Metro | K-12 Education - The Independent Florida Alligator

Elementary schools are desperate to fill teacher positions across both the state and county.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public Schools face teacher vacancies amid statewide school staff shortage

By Sophia Bailly | Sep. 6, 2022

Around 48 K-12 teacher openings were listed on the Alachua County Public Schools website as of Sunday. As school administrations and state politicians look toward short-term solutions, those in the education system are left to grapple with low salaries among the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demonstrators hold signs outside of Alachua County Public Schools Administration Building Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Eastside High School marching band alumni seek a return to original culture

By Omar Ateyah and Allie Sinkovich | Aug. 17, 2022

For advocates, the debate over the marching band’s culture is not merely an issue of extracurriculars. It also embodies an erasure of Black heritage from a school thats roots are intimately tied to a critical part of Black history: the desegregation era.

Thousands of Alachua County residents including students, parents and teachers filled Santa Fe College’s gymnasium Saturday, July 30, 2022.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Rally addresses Gainesville gun violence prior to school year’s start

By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp | Aug. 1, 2022

Thousands of Alachua County residents including students, parents and teachers filled Santa Fe College's gymnasium Saturday for Alachua County's 23rd annual Stop the Violence Back to School Rally.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

College of Education, Alachua face Florida's teaching vacancies

By Jackson Reyes | Aug. 1, 2022

About 9,000 teacher vacancies need to be filled statewide for the upcoming school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Back-to-school rally revolves around youth violence

By Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp | July 25, 2022

The Stop the Violence Back to School Rally will present parents and students with backpacks, school supplies and safety lessons in the Santa Fe College gymnasium Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Two graduates congratulate each other outside of the O’Connell Center after the Sante Fe High School Commencement Ceremony on May 27, 2022.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public Schools held graduation ceremonies without COVID-19 restrictions

By Jackson Reyes | May 30, 2022

Alachua County high school seniors attended their graduation ceremonies, maskless and side-by-side, for the first time in two years.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public School’s racial achievement gap persists

By Emma Behrmann | Apr. 8, 2022

ACPS has the state's widest achievement gap between white and Black students in both English language arts and mathematics. Segregation met its end in 1970 for Alachua County Public Schools, but disparities between Black student and white student performance afflict the district today. This district serves more than 30,000 students, 33% of which are Black and 41% of which are white. ACPS officials acknowledged this gap and crafted an equity plan in 2018, promising to eliminate the disparity by 2028, but the plan failed to narrow the difference in student performance.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County School Board votes Shane Andrew as interim superintendent

By Emma Behrmann | Mar. 18, 2022

Alachua County School Board named Shane Andrew as interim superintendent two weeks after firing former superintendent Carlee Simon. The members voted 3-2 Tuesday, with Mildred Russell and Gunnar Paulson in dissent. Chairman Robert Hyatt asked for agreement in the board’s nomination at the March 2 meeting, but the vote was split again.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Split Alachua County school board votes out Superintendent Carlee Simon

By Emma Behrmann | Mar. 4, 2022

A divided Alachua County School Board fired Superintendent Carlee Simon Tuesday. The board voted 3-2, with Leanetta McNealy and Tina Certain dissenting. Chairman Robert Hyatt, who was part of the majority, named Deputy Superintendent Donna Jones acting superintendent until the board can nominate an interim superintendent at the next board meeting Mar. 15.

Gainesville High School students protest outside their school's campus, waving their flags for oncoming traffic in opposition to Florida's ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which would effectively ban discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in elementary schools and stigmatize it in upper grade levels.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

High school students protest ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill with walkout

By Emma Behrmann | Mar. 4, 2022

Honks, cheers and rainbow-decorated signs accompanied 30 Gainesville High School students as they walked down Northwest 13th Street Thursday afternoon. Hundreds more stood in protest on the baseball fields. GHS students joined Buchholz and Eastside High and students across the state in a walkout to protest the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which passed its final state senate committee Monday and awaits a final vote and signature from the governor. Officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill, the legislation would bar state educators from discussing LGBTQ+ topics that are not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”

Jessica Morey, Buchholz High School history teacher, poses for a portrait inside of her classroom on Thursday, Feb. 17. She said she's always been passionate about teaching African history and working with diverse groups of students.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Black history education extends beyond February in Alachua County

By Emma Behrmann | Feb. 28, 2022

Alachua County Public Schools’ curriculum promises Black history education to extend beyond the month of February and the few names repeated in history textbooks. However, not every classroom fulfills this promise.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

ACPS signs the highest salary package in district history

By Emma Behrmann | Feb. 24, 2022

Alachua County Public Schools and the Alachua County Education Association agreed to the largest salary package offered in the district’s history Wednesday. The salary package amounts to $10.5 million, the largest offer that has ever been on the table for employees in Alachua County, ACEA President Carmen Ward said.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Education Association offers salary proposal

By Emma Behrmann | Feb. 21, 2022

The ACEA and the ACPS bargaining teams reviewed the proposed salary increases for teachers and education professionals, like librarians, media specialists and school psychologists. The proposal would provide education support to professionals and teachers with an additional $0.55 per hour.

Alachua County Public School buses await students at Littlewood Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 2.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public School parents are unhappy as bus route delays continue

By Emma Behrmann | Feb. 4, 2022

Chronic late buses frustrate Alachua County Public School parents as the fifth month of school continues to be marked by delays of up to 90 minutes. Skylah Banks, 36, a Gainesville resident, waited to leave for her 2 p.m. shift until her two third-graders came home from Marjorie K. Rawlings Elementary at 3500 NE 15th St.

English teacher Cassidy Klein is seen inside the A. Quinn Jones Center on Thursday, Jan. 20. Klein was named the 2022 Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health Teacher of the Year.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

A. Quinn Jones English teacher received regional award for dedication to Special Education

By Emma Behrmann | Jan. 24, 2022

Klein, a 25-year-old high school English teacher, received the 2022 Division for Emotional & Behavioral Health teacher of the year award. The DEBH is an international community of educators that dedicates itself to the success of students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. Klein traveled to Orlando Monday to receive her plaque.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

ACPS new COVID cases continue to rise

By Emma Behrmann | Jan. 21, 2022

Alachua County Public Schools saw an increase in the number of new cases from Jan. 9 to Jan. 16, after a record number of new cases the week prior. However, these numbers could increase as parents and employees report test results from before the holiday weekend, ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson said.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Fire at special education public school destroys classrooms, lab

By Jiselle Lee | Jan. 16, 2022

A fire destroyed classrooms at Alachua County public school Sidney Lanier Center on Friday afternoon.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Alachua County Public Schools’ COVID-19 cases increase following winter break

By Emma Behrmann | Jan. 13, 2022

After the first week back, there were 334 new student cases and 55 new staff cases — contributing to a total of 476 reported cases among both groups.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

The left winger: Family, friends remember Santa Fe High School athlete

Nov. 29, 2021

Arambula, a sophomore at Santa Fe High School, died at 16 on Nov. 22.

Ian Vought uses an ice pick and a chainsaw to chisel a pineapple-shaped ice sculpture during the Career Academy Showcase at Eastside High School on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.

METRO | K-12 EDUCATION

Career Academy Showcase returns after pandemic hiatus, targets racial underrepresentation

By Zachary Carnell | Nov. 19, 2021

ACPS hosted the event at Eastside High School instead of the usual venue, Buchholz High School. The change of location was meant to tackle disproportionate success and representation among minority students in Alachua County, College & Career Pathways Director Shannon Ritter said .

Metro | Public Schools