Leon County Schools are struggling to respond to a new federal freeze on more than six million dollars of their budget. But they’re also celebrating school district grades issued by the state.
Leon County earned a B from the Florida Department of Education for the school year that just ended. The district was just two points away from an A.
Two elementary schools made dramatic progress.
Ruediger Elementary jumped from a C to an A for the first time in 17 years. Principal Shannon Haire thanked the parents and children for working at home together.
“Kids in Title 1 schools, and in our zip code, are just as smart as any other kid," Haire said to applause.
Sabal Palm Elementary improved from a D to an A in just one year, which no one could recall ever happening in the district.
Principal Latoyer Hankerson called up her faculty and staff, who attended this week’s school board meeting in their school t-shirts.
“I’m thankful for those people that came to me and said ‘Thank you for pushing,’" Hankerson said. "But like I told them before this school grade even came out, ‘Listen, the hard work is just beginning. We now must maintain the A, because at the end of the day, this ain’t no fluke.’”
Hankerson is in her second year as Sabal Palm's principal. She had worked at the Bureau of School Improvement at the state Department of Education.
“This is what Hankerson and Sabal Palm do on a daily basis," she said. "Because I tell them it don’t matter who walks on that campus, we do what we do is what? [Everyone: Teach.] And that’s what we do.”
School board member Rosanne Wood lauded their progress but noted that three schools in her district lost a letter grade by just one point.
“So, although I value that you made this achievement, I think we always need to remember that school grades are not the school," said Wood. "The school community, the teachers, are what matter the most. And you can’t judge a book by a cover or a grade.”
Despite the bad news about their budget, school board members promised to pay for celebrations at the high-achieving schools in their districts.
