The School Board of Orange County held its regularly scheduled Board Meeting at 5:30 p.m. on July 26, 2011 at the Educational Leadership Center. These are the highlights of the meeting:
2011-2012 school opening and closing times
Each year the school board must formally adopt the school opening and closing times. This is done after the Transportation Department establishes bus routes for the upcoming school year. Tonight the adoption of the times occurred. For the 2011-2012 list, please click here.
Winter Park Health Foundation to provide school nurses
Tonight the board approved an agreement between the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) and Orange County Public Schools to continue a health care program at several schools. WPHF will provide $80,121 and Orange County Public Schools will provide $300,880 to pay for nurses and health-care staff in the Winter Park Consortium.
Schools in the consortium include Aloma, Audubon, Brookshire, Cheney, Hungerford, Lake Sybelia, and Lakemont elementary schools. Glenridge and Maitland middle schools and the Winter Park High main campus and 9th-Grade Center are also part of the consortium.
For more than a decade, the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) has contributed approximately $15 million in support of the Winter Park Consortium schools. Their support provides these schools with nurses, two comprehensive school-based health centers staffed by nurse practitioners, the Community Help and Intervention in Life’s Lessons (CHILL) counseling program, and Healthy School Teams.
Health Central Foundation provides money to pay for school nurses
This year Health Central Foundation (HCF) will contribute to funding school nurses through a grant to Orange County Public Schools. Their work in helping the district has gone on for more than a decade. HCF will provide $62,312 for the program and the school district will pay $268,579. The board approved this grant.
Health Central Foundation will continue supporting Clarcona, Lake Whitney, Maxey, Ocoee, Spring Lake, Thornebrooke, Tildenville, West Oaks, Whispering Oaks, and Windermere elementary schools and Windy Ridge School (K-8). The foundation will provide a portion of the funds to schools to upgrade their district-funded school health assistant to a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN). Each school in turn will contribute the health assistant salary toward the upgraded salary.
The nurses will continue to work in school clinics, present classroom lectures on health-related subjects, work with community agencies and private providers, and serve as liaisons between students, parents, and teachers. The school nurse program has resulted in a significant reduction in absenteeism and has minimized barriers to student learning and achievement.
Changes regarding administrative personnel
Tonight the School Board approved the appointment of the following administrators:
Curry Aldridge, principal, Camelot Elementary
Rolando Bailey, principal, Liberty Middle
Bridget Bresk, assistant principal, Dr. Phillips High School
Britt Despenza, assistant principal, Frangus Elementary
Julie Helton, assistant principal, East River High School
Douglas Loftus, principal, Colonial High School
Lee Parker, assistant principal, Three Points Elementary
