A 16-year-old Matanzas High School student reported that as she was walking to her bus stop around 6:45 a.m. when a white or Hispanic man in a car began following her and telling her, as the girl ran, that she was resisting arrest.
Schools
School Board Honors John Winston, Tireless Advocate of Flagler’s African-American Mentor Program
At 76, John Winston has continued to be the leading force behind the Flagler school district’s African-American Mentor Program, which pairs young boys and men in need of solid direction with adults who take on the role of father figures. Winston is himself the patriarch of a family of seven children and three dozen grandchildren.
Superintendent Jacob Oliva: School Board Frames a Near-Certainty In Pro-Forma Search
It is almost a certainty that come Feb. 4, Jacob Oliva will be named Flagler County’s new school superintendent, but the school board has appointed a 15-member search committee to broaden public input, vet Oliva and avoid accusations of reaching a pre-determined conclusion. Nevertheless, Oliva’s favored status has rankled some members of the black community.
Flagler Technical Institute:
Registration Open for Winter Term
Flagler Technical Institute is now accepting registrations for its career and technical programs for the Winter Term. Most classes will be held in the Flagler Technical Institute building at 1 Corporate Drive in Palm Coast.
School Enrollment Stabilizes But Remains Below Last Year’s, With Decreases Projected
As of the end of November, the district had 12,794 students. The good news is that the district saw enrollment rise for the past two months, but the number is still 100 students below last November’s, with projected declines of 1 to 2 percent between January and May, which may have ripple effects on the economy.
As County Library’s Purpose Changes, Commissioners Examine Expansion Plans
Flagler County Library Director Holly Albanese led county commissioners on a tour of the main branch Tuesday morning in hopes of persuading them to soon approve expansion plans in line with the library’s changing mission.
Why Florida Should Embrace Common Core: A Conservative Perspective
“I believe in Common Core State Standards, believed in them decades before they existed, and desperately want them for my grandchildren, their children and the future of this great nation,” writes Nancy Smith, the conservative editor of Sunshine State News. “If I’d been an educator, I might have invented them.”
Bunnell’s Burden: A Photo Gallery of the Old Flagler County Courthouse and Annex
A photo gallery provides the first comprehensive inside look at the conditions of the old Flagler County Courthouse and annex, which Bunnell acquired at no cost on Nov. 26. But the city is now responsible for all repair and maintenance costs of both attached structures. The costs will be heavy.
Florida State’s Jameis Winston, In the Pocket of a “Big Football Town”
As with anyone accused of a crime, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is entitled to the benefit of the doubt and is presumed to be innocent. But how can we be sure that justice is being served when the actions of those responsible for investigating sexual assault complaints against athletes is so slipshod?
Stolen School Bus Was Leased to Palm Coast’s Palm Harbor Academy
Palm Harbor Academy, the charter school in Palm Coast, had been unaware that a school bus it was renting from 95 South Tours and Transportation of Jacksonville had been stolen from the Alachua school district.
Burdens and Costs Pile Up for School Board’s Ex-ITT Building on Corporate Drive, Disrupting Community Education
The board bought the 54,000 square-foot building for $3.5 million in 2001 and housed the Flagler Technical Institute’s community education classes and offices there, but the building must be evacuated either by January or by summer and either rebuilt and renovated at costs approaching $5 million or demolished even as the district continues to pay $445,000 in annual debt service on it.
Two Flagler School Buses Stolen in July Are Recovered, But District Just Bought Replacements
Alphonso Bernard Rock of Jacksonville was arrested in connection with the stolen buses, recovered in Gainesville Wednesday, but the buses no longer belong to the school district, which on Tuesday approved an $812,700 purchase of seven new buses, including two with the insurance-recovery money.
School District, County’s Largest Employer, Starts Health Clinic Experiment With Florida Hospital Flagler
The $288,000 annual contract with Florida Hospital Flagler’s Prompt Care Clinic will allow 1,400 of the school district’s 1,700 employees to seek out primary care at no cost, but with some restrictions. The district hopes it will lower the annual increases in premiums that employees and taxpayers have been bearing.
