Andrew Skerritt’s grandmother never went further than the third grade before she dropped out to help raise her younger siblings, yet the educational values she gave him will be passed down for generations, he writes.
Schools
Flagler School Board Hails Sales Tax Victory and Revenue But Readies to Lose $2 Million
As Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin took their seats after winning a fourth term, the school board learned that its sales tax revenue was up to $4.2 million, thanks to more sales activity in the county. But the district is also losing at least $2 million from the expiration of an unrelated tax by year’s end.
At the University of Florida, a War Over the Alligator’s Newspaper Racks
The University of Florida wants the independent Florida Alligator newspaper—which it does not own–to remove its orange racks from campus, and replace them with non-descript plastic bins. Bill Cotterell argues it’s not a First Amendment issue.
Sheriff’s and School Bus Director’s Caution: “Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.”
With Flagler County schools resuming on Thursday, Aug. 15, the sheriff’s office and the school district’s transportation department–responsible for 85 bus routes traveling 8,000 miles a day–are reminding parents, students and all drivers to heighten their prudence. A list of bus routes and times is included.
AP Oncology: What a Teacher Did On Her Summer ‘Vacation,’ and How It is Ending
Matanzas High teacher and columnist JoAnn Nahirny returns from what was not exactly a summer break, with a story of her students’ unique success in the Flagler school district–and shattering news about herself for her returning students next week.
Complaint Cites Broad, Harsh Discrimination Against Black Students in Flagler Schools
Flagler County schools are among five Florida districts cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center in complaints filed with the federal Office of Civil Rights, calling for federal investigations into discriminatory punishments that disproportionately target black students.
Uniform Policy Rules and Penalties Dress Up School District’s New Code of Conduct Edition
The Flagler County School Board Monday approved rules and penalties that apply to the district’s new uniform policy. But the Code of Conduct makes many allowances for students who cannot wear uniforms.
Two Flagler School Board Races Will be Decided Aug. 14: The Live Interviews
Three-term incumbents Sue Dickinson and Colleen Conklin are being challenged by Bill Corkran and Debbie Laury in two contests for the Flagler County School Board that will be decided Aug. 14. All registered voters may vote regardless of party affiliation or address.
Andy Dance: Why You Should Support Flagler Schools’ Renewal of the Half-Penny Sales Tax
Andy Dance, the school board member, explains why your vote approving the renewal of the half-penny sales tax in the Aug. 14 referendum is critical for Flagler County schools. All registered voters may cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation.
Lane Burnsed Is Laid to Rest to the Words of Job and a Community’s Grief
Lane Burnsed, 19, was laid to rest Wednesday as hundreds of friends and family members paid their respects to his father, Capt. Jamey Burnsed, and his wife Iola, whose roots in the community run broad and deep.
Back to School Jam Returns Saturday at FPC: Uniforms, Discounts, But No Free Backpacks
This year’s back to school jam for all flagler county students will feature discounted uniforms, $5 backpacks and many other supplies, at Flagler Palm Coast High School Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dogged By FCAT Failures, Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson Resigns After 13 Months
Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state’s testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools.
Bill Corkran, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Bill Corkran is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Sue Dickinson, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Sue Dickinson is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Colleen Conklin, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Colleen Conklin is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
Deborah Laury, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Deborah Laury is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 14 primary election, which will decide the winners: all Flagler voters, regardless of party affiliation and address, may cast a ballot in these races.
A Vigil of 300 Flickers with Solidarity and Sorrow For Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed
Some 300 people turned out Sunday evening on the sands of Flagler Beach, including the parents of Meredith Smith and Lane Burnsed, the teens killed in a wreck on I-95 Thursday. The crowd was mostly young, emotional and subdued.
Families Mourning Loss of Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, Killed in Wreck
Meredith Smith, 17, and Lane Burnsed, 19, killed on I-95 in a three-vehicle accident Thursday, had attended Flagler Palm Coast High School. Three other people were critically injured.
Help Wanted: Palm Coast’s New Charter School Is Moving In, Hiring and Enrolling
The K-8 Global Outreach Academy at the Flagler County Airport is beginning to fill its 19,000-square-foot digs and hiring up to 30 people, including teachers, in preparation for its mid-August opening.
Flagler School District’s Feared Budget Cut Was Vastly Overstated, But Tax Cut Is Real
A report in the papers this morning that the Flagler school district was facing an additional $3.8 million cut (or 4 percent of its budget) was premature. The state is cutting the local school tax and its revenue, but making up all the difference except $400,000, which the district has already plugged.
