If students are more involved in extracurricular activities, it minimizes their desire for trouble. Running for the District 1 seat are Nadia Combs, incumbent Steve Cona, Ben Greene and Bill Person. Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. Yes, currently our high schools are developing more in the likeness of junior colleges, such as Hillsborough Community College. The School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida, met in regular session Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at 4 p.m., in the School Board Auditorium, 901 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, with Superintendent Addison Davis and Board Members Vice Chair Steve Cona, Lynn Gray, Stacy Hahn, … The topics frequently venture towards those never spoken about in polite company such as politics and religion. The following statements have been submitted to ABC Action News by the candidate. Lynn Gray, a former educator and running coach, won that seat in 2016 and is trying for a second term. The district has been following the numbers of suspensions and discipline for two years concerning these issues. One specific aspect that HCPS should pursue is culturally relevant and responsive teaching, which is a serious and powerful tool for accelerating student learning. These steps should have already been put in place. These are all data proven behavior management programs used across the nation. I would strongly encourage the district to actively recruit and hire more quality minority teachers and administrators to work in the inner city and lower-performing schools with a proven track record of working in turnaround schools. The generational disparities of economics and education bias for Black and brown students should not be ignored. I do believe that students need to see themselves in their school leaders. I currently work with our new chief of diversity, Hispanic staff and Hispanic community leaders to help facilitate this goal. Equity: We must address the inequities that continue to plague our historically underserved and marginalized communities. To push the district to 90 percent and beyond, the graduate rate must include intentional measures that prevent a scholar from dropping out. Have district VPK teachers and preschool teachers become certified in pre-K education. The solution to this is to provide in-depth training for our educators on cultural differences and to host consistent forms with our community stakeholders. 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Because this is a non-partisan seat, the winner of the primary will win the election. In recognition for my passion for youth success I was honored by Beyoncé’ as being a Global Ambassador for BeyGood Philanthropic organization. Lower class sizes and support teams that can help educate and meet the needs of the whole child. Each year hundreds of middle and high school students along with their parents attend the summit. Charters do fill a need and are not going away. Their original purpose was to serve high-needs populations and to be an innovative, exemplary and non-duplicative source of education. You must take a close look at what has been done and where it is working and where it is not working. Their educators should be certified, and they should show models on how they plan to close the achievement gaps, remain in accordance with school district accountability practices, and increase gains in their graduation rates. Maybe most important, she was one of the few on the Board who basically voted to tell State Education Secretary Bob Corcoran to jump in a lake over telling the County when they could and couldn’t open schools. Yes it does require more resources. It is through behavior management of students in a positive sense which results in an equitable, positive school culture among ALL races and ethnic backgrounds. The charter schools should be held accountable to the same standards that the district public schools are held to. Put them all under Hillsborough County Public School District with the needed oversight and accountability. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. This is done by analyzing each individual case. Charter Schools are not the enemy. I would speak to current educators and ask their opinions on what they feel works and doesn’t work with our current reading curriculum. This is a county-wide seat and the only school board race I vote in this round. We must keep up with community expectations. This support can come from Title I funds and there are partnerships within our community that also are willing to help. Some charters provide a smaller and more intimate setting that may be more conducive to a student’s specific needs. Our children need a knowledgeable educator by design, not by chance. We should study other school districts our size who have had similar or better success. Lynn needs YOUR VOTE. Florida Statute states “they must meet high standards of student achievement, align with accountability systems, improve student learning and academic achievement, create innovative measurement tools...” Seventeen of our 51 charter schools are C or below. The district needs to be more sensitive to their hiring methods and making sure students see leaders and administrators that are of same ethnicity. … We will continue to build systems of care and leverage the knowledge from our practitioners that will allow students to discover endless possibilities. I firmly believe that every classroom in Hillsborough County Public Schools should have an extensive, robust library so our students have quality texts available at their fingertips and I would push for resources to ensure this is the case. In addition, there is something on her website that really bothers me. What approach is needed to improve academic performance at the district’s lowest-performing schools? Provide child care for our families via full service centers. COVID and reopening the schools, bringing up the low-performing schools, mental health, safety for our students from bullying. What if there was a track and field plus athletic center there as