Census 2020: Participation is Key!

Alachua County Council of PTA’s is proud to support the 2020 U.S. Census, and we hope you will plan to participate!

What is the 2020 U.S. Census?
The census is a “roll call,” or count of the U.S. population that happens every 10 years, providing a snapshot of population characteristics.

Why is the Census important?
An accurate census count ensures that our community’s children receive the federal funding they are entitled to. Federally funded programs for children include: Headstart, Title I funding (which provides programming, teacher support and other services for schools with a high percent of low income families), the national school lunch program and special education grants. Other community-wide programs that receive federal funding include healthcare, roads, nutritional assistance programs (SNAP), and Medicaid.

Florida receives $67 million fewer federal dollars than we should each year because so many children were not counted during the last census. Alachua County lost approximately $390 million in the last decade because of overall undercounting.

For the first time this year, the census will be available online. You will have three ways to provide your information: through the mail, phone, or online.

All information provided through the U.S. Census is confidential, safe, secure and protected by federal law. Your answers can only be used to provide statistics. They cannot be used against you in any way.

Key Census 2020 Dates:
Between March 12 and March 20, all households will receive a postcard in the mail with instructions for how to participate. April 1 is the official observation of Census Day nationwide. On May 1, census workers will begin to visit households that have not yet participated. July 31st is the last day to participate.

Visit: www.CountingOnYou.US for more information!

Action needed: School turnaround procedures and timetables

Immediate action is needed regarding the following information, distributed by Florida PTA. 

These bills increase the already too high stakes placed on standardized tests in our state and have the potential to significantly impact the Alachua County school community. Two of our local schools (Hawthorne Middle/High and Terwilliger Elementary) were at risk of closure in the past three years due to school grades and state-mandated turnaround programs. These bills would lead to more schools being at risk of turnaround and/or closure and lessen the ability of our local school community to make decisions about their status.

We are all part of the same school community, and what happens to one school impacts all. Please contact your legislators right away. Click here for contact information.


Critical Alert on HB7079 & SB1498 regarding School Turnaround Procedures and Timetables

Dear Members,

We will be asking you to take urgent action in the next few days regarding two bills that have the potential to silence our collective voices and radically disrupt our schools and communities. The first, SB 1498, will be heard on Monday. The second, HB 7079, will be heard in its final committee on Tuesday.

Both bills alter the procedures and timetables for school turnaround, and stand in opposition to our member-voted position statement on that subject:

“SCHOOL TURNAROUND (2015) Florida PTA believes that school turnaround options should improve communities by focusing on the whole child and include high quality academics, supports and interventions, health and wellness, co-curricular activities, and parent/community engagement. Programs should address the needs of every child. Decisions on school turnaround must be made at the local level by school boards with the input of stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, and community members, and school advisory councils. Florida PTA supports the open and transparent operation of the public school system.

Public property and resources paid for by taxpayers must be protected. Turnaround schools must be operated in a manner that is fiscally accountable to the school district and the community.” 

HB 7079 and SB 1498, both grant the Department of Education far greater power than held at present to determine school closures, dictate specific turnaround solutions, and revoke in mid-course district-chosen solutions. Moreover, HB 7079 not only compresses the turnaround timetable so that even a single school grade of “D” will trigger intervention, but mandates that a school that has successfully turned itself around will be forced to close, take on an outside operator, or convert to a charter school if within 4 years, it again receives a grade of D or F. While SB 1498 does not currently include this language, an amendment has been filed to mirror HB 7079.

Florida PTA will oppose HB 7079 and SB 1498 unless further amended to align with our position on SCHOOL TURNAROUND.

Our main concerns, which we will be asking you to share with your legislator, are as follows:
  • The BEST standards have just been approved, and will entail an altered curriculum, new assessments, and the establishment of new cut scores that determine student performance levels and school grades. Historically, with each recent change in state standards, student performance and school grades have dropped. The timing of this turnaround adjustment is likely to affect adversely all school communities, and will place high stakes on the adjustments, which are not fully funded. The most vulnerable students and communities will suffer the most.
  • The 4 year look back period between D/F designations is too long. Holding schools under state scrutiny for this long with no requirements for parental and community engagement in the interim leaves historically struggling communities with no real voice or ability to advocate to maintain support in the interim after coming out of turnaround.
Please stay alert for an imminent request to contact your legislators.

Supporting our Teachers, Supporting Our Children

Every child in Florida needs, and deserves, to be in a classroom with a highly qualified, professional, and dedicated teacher in order to reach their full potential. Legislation, budget, and other decisions made at the state level have had a negative impact on the teaching profession in recent years, which in turn impacts the learning environment for children.

