Latest news with #CountySchools
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clay County Schools faces $10M budget hole ahead of new school year
Clay County Schools Superintendent David Broskie says the district is facing a $10 million budget shortfall heading into the 2025-2026 school year. 'Right now, the county's costs are more than the money that we make,' the superintendent shared. In a May workshop meeting, the county leader named inflation, uncertainty with the state budget, and decreased enrollment as some reasons the county is facing a loss. The superintendent's budget presentation showed 500 fewer students enrolled in the county, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. 'So if you look at it... The difference of about 500 students... you're looking at about 4 million dollars just there,' Broskie said. The report also detailed the millions of dollars in local and state funds going towards Family Empowerment Scholarships (FES), or private school vouchers. Related: Mayor Deegan signs resolution calling on Florida to continue funding advanced courses It's something the superintendent named as another contributor to the county's budget deficit. In fiscal year 2024- 2025, over $24.3 million in aid went towards the vouchers. That's a jump from the $16.8 million that local and state governments paid out in FY 2023-2024. By the next fiscal year, the superintendent said that early estimates show that number will increase to $30 million. To better manage the county's budget, district leaders are reviewing all district and school allocations. The move will affect hundreds of school employees. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Clay County Spokesperson, Terri Dennis, sent Action News Jax this response: 'To proactively manage our resources and align with our projected budget, we have made adjustments to approximately 200 employee allocations. We want to assure our community that all employees impacted by these shifts have been offered new positions for which they are certified or qualified. These opportunities span a variety of roles, including instructional, support, and administrative positions, ensuring that we continue to leverage the talents of our dedicated staff. Superintendent Broskie also says the county is making other adjustments to better manage its resources during this financial challenge, like; Renegotiating district contracts Evaluating the profitability of all district programs Pausing all travel expenses Initiating a hiring freeze Florida lawmakers continue their state budget negotiations in Tallahassee. The legislative session was supposed to end on May 2nd. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Horry County Schools addresses fiery TikTok trend
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A TikTok challenge centered on students damaging their school-issued computers has made its way to Horry County Schools. The 'Chromebook Challenge' only began a few weeks ago, but has likely taken up your kids' TikTok feed. Kids film themselves, or others, sticking objects like paper clips or pencils into their Chromebook's USB port. It's done on purpose to create a short and cause smoke inside the classroom. Horry County Schools said it's aware of the challenge and have already had a few situations inside middle schools. 'We have had a couple of incidents of that a couple of weeks ago,' Lisa Bourcier, HCS spokesperson, said. 'Nothing recently and not a lot. But we do consider it vandalism and the instances that we have, we were fortunate not to have any fire or evacuations from those.' HCS said participating in the trend can cause serious consequences for both the student and parent, including up to three days of out of school suspension and law enforcement involvement for vandalism and fees. 'We are holding parents responsible; financially responsible for repairs of the computers or reimbursement of the computers if it's a complete loss, and that can be upwards of almost $700 per device,' Bourcier said. Other school districts have had to evacuate school buildings after a Chromebook burst into flames, causing major disruptions. Bourcier said many principals have already sent out emails to parents about this. Phil Jackson said his kids would face major consequences if they participated and would make his kids pay the fees. 'Look, to damage school property and for something like this and inserting objects into a Chromebook, it's senseless,' Jackson said. 'So, if there's any kids out there listening, stop doing it.' News13 spoke to HCS superintendent Clifford Jones after a community event Wednesday who said destruction of property is not allowed. The district encourages parents to talk to their kids about the consequences this trend will bring. 'Yeah, it's a trend, but it's not a good trend, it's not something that you want to be doing,' Jackson said. * * * Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Superintendent, Cash educator win honors
The retiring superintendent of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has been named superintendent of the year by an educators' union, and an employee of Cash Elementary School is one of the recipients of the 2025 Core Awards for exceptional educators in WS/FCS, officials announced Wednesday night. Tricia McManus, who announced last week that she decided after the recent birth of her first grandchild to retire on June 30, was chosen the 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the North Carolina Association of Educators, WS/FCS Board of Education chair Deanna Kaplan said at the school district's Core Awards ceremony in the historic R.J. Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem. Jessica Schaefer, media coordinator at Cash Elementary, won the Core Award for Certified Instructional Support Personnel of the Year. McManus was chosen for her commitment to open dialogue, collaboration and genuine partnership with teachers, said Jenny Easter, the president of the Forsyth County Association of Educators. "Having a superintendent who actively listens and values educators' voices makes a meaningful difference for our schools, students, and our community,' Easter said. The winners of the other Core Awards were: • Robert Ash, Speas Elementary School, Principal of the Year • Jamille Rhodes, Konnoak Middle School, Assistant Principal of the Year • Cristofer Wiley, R.J. Reynolds High School, Teacher of the Year • Chasity Jones, Central Office Legal Department, Classified Employee of the Year • Heather Hosey, R.J. Reynolds High School, Judy Mountjoy Volunteer of the Year Each winner was given an award designed by WS/FCS Art Teacher Sydney Hinkle and a $500 check. There were almost 350 nominees. After extensive interviews, essays, letters of recommendation from parents and co-workers and observations, five finalists in each of the six categories were chosen.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Raleigh County Schools kicks off Disability Awareness and Acceptance Week
SOPHIA, WV (WVNS) – Students and educators alike came together on Monday, April 7, 2025, for a celebratory event kicking off Disability Awareness and Acceptance Week for Raleigh County Schools. The annual program encourages inclusivity and acceptance of those navigating various disabilities and those with special needs. Four years removed from its initial conception, the program is being recognized for the second year on a county-wide scale. Monday's event featured several performances promoting visibility among the special needs community, a practice which Behavior Specialist for Raleigh County Schools, Taffy Robertson, noted is equally applicable in the community at large. Beckley business trying to raise money to help local kid battling Guillain-Barré Syndrome 'They are not just in schools but they are people that are at Walmart and in the grocery stores,' said Robertson. 'A lot of my performers hold jobs, so you will see them in the community too.' Special Education Autism Teacher for Raleigh County Schools, Laural Coleman also pointed out the importance of inclusivity among students. 'It means a whole lot,' Coleman said. 'It means that my kids are better accepted, my kids are included, and they can create friendships outside of my classroom.' Many of these students demonstrated their skills for those in attendance during Monday's ceremony through group performances. Disability Awareness and Acceptance week will be observed in Raleigh County Schools throughout the remainder of the week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR honors man who designed newly installed Loudon County guardrails
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The man behind the newest generation of guardrails that offer better collision outcomes at higher rates of speed and have been installed in Tennessee will be honored by NASCAR for his work. Dr. Dean Sicking will be honored with the Landmark award during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025 for his work designing safer guardrails for their tracks. In addition to his work for NASCAR, Sicking, 67, designed most of the guardrails on Tennessee roads according to Stephen Eimers, a guardrail expert and roadside safety activist from Lenoir City. Knox County Schools reviewing posts purportedly made by teacher Sicking's recent work includes Next Generation Terminals (NGT) which have passed collision tests at higher speeds than any other guardrail in the United States, as far as its designers are aware. Some of these were recently installed on I-75 in Lenoir City. An engineer from the Tennessee Department of Transportation said that NGT was 'a good safety improvement in the right direction.' A NASCAR spokesperson wrote that one of the barriers he invented 'has saved countless lives over the past 20 years.' His work also protects drivers on the NASCAR tracks in Nashville and Bristol. He also won the Bill France Award of Excellence in 2003 and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2005. This year's NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees include Carl Edwards, Ricky Rudd and Ralph Moody. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