Learning To Love Flagler’s IB Program: Students Turn Myth-Busters For 400 People
A pair of introductory meetings about FPC’s IB program, for students from 5th grade and up, drew more than 400 people who heard from IB students eager to demolish false impressions and stereotypes about the program and encourage more parents to sign up their children for Flagler County schools’ crown jewel.
Sparks, Nevada
Today, a DUI not only can earn you prison time, but also can thwart your education options and permanently alter your career aspirations. Drunken drivers are punished by a torrent of national condemnation. Why can we not summon the same collective rage when it comes to guns?
School Board Members Don Aprons and Wait Tables in All-Day Fundraiser at Bob Evans Today
Until 9 tonight, 15 percent of sales attached to the Flagler school district’s fundraiser at Bob Evans in Palm Coast will go to a special fund for needy students. School board members, the superintendent and other top district staffers are participating in hopes of drawing patrons.
Rep. Travis Hutson Will File a Bill on Animal Abuse Reporting Proposed by Flagler Students
Florida Rep. Travis Hutson worked for weeks with FPC and Matanzas High students on a mock legislative process that culminated today in a student vote choosing actual bill Hutson will file at the Legislature in the coming session. The exercise gave students direct insights into the legislative process.
Beyond Rebecca Sedwick’s Suicide: Colleen Conklin Campaigns for More Cyberbullying Awareness
More laws, mandates and prohibitions won’t work, Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin says, but more current awareness of the variety of online apps and social sites, where cyberbullying thrives, and more responsibility from both teens and their parents, are more likely to stem a pattern of bullying-induced teen suicides.
Taking Competition Seriously, FPC Focuses Its Own Promotional Video on Economic Impact
An eight-minute promotional and marketing video about Flagler Palm Coast High School, produced by students, reflects the intense competition even public schools now face to stay relevant, and is catching the eye of economic development officials, who see it as a means of broadening the county’s story and potential to prospective residents and businesses.
Easter Seals Becomes Latest Charter Applicant Rejected by Defensive Flagler School Board
Counting Easter Seals, which planned to open two small charter schools for disabled 3 and 4 year olds, no fewer than eight applications for charter schools have been filed in Flagler in the last two years. Six were withdrawn, and two were rejected by the school board, which also forced once charter to close and saw another fail in mid-year and close shop.
First of Three Common Core Public Hearings Brings Out Raucous Partisanship
The hearings were part of Gov. Rick Scott’s plan for dealing with the politically volatile issue. Scott has already begun distancing the state from a consortium developing tests for Common Core, and has suggested the hearing could come up with ways to amend the academic benchmarks.
Rebecca Sedwick Suicide: Two Middle School Girls, 12 and 14, Arrested on Aggravated Stalking Charges
12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick’s suicide in Lakeland on Sept. 10 was the latest of a growing list of children taking their own life after being maligned, threatened and taunted online, mostly through a new collection of texting and photo-sharing cellphone applications.
Focus on Flagler Sets Golf Fund-Raiser at Pine Lakes, for New Youth-Resilience Program
Focus on Flagler won a $25,000 Juvenile Justice grant to run the Creating Lasting Family Connections program locally, helping youths and their parents become more resilient in the face of social and personal difficulties. The golf tournament fund-raiser will help establish the program.
“Girl Rising”: Karen Barchowski’s Movie Event for Palm Coast, In Education’s Name
Karen Barchowski, the co-owner of Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach, succeeded through word of mouth and more than a little conviction in organizing one showing of “Girl Rising,” the groundbreaking documentary about the importance of girls’ education, at Epic Theater in Palm Coast on Oct. 13.
Flagler’s Teachers Still Waiting on Their $1,900 Raise as District and Union Negotiate Contract
Flagler’s teachers are in the same situation as teachers in 53 other counties where negotiations with unions have delayed the raises. A sticking point in Flagler: the district wants the authority to renegotiate annual “step” raises, while the union wants those step increases to continue to be awarded automatically, as they have been to date.
Town Hall Road Show: Residents Grill 4 Local Governments’ Heads in Freewheeling Forum
A 90-minute town hall forum brought some 50 people to the Palm Coast Community Center to grill and hear Flagler County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre, School Board Chairman Andy Dance, and Palm Coast City Council member Jason DeLorenzo address a long list of public concerns in a rare and informal cross-agency discussion.