Florida Colleges Vow to Be 1st in U.S. to Double Graduation Rates By 2020–With Extra Funding
Florida’s 28 state and community colleges will request a 35 percent increase in state funding to reach those goals and think Gov. Rick Scott will back their play. Graduating from a four-year college costs $23,647.
After 4 Straight Years, Flagler County School District Loses Its A Rating, to a B
The drop is reflective of a statewide drop in district and school grades, and it masks an improvement, at least relative to other districts, of Flagler’s ranking, from 29th in the state to 19th. Still, the drop is ill-timed with a district effort to renew a half-cent sales tax school levy.
Stop Paying Paper-Pushing Administrators And Union Bosses Better Than Teachers
Can anyone imagine the owner of the Miami Heat announcing that LeBron James has done such an outstanding job leading his team to the NBA championship that he is being “promoted” to a front-office job?
Bucking State Trend, Flagler School Grades Stay Strong, But So Does Criticism
All but one Flagler County public or charter school scored an A or a B. The exception was Palm Harbor Academy, a charter, which scored an F. The state’s teachers union cautioned against making much of the results absent a more reliable testing system.
Florida A&M’s James Ammons Resigns 8 Months After Robert Champion’s Hazing Death
Florida A&M University President James Ammons resigned Wednesday amid continuing fallout from the hazing death of “Marching 100” drum major Robert Champion and other problems at the historically black school.
New Charter School Hastily Signs Lease for Tenant-Challenged Building at County Airport
Global Outreach Academy has been on the hunt for a building for months. The three-year deal at the Flagler County Airport fills a building on which the county has been paying $111,000 a year while having a terrible time keeping occupied since it built it for Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University in 2004.
Student-Led School Prayers Are Now Legal, But Fear of Litigation Could Trump God
The new Florida school prayer law lets local school districts approve policies allowing students to deliver prayers at school events, but districts aren’t likely to approve such measures for fear of costly litigation.
Flagler’s Teachers Union President on FCAT, The GOP, and High-Stakes Misconceptions
Katie Hansen, president of Flagler County’s teachers union, forcefully argues against FCAT’s culture of high-stakes testing and false but pervasive notions that unions protect bad teachers and contribute only to Democrats.
Lord of the Flies On a School Bus: The Bullying of Karen Klein
Karen Klein is the 68-year-old school bus monitor from Greece, N.Y., cruelly bullied by seventh graders and recorded on a YouTube video that went viral. The middle schoolers are acting out the persecuting spirit that christens their daily lives.
Daniel Biles, Ex-Bunnell Elementary Aide, Re-Arrested In Court on Child Porn Charges
Daniel Biles, the former Bunnell Elementary school teacher aide arrested in April on 10 child pornography charges, was back in jail Tuesday on 14 additional, similar charges.
FPC’s Jacob Oliva Is Named Assistant Superintendent, Lynette Shott Is New Principal
Superintendent Janet Valentine told the school board this evening a deputy superintendent was critical to ensure a proper succession–and to fill in at a critical time, as she tends to her daughter, who was involved in a violent car wreck.
Ciara Glover
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Ciara Glover is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 5 to 7 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Emily Consiglio
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Emily Consiglio is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 5 to 7 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Claire Collins
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Claire Collins is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 5 to 7 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Jordan Hope Collier
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Jordan Hope Collier is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 5 to 7 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Nicole Swanson
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Nicole Swanson is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Taylor Phillips
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Taylor Phillips is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Julimar Castaner
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Julimar Castaner is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Melissa Swanson
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Melissa Swanson is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Chelsea Barney
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Chelsea Barney is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Karsyn Bembry
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Karsyn Bembry is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Haley Watson
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Haley Watson is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Isabella Colindres
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Isabella Colindres is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Tori Phillips
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Tori Phillips is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Sydney Olsen
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Sydney Olsen is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Gabrielle Wong
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Gabrielle Wong is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Kendall Rose Morgan
Little Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Kendall Rose Morgan is a Little Miss Flagler County contestant in the 8 to 11 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Nicole Zavala
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Nicole Zavala is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Kerry Norberg
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Kerry Norberg is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.
Alexa Blair Miller
Miss Flagler County Contestant (2012)
Alexa Blair Miller is a Miss Flagler County Scholarship Pageant contestant in the 16-23 year old category of the 2012 Flagler County Pageant.