Teacher Shortage/Exodus

  • A statewide teacher shortage/exodus from the profession has reached crisis levels, leaving many children without the continuity and solid instruction they need in order to learn and grow.
  • At the beginning of the 2019/2020 school year, there were 3,500 vacancies for teaching positions across the state of Florida. That equates to over 300,000 children without a permanent classroom teacher. Many of these children are being taught by substitute teachers who may or may not have the knowledge and skills needed to help them thrive. The lack of continuity and subject matter expertise in the classroom is detrimental to student learning.

Teacher Pay

  • One of the reasons teachers are leaving the profession is low pay. Despite being the third largest state by population with a one trillion dollar economy, Florida is currently 46th in the nation in teacher pay. The average teacher salary in Florida is $48,168, which is $12,309 lower than the national average.
  • While overall per student funding was increased in Florida in 2019, only $75 per student was provided to the Base Student Allocation, which districts can use to fund teacher salaries and benefits.
  • Low pay leads to higher stress and burnout levels as well as absenteeism for teachers, as many of them are forced to work additional jobs. Higher pay will attract more people to the teaching profession and provide a larger selection of candidates, thus leading to higher quality instruction.

Teacher Performance Evaluations

  • Another factor that impacts teacher retention is performance evaluations. The state mandates that a percentage of each teacher’s pay, as well as bonuses, are determined based on student performance (often referred to as “performance pay” or “merit pay”). This leads to additional and unnecessary tests for children, which creates anxiety and takes up valuable instruction time. It also contributes to a test-centered learning environment, which has been proven ineffective in increasing student achievement, causing schools to focus on subjects that are tested at the expense of others.
  • There is mounting evidence that using student performance to evaluate teachers is not a reliable measurement of teacher quality. Studies from the American Statistical Association, the Economist Policy Institute and the National Center on Performance Incentives have indicated that the practice does not lead to better student outcomes, and in fact can lead to decreased outcomes for some student populations.
  • Test-based performance evaluation systems have an even bigger impact on schools in impoverished neighborhoods, as they incentivize teachers to move to schools where student test scores are higher.
  • At least 11 other states have moved away from using tests to evaluate teachers within the past two years, including Maine, California, New Mexico, New York, Wyoming, Washington State, Texas, West Virginia, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Ohio.

The impact that teacher quality and work environment have on student achievement cannot be underestimated. By improving teacher work conditions and pay structure, we will provide children with the environment and opportunities they need to be successful.

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Disability Resource Expo | Feb. 1

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Saturday, Feb. 1
11 am – 3:30 pm

Trinity United Methodist Church
400 NW 53rd Ave., Gainesville

This free event is an opportunity for parents and professionals to connect with and discover the wonderful resources that Alachua County and the surrounding area has to offer its Community: those with learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental delays, physical disabilities, anxiety, bullying issues, abuse, for autistic individuals, and more.
There will be a diverse mix of approximately 85 exhibitors present that offer resources for children and young adults: parent support groups, medical and therapeutic services, deaf awareness and resources, educational supports, advocacy services, recreational and extra-curricular, and much more.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/318709642390029/

Free Workshops

SNAP & Read Universal
Time: 11:30 – 12:15
Presenter: Regina Currens, with the SBAC ESE Dept.
Where: 2nd Floor Education Building (elevator and stair access)
Attendance capacity is 70 people maximum

504/IEP Basics (Free IEP organizational binders included)
Time: 1:00 – 3:00
Presenter: Terri Hill, The Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS)
Where: 2nd Floor Education Building (elevator and stair access)
Attendance capacity is 40 people maximum. One Binder will be provided per family, up to 40 maximum.

Free Q&A session to answer questions about Dyslexia and Dysgraphia:
Time: 12:15 – 1:15
Presenter: Pamela Nay, MS, CCC-SLP with The Whole Child
Where: 2nd Floor Education Building (elevator and stair access)

The afternoon will also offer some family fun time:

Local Author of Wally and the What Ifs, Amanda Garrigues
Local Fire Department with a Fire Truck
Beau the Therapy Dog
HOPE – Horses Helping People, Inc with Ponies!
Balance 180 Gymnastics with an Obstacle course!
Royal for a Reason Disney Princesses (sing-a-longs and pictures)
Food Trucks – Cilantro Tacos and PDQ (food is not free)
Harvest Thyme Cafe (Coffee and baked goods – not free)
Free handouts for the Children at the vendors table.

Sponsored by:

Alachua County Autism Parent Support Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlachuaCountyAutismPSG/

The Alachua County Council of PTA’s (ACCPTA)
https://accpta.org/

Giggle Magazine
https://gigglemagazine.com/

Fabco-Air
https://www.fabco-air.com/

Hosted by:

Trinity United Methodist Church
http://www.trinitygnv.org/

Organized by:

Cheryl Russell

Co-Organized by:
Mary Benedict, Alicia Beverly, Heather Cook, Sherri Cook, and Laura Gerszewski Johnson