The Newberry Community School Board wished Chuck Clemons, a former board member, farewell at a meeting Monday. They also confirmed Title I plans ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
The community school will officially open Aug. 10.
Chuck Clemons
Clemons attended Monday’s meeting, although this time speaking from the opposite side of the podium. His last meeting was held in June, and Jessica Norfleet has since stepped up to take his place.
Speaking during public comment, in which participants are limited to three minutes to speak, Clemons shared an over eight-minute-long speech with the board, acknowledging how far it’s come.
“When we first sat around the table a couple years ago in the living room discussing creating a community school for Newberry, we didn't have a building,” Clemons said. “We didn't have students, we didn't have teachers, we didn't have anything other than a vision.”
Clemons acknowledged the progress and work the board has put into making Newberry Community School a reality.
His departure doesn’t signal the end, he added, but the beginning of the school.
“Today isn't the conclusion of our efforts,” he said. “In a few days, 20 days, our community school will have its opening day, and on that exact morning, children will begin writing the story that all of us have helped to make possible.”
Clemons’ speech concluded with teary eyes and a “thank you.”
Title I plans
The board also voted in favor of new policies and plans, like the Title I plan, that must be put in place ahead of the new school year.
Newberry Community School is a Title I school, meaning it has a high concentration of low-income students and receives federal funding to ensure students meet academic standards.
The school is estimated to receive $188,100 for the Title I budget, according to principal Lacy Roberts.
The money will fund a literacy coach, an intervention teacher, additional learning resources, after-school tutoring programs for underperforming students, a field trip for each grade level and administrative attendance at a Florida Association of School Administrators conference.
Roberts said the intervention teacher will be responsible for pulling students performing below grade level from class to help address any learning concerns.
The FASA conference will help her and assistant principal April Atkins better hone their leadership skills, Roberts said.
The board was also set to approve its school improvement plan ahead of the new school year, but the software used to access data to design the plan has been down since last Thursday.
While this was expected to be the board’s last meeting ahead of the new school year, the board will have to meet again to approve the school improvement plan before Aug. 10.
Still, board members expressed excitement ahead of the school’s opening.
Board attorney Shawn Arnold acknowledged the collaborative effort between the board and Neighborhood Schools, Inc., the nonprofit that helped foster the elementary school’s conversion to a charter school.
“You and NSI are on the track to open,” Arnold said. “Everybody in Tallahassee is very excited about it.”
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