FPC Student Detained for Bringing Alcohol on a School Bus; 2 Arrested Over Stolen Gun
The 15-year-old student allegedly confessed to drinking alcohol at a bus stop, and bringing the drink on board the bus, which he then spilled when confronted. Kenneth James Kirsch Jr., 20, and Michael Shawn McRoberts Jr., 17, of Palm Coast, were arrested after a police raid on a Zoeller Court over a gun stolen in late September in the F Section.
Matanzas High School’s Surging SAT Scores Brighten Otherwise Dimmer District Results
In a tribute to the school’s SAT prep classes, Matanzas’ reading average of 502 on the SAT test exceeded state and national averages, and the school exceeded state averages on math and writing, but district-wide 2013 SAT and ACT scores remain below state and national averages, dragged down especially by math scores.
Flagler School District Lauds “Culture of Innovation” in State of Education Address
Tuesday evening’s State of Education Address highlighted what the district survived through the last few years of contraction, where it is today, what challenges it is facing in the next few years, and how it intends to tangle with those challenges.
State’s Claim of $40 Million “Potential” Fraud in Early Learning Programs Proves Groundless
A December 2011 report by the state Office of the Auditor General projected that parents with children in school-readiness programs could have used as much as $40 million worth of public-assistance benefits for which they weren’t eligible over a three-year period–a claim that proved wildly inaccurate, but needlessly panicked lawmakers.
Gov. Scott Defends Exiting Common Core Testing In Face of Criticism and Fact-Checks
Scott did not say specifically how he thought tests developed through a state-led initiative could be an instrument of federal intrusion, or cite an example of federal intrusion, as he defended his order to move Florida away from the Common Core testing consortium.
In Political Balancing Act, Scott Pulls Out of Testing Group But Preserves Common Core
By withdrawing from just the testing partnership, Scott’s decision Monday was more of a political balancing act than either a radical departure from Florida’s Common Core policy adopted in 2010 or a repudiation of the tougher standards that have been rolling out in schools through FCAT 2.0 for the past three years, in preparation for Common Core.
Pam Stewart Appointed Education Commissioner Amid Common Core Strife
Pam Stewart’s appointment came amid jockeying over the future of education in Florida and rumors that Gov. Rick Scott will soon issue an executive order on schools, possibly dealing with whether the state will go along with a common-core related multi-state test aimed at measuring new, national standards for learning.
Immigration Reform’s Latest Cheering Section: Florida College and University Presidents
Florida college and university presidents are calling on Congress to pass immigration reform this year, saying it would be better for the state’s economy if foreign students could stay after graduation, instead of being forced to take their diplomas and leave.
At Public Universities, More Aid Is Going To the Wealthy Than to The Neediest
Attention has long been focused on the lack of economic diversity at private colleges, especially at the most elite schools. What has been little discussed is how public universities, which enroll far more students, have gradually shifted their priorities — and a growing portion of their aid dollars — toward wealthier students.
Flagler Celebrates Arts in Education Week as Congress Again Targets Cultural Funding
Flagler arts organizations have a line-up of events all week to celebrate Arts in Education Week, which Congress started three years ago. The same Congress a few weeks ago began debating a measure that would reduce funding to the National Endowment for the Arts to its lowest level since 1974.
Back From Budget Brink, Flagler Youth Orchestra Begins 9th Year on New and Record Note
The Flagler Youth Orchestra is back for its ninth year with a new artistic director–and what appears to be another record-setting enrollment–three months after the school board had considered eliminating the program altogether.
When an F Is an Automatic 50: In Defense Of Matanzas High School’s Grading Policy
Matanzas High School Principal Chris Pryor’s new policy of bottoming out all F’s at 50%–not zero–drew some grumbles, but teacher Jo Ann Nahirny explains why it’s a far more just policy than awarding zeros–and how the same policy may have changed her own life.
That Feared Flagler Schools Enrollment Drop And Loss of $1.8 Million? Didn’t Happen.