well? Welcome to Hillsborough City School District. Standardize the VPK/pre-K curriculum to include a rich program of phonics along with literacy and numeracy. ~~Mark Twain. Our Transformation Schools department should be a top priority districtwide. Increase funding for VPK and our pre-K education programs. This is unacceptable. I am against further expansion of charter schools in Hillsborough County until we can align the use of charter schools strategically with the advancement of choice for our students. General election for Hillsborough County Public Schools Board of Education District 7 At-large. This is great, but we want to make that number zero. I would look at the rates of our students who are accepted into military schools, Ivy League universities, and state schools compared to other districts. If elected to the School Board, I will push for changes in the way we approach education in these schools, lobby external sources (e.g., the state Legislature) for additional funding, and critically examine the district’s budget to identify means of reallocating resources to address this persistent and unacceptable situation. This is my place to rant, rave and pontificate about anything that's on my mind. Education: Robinson High School; studied at Hillsborough Community College and University of South Florida. My plan for discipline is to encourage administrators to observe the offense and measure the weight of the offense. She couldn’t run that office if she weren’t…so her making it a point to bring that up says something to me about what kind of person she is, and how she thinks. It is a must that I address discrimination and educational biases that have existed for generations. Then entire student body, faculty, staff and leadership buy into this outreach thus full fidelity. All of these schools serve a majority population of students of color. Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is a school district that runs the public school system of Hillsborough County in west central Florida and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.It is frequently referred to as the School District of Hillsborough County (SDHC).. All schools have covered courts, thus have PE teachers teach predominantly outside. Gray, a former educator and running coach, won that seat in 2016. Sally A. Harris, Hillsborough County School Board, District 7 ABC Action News| 10-06 In an effort to help you make informed decisions during the General Election, ABC Action News has reached out to dozens of candidates running for office. I have a great deal of interest in politics, religion, technology, gadgets, food and movies, but I enjoy most any topic. This focus on literacy should begin with our youngest pre-K students and continue through high school, because tasks and texts become increasingly complex as students move through grade levels. Lynn Gray is running for re-election on the Hillsborough County School Board in District 7, a countywide seat. We would provide access to technical colleges or host vocational/technical programs on our high school campuses. She shares my concerns with loss of funding to for-profit charter companies, and I believe has the backbone to actually take that on. The district just purchased one of those instructional aides that has a proven track record to increase students reading. MINUTES SCHOOL BOARD OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA 901 E. Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa Tuesday, July 7, 2020 . HCSD is a leader in educating the whole child in responsive, innovative, learning environments where all students and educators are engaged, empowered and continually striving to reach their potential. The current reality of our school district is the increasing of AP classes, IB studies, dual enrollment-college and career/technical. Education: Bachelor’s in social studies education, University of South Florida; master’s in education, Nova Southeastern University. We would also require mediation and choose the best-qualified educators to provide the remediation. Stakeholders and community input must be part of making a decision as massive as this. Posted at 10:41 AM, Oct 06, 2020 . Pepin Academy is a great example of how charter schools can serve our student community correctly: innovative, specific high needs population, privately owned, extremely accountable and fiscally sound. This is the final installment in our School Board candidate series. We should also continue to hire the best and most qualified educators. The Transformation department personnel are the key change agents for success to turn around our lower-performing schools. This does not discredit the racial and ethnic differences of those who are descendants of Asian and Indian ancestry. Posted at 10:17 AM, Oct 07, 2020 . The third pressing issue is to address funding and early childhood literacy. As they are aware of the differences and have begun to put in place assistance to the schools that may have higher numbers than others. Listening to families and students about their needs, identifying gaps in our offerings, and then acting to create or increase choice offerings are all necessary prerequisites to eliminating the need for charter schools. Lynn Gray was elected to the Hillsborough County School Board, representing countywide District 7, in 2016. