Joint meeting of City Commission and Nassau County School Board shares information and concerns

By Susan Hardee Steger
February 15, 2019 1:30 p.m.

Members of the Nassau County School Board and the Fernandina Beach City Commission gathered at a joint meeting on February 12, to share information that will be of benefit to all.

Nassau County School Superintendent Kathy Burns began the discussion touting the district’s A rating, and the 92.8% increase in the graduation rate. The state average is 86.1%.

Area residents will notice a facelift taking place at the Fernandina Beach Middle School on Citronia Drive. There will be an extensive remodel of the cafeteria, and windows will be replaced.

Fernandina Beach High School’s student population is at 949, a slight increase over previous years. Southside Elementary is experiencing a large increase in kindergarten students. Burns said redistricting is bringing off-island students to island schools. In some locations  portable classrooms are being used to accommodate additional students.

Fernandina Beach High School (FBHS) will soon see a student run VyStar Branch in its school. FBHS students will be trained in the summer. A student run VyStar branch is now opened at Yulee High School.

Burns reported on a new strategic plan developed by community members, students, and leaders in the school district. Five areas of focus were developed and include:

• Academic and student achievement
• Human Resources: With a goal to recruit and retain “the best” teachers. To be competitive with salaries and benefits and create beneficial professional development.
• Community relations: The school district must do a better job of telling its story by communicating the facts, and positive stories about the local schools through the media.
• Technology services and instructional technology: Burns said huge strides have been made on the last year by giving middle and high schoolers a devise in their hands, updating the emails system, and improving technology throughout the district.
• Land growth and development: According to Burns, “Growth is here and it continues to be rapid in the school districts.” It is a difficult challenge for schools to monitor growth. The School Board is partnering with Nassau County to plan for the future. The Department of Education determines when new schools are needed and approvals are not made until a district is very over populated. A request has been made for additions to several district schools.

Safety is a priority statewide and locally. Last year, after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School shooting and the state’s passage of SB 7026, an unfunded mandate that required schools to add additional school safety officers, the city responded to the unexpected impact on the school board budget ($I,000,000 estimate) by providing two officers at Southside Elementary and Emma Love Hardee Elementary. Chief Hurley has notified the school board that continuing the coverage would not take place during the next budget year. According to Burns, this decision was supported by the City Commissioners. Burns praised the city police officers who work in the schools for doing an excellent job of “permeating” into the student culture.

City Manager Dale Martin discussed the recent city commission goals focused on land conservation and the waterfront. He said there are parallel discussions that can take place between the city and school board that involve the city’s interest in slowing growth, affordable housing,  and the community’s desire to keep our schools safe. The issue of affordable housing is becoming more and more difficult to address due to area real estate values. The lack of affordable housing hampers teacher and service industry recruitment.

Vice Mayor Kreger mentioned the City’s Evaluation and Appraisal Review (EAR) due in October 2019. The process involves a considerable amount of community outreach. He said the city’s planning department will offer the school district an opportunity to participate.

Commissioner Chapman addressed the traffic problem caused by student pick up on Citronia Drive.  It is Chapman’s opinion that  fire/rescue units will have difficulty getting through the street, and that “it is a tragedy waiting to happen.” He proposed redirecting the pick up area.

School Board Member Gail Cook said school pick up traffic is a problem county wide. She suggested the problem be reviewed again to see if there is a solution.

Mayor Miller spoke to the lack of use of school board property located due north of the city’s Central Park. He asked for signage to increase park usage. Burns said the park is used often and signs could be a liability. An upcoming event “Gathering on the Green” will use the property for a county wide fine arts fundraiser.