EDITOR'S NOTE -- Contributing columnist, Steve Nicklas, expresses his views and insights on various topics of local interest in STEVE'S MARKETPLACE. __________
With final exams and farewells and graduations, another school year has come and gone in Nassau County.
And public schools here have again come through with high marks in many departments.
In sort of a year-end summary, the Nassau County School District received the highest rating of an "A" as measured by academic achievement -- for the fifth consecutive year. This is determined by a school accountability report.
And when a new state bill established a criteria for high performing districts, Nassau County was one of only eight to earn the designation. This was from the 67 districts in Florida.
The district's 16 schools (elementary, middle and high schools) have consistently scored high on state FCAT tests aimed at measuring academic prowess.
And Fernandina Beach High School has earned its share of accolades. Though downsized due to the opening of Yulee High School, FBHS was recently recognized as one of the top 1,000 high schools in the U.S. by a national magazine. The honor was based upon the percentage of students in a school taking advanced courses -- in other words, excelling in the classroom.
In addition, FBHS has been honored as one of the Five Star Schools by the state department of education. This award is based upon community involvement. This includes business partnership, volunteering, and student community services.
Local athletic teams have also excelled. The FBHS boys soccer and baseball teams both reached the state finals in the last few years.
The success of local schools is even more impressive when you realize they do it without excessive spending. The district continues to operate efficiently with reasonable staffing levels and school budgets.
However, the upcoming school year will bring challenges. Reduced tax revenues will force schools here and elsewhere around the state to do more with less. The school district here has been shuffling positions within and between schools to accommodate the reductions.
In a joint effort, the local school district has teamed up with the Florida Community College in managing the new Lewis Red Bean Nassau Technical Center. The center is based on the Florida Community Colleges Nassau Center campus on Highway A1A in Yulee.
The center offers nine programs to students in areas such as medical assistant and architectural design. Students can earn college credit while still in high school by taking the classes.
A strong school district has many benefits. It ensures the vitality of a community by helping create a dynamic work force. In addition, it can help in attracting new industry, since a stellar school system is a desirable attribute.
And the local school district enriches the area in another way. It is the largest employer in the county, with 1,500 full-time employees. So it also earns high marks in another way -- for its economic contributions.
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(Steve Nicklas is a financial advisor who lives on Amelia Island. He can be reached at thenicklasteam2@msn.com or at 904-753-0236.)