Some tears, many more cheers
A top rating and new spaces are some of the high points of the year.
By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published December 27, 2006
It was a bittersweet year in Citrus County schools.
Teachers celebrated their students' gains on this year's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test - which earned the district its first A - but grumbled that soon they will be ranked and paid based on those students' gains. Only one in four teachers will get performance bonuses under the Special Teachers Are Rewarded program in June.
Students, for their part, were happy to have scrapbooking, ethnic cooking and other after-school activities at all four middle schools. But many are apprehensive about a new statewide education initiative that requires students to declare majors in the ninth grade. Citrus is also seeking to keep more freshmen in school by housing them in smaller learning communities known as academies, one of the major reforms adopted by the district this past year.
The School Board had its share of ups and downs, too.
In March, School Board attorney Richard "Spike" Fitzpatrick, 57, died from complications from cancer. After relying on his legal expertise for 28 years, board members wondered whether any other attorney could fill his shoes and keep them from making "stupid mistakes."
In the end, the board unanimously threw its support behind Inverness attorney Wes Bradshaw, who was hired over a slate of more experienced attorneys from other counties.
The mood shifted at the start of the new school year. After years of being in mobile units behind Citrus High, students of the Renaissance Center moved into a new $6.5-million school in Lecanto. The board was thrilled with the new home for students with behavioral problems. In addition to offering them more opportunities, the school also now gives a second chance to those students who in the past would have been expelled or suspended for drug or alcohol offenses.
This month, the board also rejoiced when ground was broken on the new elementary school in Citrus Springs. The school, which can serve up to 810 students, will cost a record $21-million to build. When it opens in August 2008, it will absorb many of the new arrivals to the fast-growing central ridge area and help reduce crowding at the other elementary schools.
For three board members attending the end-of-the year groundbreaking, the moment was particularly sweet. Pat Deutschman, Linda Powers and Lou Miele won re-election to the School Board this year.
Deutschman, who initially had said she wouldn't seek a third term, changed her mind and wound up defeating challenger Renna Jablonskis. Powers won a decisive victory over challengers Bruce Bellamy and Hank Hemrick.
Miele was the only incumbent who didn't win enough votes in the primary to win the race outright. He defeated teacher Paul Earnheart in the November general election.
Superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel also had a roller coaster year.
She was crushed by the loss of Fitzpatrick, who was a close, trusted friend.
In the latter part of the year, she was rebuffed by the board, which rejected her proposal for a mandatory drug testing program. Saying it would discourage alcohol and drug usage among students, Himmel ultimately failed to persuade a majority on the board that testing high school athletes was a good idea.
The community seemed divided on the issue. At the only public forum, some parents complained about the intrusive nature of the urine tests while others said the program would help save lives. Himmel has said she will continue to seek funding for programs that aim to keep students from using drugs.
Despite the failure of one of her major policy initiatives this year, Himmel was thrilled when she learned that the state awarded Citrus an A.
Becoming an A school district was one of Himmel's main goals since taking office two years ago. Last year, she dispatched her top staffers to several high-performing districts in the state with orders to bring back and implement the best practices that would help raise student achievement in Citrus.
Himmel's goals for the coming year include improving literacy across the curriculum and raising graduation rates. With more growth on the horizon, Himmel has said she intends to push schools to focus on the three R's of high school reform: rigor, relevance and relationships.
Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 860-7305.