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Subscribe to receive a once per week digest of posts here on Deep. It is clear that what we’ve been doing isn’t working. In the same way that athletes improve with practice, the more students read, the better they get at reading. We have yet to meet the first step criteria. If so, where would you get them? ALICE families are hardworking residents who still find it hard to make ends meet. She has over 40 years of classroom and school administrative experience and is involved in the schools as more than just a member of the board. She still actively volunteers and substitutes. Hillsborough County School Board District 7 Candidates Lynn Gray and Sally Harris. By: Deborah Childress. The School District of Hillsborough County is committed to providing websites that are accessible to all of our stakeholders. What are the three most pressing issues for the school district, and how would you address them? Occupation: Adjunct education professor at the University of South Florida; literary consultant, Education: Bachelors’ degrees in mass communications and special education, University of South Florida; master’s in educational leadership, Nova Southeastern University; doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies, University of South Florida 1/4 u00b7. We also know that the amount of time children spend reading is directly correlated to how well they score on literacy assessments. The majority of families in our lower-performing schools are ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed) families. Pre-K phonics plus literacy-rich curriculum. Monroe Middle, Tampa Bay Tech., Branch Manager of … But, if you're provoked, comments are welcome. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Put in place additional Hispanic translators, Hispanic leadership and staff, and enhancing curriculum with Hispanic cultural history and relevant histories. How would you improve reading scores, especially in the lower grades? We are reminded as educators when there is a respectful and trusting student-to-teacher relationship, academic focus then becomes a reality. Secondly, I would continue to monitor our graduation rates as well as dropout rates. Next time, half should go to our capital needs and the other half toward our salaries. During the 2019-20 academic year, the ethnic and racial makeup of HCPS was 37.1 percent Hispanic/Latino, 32.9 percent white, 21.0 percent Black, 4.6 percent multiracial, 4.1 percent Asian, and 0.2 percent Native American and Pacific Islander. Despite these numbers, Black students are almost four times as likely to be suspended from our schools as white students, almost three times as likely to be removed from the classroom but kept within school, and almost three times as likely to be expelled. We can not keep doing the same thing and expect different results. For far too long, there has seemingly been an unnecessary battle between the necessity of charters schools and why they are or are not needed. Another option may be to redraw boundaries to ensure that schools are at their capacity. This means we have to focus on, fund and support ongoing professional development for every educator. We have to be equipped to understand all problems that may hinder the child. She also makes a strong point of supporting “a parent’s right to choose,” which is a dog-whistle for Charter Schools. If schools are under capacity, we can look at expanding magnet programs at those schools. Records and Content Management consultant who enjoys good stories and good discussion. First pressing issue — COVID-19. Dear family, friends, coworkers, investors, supporters and voters, When I began this campaign for Hillsborough County School Board District 7, I offered my skill set of 30+ years of accounting and financial management experience to the voters of Hillsborough County to help manage an organization with a $3billion budget that is the largest employer in the County. So, for all those reasons, I’m going with Lynn Gray for Hillsborough School Board District 7. Third pressing issue — Increase funding for our public schools by restoring our total millage rates from 2007 and increasing impact fees (just did) to further our restoration of schools and their infrastructure. Two of the seven seats on the Hillsborough County Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016.District 5 incumbent Doretha Edgecomb did not file for re-election, and five candidates vied for her seat on the board in the primary election on August 30, 2016: Joe Jordon-Robinson, Lynette Judge, Jacqueline Leeks, Tarance LeNoir, and Tamara Shamburger. If elected, I would seek to constantly assess how our current funds are being spent and, if necessary, push for efforts to reallocate funds and resources to align with our identified priorities. The ROI from charter does prove worth the public advancement. Four people ran for the District 1 seat on the Hillsborough County School Board. Invite community leaders to come into our classrooms to also assist in a more one-on-one reading tutorial role. We have to make sure that we are collaborating with early learning centers, VPK programs, and daycares by providing them with early literacy tools. It doesn’t cast her in a very good light. Funding: Budget priorities MUST align with the stated goal of superintendent Davis and HCPS: “All decisions will be made with our learners in the forefront. I talked to Lynn Gray this time and in her previous election. Temperature checks daily for students before getting on bus or into the schools, providing masks daily for each student and family visitor. If so, where and how would you go about it? July 2, 2020. Continued expansion of charter schools, locally and statewide, decreases public school funding and contributes to increased segregation, which inhibits our ability to create a premier school district. District 7 is a countywide seat on the Hillsborough County School Board. Extend day of school such as we did in double sessions so as to reduce the number of students per class, common areas and lunches. 53:39. Some examples of specific actions we should take include: recognizing and changing inequitable school and district-level practices and policies, including discipline and dress code; reviewing ALL curriculum through the lens of equity to ensure materials that marginalize students and families or omit historically silenced voices are not used; and advocating for educator training in culturally relevant teaching. Meet the candidates for Hillsborough School Board District 7, © \"Gabriella Angotti-Jones | Times\"/Tampa Bay Times/Tampa Bay Times/TNS. As the growth in this community is only increasing, we need to be ahead not caching up. Miss Sally Harris officially announced her 2020 Campaign for the Hillsborough County School Board District 7. 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