Q: What can you report about the first day of school, Aug. 12?
A: The first day went really well. Each principal was so enthusiastic and there’s a lot of excitement once the students and the teachers are in the building. Everyone really looks forward to opening the doors and welcoming our students and families back. The positive energy carries on through August. Our students were starting academics the second day!
Q: Can you describe the new security procedures?
A: The gates around the school buildings have to stay locked during the school day or be manned at all times if unlocked. This will take a little while for us all to get used to. The principals and school leadership have spent a lot of time training on these new procedures to make sure we are in compliance. As our Executive Director of Facilities and Operations Paul Rose said, safety isn’t always convenient, but safety is safety.
Q: How will volunteers or visitors be able to get into the schools?
A: With the gates being locked, our parking lots and volunteers/visitors will be impacted. I highly encourage any family member who wants to be on school grounds during the school day for any reason, to include volunteering or attending an awards ceremony, to go ahead and do the volunteer clearance that includes a background check. This is what will be required to let you in the building.
Q: What is the cell phone policy of our schools this year?
A: We do have cell phone policies that are reinforced by Florida Statute. Cell phones are not allowed to be out during instructional time in the classroom.
Q: Is the school board still working on the budget?
A: Yes. As we work on the budget, we are encountering some significant challenges. As background, the Florida Legislature has set our school millage to the rollback rate for the past nine years. To illustrate, in 2015 – 2016, the rate was 7.228 mills. Currently, it is 5.278 mills. Over time, significant efforts towards cost cutting have occurred; however, we are becoming more and more limited in our options.
Q: Do you have anything else to share with District 4?
A: I would like to encourage parents to support their students by getting involved in our schools. Support from community members is also encouraged and welcomed. The quality of our neighborhood public schools reverberates to the quality of our community. Partnering with our public schools is vital to our community.
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.
