent LaShakia Moore and School Board Chair Will Furry during a press conference this afternoon. (© FlaglerLive)

There are no arrests, no serious leads, no understandable motives behind the spate of “swatting” calls that have disrupted classes and activities at several schools in Flagler County over the last three days, caused immeasurable anxiety among students, faculty and parents, and caused law enforcement and other responders to expend untold work-hours and other resources. 

Flagler Fluid and Advisory Group Float Pair of Plans to Keep Belle Terre Swim Club’s ‘True Spirit’ Viable

May 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

The Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club still has its advocates to keep it a viable operation with a public component. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler Fluid, the independent swim-team organization operating out of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club since 2001, has submitted a plan to the school district as part of a proposal to take over and run the club as a business, potentially with a fee-based, public-use component, to reverse the district’s recent decision to end membership access to the club.

Flagler Schools Paid Former Indian Trails Middle School Teacher $40,000 to Settle Discrimination Lawsuit

May 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 8 Comments

JaWanda Dove, now a dean at Rymfire Elementary, seen here in an image from a brochure by the African American Entrepreneurs Club, where she was a guest speaker in 2018.

The Flagler County school district paid JaWanda Dove $40,000 to settle a federal lawsuit Dove filed in 2020, alleging that as a Black teacher at Indian Trails Elementary, she had repeatedly been passed over for promotion by white applicants. Dove transferred to Rymfire Elementary last year, where she was promoted to dean and where she remains. Dove had been seeking Dove is seeking $100,000 in back pay and benefits, and an appointment as assistant principal. 

Flagler School Board Will Send Letter of Support for Locating Museum of Black History in St. Johns

May 8, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

st. johns county

Following the recommendation of Will Furry, its chair, the Flagler County School Board will send a letter of support to a state task force in hopes of luring the future Museum of Black History to St. Johns County. St. Johns was ranked first among three finalists for the location. Its competitors are Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade County.

Chief Engert: How Flagler County Jail Stepped Up to Ensure Brendan Depa’s Continuing Education

April 29, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Brendan Depa, in the orange shirt, arriving for a hearing in court last June, before his transfer to the Flagler County jail. (© FlaglerLive)

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and its jail were not responsible for the education of Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student arrested over a year ago on a charge of aggravated battery of a school employee. Nevertheless, the jail, under the supervision of Chief Daniel Engert, has ensured that a team of volunteers and professionals have continued Depa’s education, with notable and continued successes.

Brendan Depa’s Sentence: Neither Vengeance Nor Mercy. Only Humane Justice.

April 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

Brendan Depa with his grandmother in 2020. (Depa family)

On May 1 Circuit Judge Terence Perkins will sentence Brendan Depa on a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. The punishment will be nowhere near that: the sentencing guidelines don’t call for it, the incident doesn’t warrant it, and Perkins is not a hanging judge. The question is whether he will impose any prison time, and whether reason and justice, not mercy or vengeance, will prevail. 

Lawsuit Blames Flagler Schools’ Failure to Address Brendan Depa’s Known Needs and Risks Before Attack on Aide

April 24, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 39 Comments

Brendan Depa last July in court, where he is returning on May 1 for his sentencing. (© FlaglerLive)

Brendan Depa, the now-18-year-old former Matanzas High School student captured on surveillance video attacking his teacher’s aide 14 months ago, filed suit today against Flagler County schools, accusing the district of failing to properly address his behavioral end mental disabilities, to properly train the staff in charge, or to provide legally required educational supports. The failures led to a grave but foreseeable, violent incident, the lawsuit states, injuries to the aide, and the prospect for prison for Depa.

The Dis-Education of Brendan Depa

April 19, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 41 Comments

Brendan Depa when he was at his ECHO group home. He wasbeen in detention at a juvenile jail starting in late February 2023, then at the Flagler County jail since turning 18 last August. He is to be sentenced on May 1. (© FlaglerLive)

Brendan Depa, the now 18-year-old former Matanzas High School student to be sentenced on May 1 on a first-degree felony count of assaulting a teacher’s aide, is alone being punished for what in fact amounts to a systematic and catastrophic failure, on the part of Matanzas High School and district officials, to follow Depa’s Individualized Education Program, which set out guidelines and requirements on how to contend with his mental health issues.