Last May, when the school board was campaigning for a new tax, it was projecting a loss of 283 students and $1.8 million. In fact, the district has added a handful of students two weeks into the new school year, ensuring that the state will keep sending that money to Flagler–and reducing pressure on the local district to think of closing some schools.
Flagler County, Palm Coast, Habitat for Humanity and Stetson Line Up 9/11 Events
Several local organizations and local governments, including Flagler County, Palm Coast, Habitat for Humanity, Stetson University and others are commemorating the 12th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
From Indian Trails Middle School to The U.S. Open: Reilly Opelka’s Tennis Zoom
Reilly Opelka, 16, a Palm Coast native and former Indian Trails Middle School student, qualified for the main draw of the U.S. Open Juniors tournament. He lost in singles on Tuesday but he;’s still alive in doubles. He talks about what it was like growing up in Palm Coast and moving to a tennis academy in Boca Raton.
Laptop Policy FAQ For Flagler County Schools, Explaining Macbook Distribution
This year (2013-14) the district is giving every high school student a Macbook Air, unless students or parents opt out. So-called “deployment” nights are scheduled at FPC and Matanzas High later this month. The following is the district’s own Frequently Asked Questions about the initiative.
Three High School Students Held Up at Gunpoint For Their Laptops at a Bus Stop
Earlier this week, three high school students were robbed at gunpoint of their Macbook Air laptops at a bus stop in Ocoee, in Orange County. The computers had been issued to the students as part of a pilot program. A similar but much broader initiative is under way in Flagler County Schools, though security issues have not been addressed as broadly.
GOP Rep. Debbie Mayfield Files Bill to Limit or End Common Core in Florida
Rep. Debbie Mayfield’s measure would require the State Board of Education to meet certain requirements before moving forward with the English and math portions of the standards and specifically bar it from implementing common core in any other subject areas.
No PALs Allowed: A Mom’s Struggle With Flagler Schools’ Latest Dress-Code Absurdities
Though her children could wear PAL jersey shirts on Spirit Fridays last year, Michelle Taylor was ordered to Bunnell Elementary School Friday morning to replace her two sons’ PAL shirts as the 1st and 2nd grade boys were pulled from class and made to sit in the office “as if they’d committed a crime,” Taylor says.
Gov. Scott Sets Education Summit Amid Direction’s Growing Uncertainties
The summit, which will last from Monday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon in Clearwater, comes after the resignation of former Education Commissioner Tony Bennett and as debates swirl about the state’s school-grading system and a move to “Common Core” standards.
Lies, Distortions and Delirium: The Flagler Tea Party’s Kaput Take on Common Core
Diane Kepus, a self-styled researcher and common core opponent, was the Flagler County tea party’s speaker this week. Her presentation on common core, mostly inaccurate or outright false, explains to some extent why the school board has been on the defensibve, as have other boards and states, against a misinformation campaign that has not been countered effectively.
Jacob Oliva All But Appointed School District’s Next Superintendent as NAACP Objects
The Flagler County School Board will forego a state or national search and advertise locally for a new superintendent even as a majority of the board is ready to appoint Jacob Oliva, the former FPC principal, to replace Janet Valentine, a decision the NAACP calls “cronyism” in light of internal issues the organization says won;t be addressed by hiring from within.
Matanzas Teacher Tells Girl Accusing Him of Sex: “Because I Thought I Cared About You”
New details from Matanzas English teacher James R. Wolfe’s arrest and personnel records show he arranged a meeting last Saturday with the girl accusing him of having sex with her when she was 16, when he allegedly told her he didn’t mean to hurt her–a meeting cops recorded. Wolfe’s evaluations at Matanzas show the struggles of a “rookie” teacher, but also his triumphs, and no blemishes.
Replacing Valentine: Flagler School Board Will Decide Scope of Search for New Superintendent
Janet Valentine will end her tenure as Flagler School Superintendent in June. To ensure a smooth transition, the Flagler County School Board will take a significant first step tonight as it decides whether to conduct a local, statewide or national search for her replacement. Jacob Oliva, the assistant superintendent and ex-FPC principal, is a front-runner.