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The school board in brief
By Times staff writer © St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2001 The School Board agreed Tuesday to contribute $4,300 to the county to help pay for staff at the three school gymnasiums which will be open to youngsters this summer. Board member Sandra "Sam" Himmel asked for the contribution Tuesday, and Superintendent David Hickey said the request should have gone to Finance Director Sam Hurst before board approval. But the other board members unanimously supported the expense. If given final approval by the County Commission, gyms will be open at Crystal River and Lecanto high schools as well as Inverness Middle School. The focus is to provide a gathering place for young people but not necessarily organized activities. Former board candidate requests bomb dogCindy Cino encouraged the board on Tuesday to help buy a bomb-sniffing dog for the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Cino, a former board candidate, said she would like to see district funding for the project or possibly ask each the the district's 15,000 students to contribute $1 each to pay for the dog. Several weeks ago, a bomb scare forced the biggest evacuation of schools ever in the district as all the east side students left their buildings while police and administrators searched for a bomb. The board didn't act on Cino's request but did say Sheriff Jeff Dawsy should explore the idea. Dawsy has told board members and Cino that he has access to bomb dogs from other counties if he needs them and that purchasing the dog is only part of the expense. The feeding and upkeep can also be expensive. Tighter policy set on door-to-door salesThe board approved a stricter fundraising policy that bans door-to-door sales for elementary school students because of safety concerns. Last year, a child was mauled by a dog when she was helping her brother sell items for his school. The policy also discourages door-to-door sales for older students and makes the principal of a school the point person for approving most fundraising activities. Previously that had been left to the superintendent's office. Five-year experience cap removedThe board agreed to remove the five-year experience cap from administrators which means all Citrus administrators will be given full credit for their past experience for pay purposes this year. The change will not be retroactive. The cap was removed partly because officials were concerned about finding people to fill the many administrative openings in the district. The board also approved staff changes recommended by Superintendent David Hickey, some of which created those openings. The changes include granting executive director jobs for Mary Curry and former Superintendent James Hughes.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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