Tempers Again Flare at School Board Over Disagreement and Misunderstanding of Members’ Roles

April 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 11 Comments

School Board member Cheryl Massaro has been displeased with Will Furry's role as chair. But her criticism Tuesday missed the mark. (© FlaglerLive)

Signaling continuing tensions underlying the dynamics of a sharply divided Flagler County School Board, tempers again flared among its members Tuesday evening over the right of members to speak their mind–or not–as Cheryl Massaro inaccurately accused Will Furry, the chair, of violating rules by addressing a recent vote in an Observer letter to the editor and Christy Chong accused her of being a bully.

Palm Coast Honors Curtis Gray’s Memory and Proclaims Rise Above the Violence Day

April 17, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 3 Comments

Curtis Gray.

The Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday issued a proclamation remembering Curtis Gray, the 18-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student gunned down in a dispute at a local strip mall on April 13, 2019, and proclaimed the date Rise Above the Violence Day. 

School District Still Cagey About $719,000 It Lost to Fraud, But Lawsuit Possible as Details Emerge in Drips

April 16, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

School District CFO, left, and Ryan Diesing, the district's IT director, at a School Board workshop today. (© FlaglerLive via YouTube)

Six months after it was defrauded of $719,000 in a conventional phishing scheme, district officials had little to disclose in an update to the school board, though about $20,000 was recovered and a board member suggested that a lawsuit may be ahead in hopes of recovering more. The money was due the construction company building the Matanzas High School addition.

Not All Tornado Warnings Are Treated Equal, But Parents and Faculty at Indian Trails Middle Weren’t Told

April 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

The zone in Flagler County covered by the noontime tornado warning, as issued by the National Weather Service. It included Bunnell, but not most areas of Palm Coast.

A tornado warning localized to a particular area of Flagler County on Thursday but broadcast countywide on cell phones left faculty members and volunteers at Indian Trails Middle School anxious and in the dark about the school’s lack of response as the storm raged outside, or any effort to voice explanations or reassurances over the PA system: what parents and other did learn from the district was not issued until two hours after the fact.

Local Governments Ask Court to Dismiss Suit by ‘Disgruntled Citizen’ Challenging Carver Center Agreement

April 11, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

South Bunnell's community strongly identifies with the Carver Center. (© FlaglerLive)

The three local governments and one agency that each have a role in funding or running the Carver Center in South Bunnell have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them filed by what they call a “disgruntled citizen” who doesn’t like the Flagler County Sheriff’s Police Athletic League’s involvement at the center, and who they say has no standing to sue.

Cheryl Massaro Opts Out of School Board Race, Leaving District 5 Field to Vincent Sullivan and Lauren Ramirez

April 9, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 18 Comments

cheryl massaro on flagler school board direction

Flagler County School Board member Cheryl Massaro decided today not to continue what had been a halfhearted campaign for re-election to a second term and opted out of the race, leaving the District 5 field to Palm Coast attorney Vincent Sullivan and long-time Belle Terre Elementary PTO President Lauren Ramirez. At least so far.

Local Firebrand Sues Sheriff, County, Bunnell and School Board Over ‘Illicit’ Carver Center Agreement

April 5, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

carver gym

Eric Josey, a retired New York cop with a brief, checkered history at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and an often controversial local firebrand in the name of African-American causes, is suing the Sheriff’s Office, the County Commission, the School Board and the city of Bunnell over the four agence’s recent joint agreement in running the Carver Center, also known as Carver Gym, in Bunnell.

Aborting Former Commitment, School Board Votes 3-2 To End Belle Terre Swim Club’s Public Memberships By July

March 27, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 32 Comments

belle terre swim and racquet

Three Flagler County School Board members–Christy Chong, Will Furry, Sally Hunt–voted Tuesday to close the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club to the public, 28 years after it was gifted to the district, which has run it with public access to a swimming pool, tennis courts and a fitness gym. The facility has been a financial puzzle for the district for 10 years as well as a cherished institution for a loyal if diminished corps of members. The closure to the public will not end the facility’s financial deficits. It will only reduce them.

