recommended strategies - Hardee County

Education
Comments received from the January 25, 2011 Community Wide Kick-Off
• Education needs to be better – “Quality Education”
• Improve funding for schools
o Supplies/sources
o County wide improvements
Supplemental education opportunities
o High school (vo-tech), college
o Programs (sylvan)
o Government/community funds to support
Education
o Ease teacher meetings/business day-to-day (too much besides just teaching)
o Allow teachers focus on students more
o Individual family contributions (tax dollars) are not paying for/ not meeting the demands placed on
school system
o Develop a charter school
o Develop a Vo-Tech High School
Jobs, skills training
o Night school for adults
Improve education system
Education facilities are fine
Keep/improve agricultural education
Vo-Tech opportunities
o Not just computers/more skills
Improve education
Skills training/Vo-Tech
Education improvements
o Trade School/ Vo-Tech
o Both higher and lower education
Need higher education center
More education choices (i.e., charter school)
Issue: healthcare and school needs (see also Economic Development)
Need safe placed for kids (other than the YMCA)
Community Comments February 22, 2011
What are your general thoughts and comments regarding the education opportunities in the community?
• Well structured
• Good teachers/administration
• Good community involvement but could be more
• The administrative load on teachers exceeds the teaching load; too much paperwork and too many meetings
• There is an importance of schools and the education system for new residents and potential jobs
• Have to look at the continuum of education – pre-k, k-12 to post-secondary/community colleges
• Multi-lingual school age population in the community
• There is a need for job/employment opportunities to retain youth/families in Hardee County
• More technical and computer skills needed in the schools and in the workforce
• Tie education to workforce
• State of Florida’s misconnect (% college vs. available jobs and curriculum)
• High School has a career tech program
o Adding animal biotechnology to HS curriculum this year
o Current programs offer industry certifications
o Florid Farm Bureau certification
o First responder program?
• Society of Mining Engineers sponsors a science fair
• Vocational/career tech funding is a challenge
• Significant impacts on the school system with state budget cuts
• By the time a child is 5 yrs old, 90% of learning has occurred
• Bring back the “little red schoolhouse” or similar program (pre-k)
• Lack of available pre-k due to public/state funding
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