Q: Can you shed any insight on the school district’s involvement with county preparations for hurricanes?
A: In light of the back-to- back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, I’ve received several questions about this. The school district is involved with the county’s Emergency Operations Center from the onset of a storm. Our facilities and operations department is engaged 24/7 as we have to be prepared to open schools to serve as emergency shelters. Then, after it’s safe for people to leave, the school must be cleaned and sanitized before we are able to receive students back. This is why it takes an extra day or so after the storm has passed until the schools are reopened.
We also have principals and staff onsite at the schools when they are open as shelters. They help serve food and generally make sure the people are taken care of. We often get travelers from other parts of Florida who are evacuating, in addition to local people. It’s a major operation for our leadership and staff.
Interestingly, some of our staff went to Dixie County to help them get their schools reopened after Hurricane Helene. This is a normal procedure and they would do the same for us.
Q: Do you have any last minute information to share about the two school referenda on ballots on Nov. 5?
A: The school district has been holding a series of meetings for citizens to learn about the referenda on the ballot. Keep in mind that this is a lengthy ballot and our referenda are the last two items. Passage of these referenda will be critical for the future of our community.
Some of the concerns I’ve heard are that the district can simply do more belt-tightening instead. We’ve done a lot of budget cuts over the years and there comes a point where quality is sacrificed. As we continue to sustain and increase the safety at our schools and services to our students, additional funding is critical. In order to recruit and retain excellent teachers and staff, we must be able to compete with surrounding counties’ compensation.
If you have any additional questions about the referenda, you can visit www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/vote/.
Q: Do you have anything else to share with District 4?
A: I’d like to recognize and congratulate this year’s National Merit Semifinalists from Nease and Ponte Vedra high schools:
From Nease: Tu Ly Bui. Ethan Diachun, Sophia Drake, Kaitlyn Glidewell, Hershel Kamat, Pranay Kolukuluri, Braden Leonard, David Lovett, Sheza Mehruf, MacKenzie Moy, Jolie Nguyen, Jessica Pandey, Vasanth Parthasarathy, and Likith Tipimeni.
From Ponte Vedra: Vivian Foisy, Maia Geronimo, Chase Kennedy, Skylar Liu, Aidan Procopio, Arianna Rahmathulla, Emlynn Rossiya, Banks Vadeboncoeur, and Ella York.
Q: How can our readers contact you?
A: They can email me at kelly.barrera@stjohns.k12.fl.us or call me at (904) 547-7510.