School Board’s Colleen Conklin Says County At One Time Paid Entire Cost of School Deputies

March 26, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 6 Comments

Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin says there was a time when the county covered the entire cost of school resource deputies. (© FlaglerLive)

Speaking publicly for the first time about the revelation last month that county government was looking to pull back its share of funding for $1.4 million in “legacy” programs it helps pay for in the school district, including about $1 million for school resource deputies, Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin today asked for a public conversation, and said “disinformation” has obscured the fact that at one time, more than two decades ago, the county paid for the entirety of the bill.

Chamber Never Consulted Superintendent Before Snatching ‘State of Flagler Schools’ For Its Own, and Charging Money

March 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Supeintendent LaShakia Moore was not aware that the local chamber of commerce had appropriated the traditional "State of the Schools" address superintendents deliver publicly for an event title of its own, at $30 to $35 a plate. Moore, seen here at a literacy event in Town Center earlier this month, has made a point of being accessible in the community. (© FlaglerLive)

The local chamber of commerce is hosting a $30-a-plate lunch on April 30 featuring School Superintendent LaShakia Moore and billed as “The State of Flagler Schools,” the title of an address the superintendent has traditionally delivered publicly, for free, once a year. The chamber never bothered to consult Moore about it or, as a courtesy, ask if it could appropriate the public event’s name—let alone for a pay-to-attend event. The Flagler Education Foundation, a co-sponsor, is not getting a share of the proceeds.

40 Flagler Schools Students Advance to International Problem Solvers Competition After Wins in Orlando

March 22, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

A total of 178 students from five schools (Flagler Palm Coast High School, Matanzas High School, Buddy Taylor Middle School, Indian Trails Middle School, and Rymfire Elementary School) took part in the competition, which drew 511 students from across the state. Of the Flagler Schools contingent, 40 have been invited to vie at the international competition, which will take place June 5-9 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Sally Hunt Is Right: Security Isn’t What It Should Be in Flagler’s Biggest Public Building

March 21, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 4 Comments

public meetings security

Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt is right when she deems certain public meetings less than secure. The county and the school board need to to take their own and the public’s safety more seriously in the Government Services Building–the county seat–not with harebrained ideas like locking public meetings’ doors, but with reasonable, inexpensive and unintrusive measures such as metal detectors that are becoming standard in public buildings.

Superintendent ‘Would Be Surprised or Shocked’ By County’s Move Away from School Deputy Support

March 18, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

Superintendent LaShakia Moore at a recent workshop of the School Board. Her wristband reads: "You Are Enough." (© FlaglerLive)

Dampening the county’s hopes to reduce the $1 million it contributes to the School Board to pay for sheriff’s deputies in every school–and more in other “legacy” contributions, as the county calls them–Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore says she does not see how the community would accept a retreat from the combined commitment by the School Board and the County Commission.

Census Bureau: Flagler County’s Population Was 131,500 Last July, an Increase of 16,000 in Three Years

March 14, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments

Clearing the way for more housing in Palm Coast's P Section. (© FlaglerLive)

Flagler County is again among the faster-growing counties in the nation, but not among the fastest. The county added 16,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, a 14 percent increase beginning to resemble the population surge of the early 2000s that was halted by the housing crash. Put another way: the county has grown by a population equivalent to more than three times the size of Flagler Beach in that brief span. Just since 2010, the county has grown by 40,000 people.

As DeSantis Crows, Opponents of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law Say Settlement Rectifies Some of the Damage

March 12, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 5 Comments

anti lgbtq cheap shots

Gov. Ron DeSantis was quick out the door with a claim that a settlement in a legal challenge to his Parental Rights in Education Act— or Don’t Say Gay — vindicated his efforts “to keep radical gender and sexual ideology out of the classrooms of public-school children.” In fact, the settlement agreement’s terms also limit enforcement of that law which the governor pushed through the Legislature two years ago to bar public school instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity.

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