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Schools

School Board member queries kids

By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE
Published January 15, 2007

CITRUS SPRINGS - Citrus Springs Middle School eighth-grade reading teacher Shelly Lashley decided it might be a good idea for her students to know what goes on in the Citrus County School District. So she invited School Board member Bill Murray to speak to her classes.

During his recent visit, Murray gave the students lots of impressively big numbers - and asked them to do some guessing.

"How many kids go to school in Citrus County?" Murray asked. Some guesses: 10,000, 13,000.

The actual number: about 16,000.

"How many of you came to school in a school bus today?" Lots of hands went up.

"We transport about 10,000 on about 165 buses a day. These buses travel 2-million miles a year," he said.

The school district uses about 20,000 gallons of gas every five days. The vehicles are fueled at one of the three bus garages.

A student wanted to know where the district gets the fuel.

"We have distributors. We bid on them," Murray said.

He threw out more numbers. "How many teachers for those 16,000 students?"

There is an instructional staff of about 1,200 with a support team of about 1,000.

With 2,200 employees and a budget of about $217-million, Murray said, the Citrus County School District is the biggest business in the county.

Murray had the students help him list the district's schools. There are three high schools, four middle schools, 10 elementary schools and six specialty schools: Withlacoochee Technical School, the Academy of Environmental Science, Renaissance Center, CREST School, the Marine Science Station and Horizon Educational Center.

Besides making decisions about the schools already here, Murray said, School Board members also must look to the future. They watch for growth so they can make sure incoming children can be accommodated. They have to think about things like a possible Suncoast Parkway expansion into Citrus and construction of a Levy County nuclear power plant.

The students asked when the county would get another high school. Murray said that the district would need to find a way to fund it and that many existing schools need renovation.

"Why don't you just save money and then buy it?" a student asked.

"The price would go up," Murray said.

The calendar for the 2007-2008 school year came up. Some students seemed shocked that exams would be after Christmas break and they'd have to go to school into June.

One unhappy student said, "But when we get back from Christmas vacation, we'll forget everything we know!"

As chair of the board, Murray listed some of his duties: running the board meetings, managing public hearings, acting as a liaison between four or five schools and the board. He said all the board members have schools assigned to them for that purpose.

[Last modified January 15, 2007, 07:19:17]