FCATs seems to be the dominate measure in how we evaluate our schools, but I believe they tell only a small part of the story.  Our citizenry needs to know how these scores are derived and that the grades our schools receive are based on a comparative analysis with its foundation centered on the lower quartile of the ninth and tenth grades performance and how they improved from the prior year.

While an important measure of school progress, FCAT grades do not reveal all that our schools are doing right such as the number of students taking AP college prep courses and the breadth of the curriculum being offered in our school district.

Test scores are necessary as an apples-to-apples measurement of our progress versus other school district, but if they are the only focus as a means of determining a school's progress and its ability to teach our children, we are selling our teachers and our students short.  If we do not evaluate all of the components of our educational system, both the bad and the good, we are essentially teaching for a test ....  an idea that I think very few parents and other proponents of public education support.

The graduation rate increased for the 2006 - 2007 school year over the 2005 – 2006 school year to approximately 73%.  We need to set our goal at 100%.  While we may not achieve this standard, we must not lower the bar of expectations in order to make it easier to cross.

The students entering the 9^th grade need to realize that graduating on time as a senior is the expectation.  We must set this tone from the moment they attend freshmen orientation and promote this expectation each day in the classroom.  Our students need to see high school as stepping stone to the next level of education whether college or a vocational school.  A well-educated citizenry is a critical element in a strong Florida economy.

By setting this expectation from day one, we can change the attitude of many children and help them to see that, regardless of their station in life, education is the key to advancement and a prosperous economic future.

This goes hand in hand with the graduation rate.  As we improve the graduation rate we will also increase the number of student going to college.  There are many colleges that will provide an education for our students even if the parents cannot afford it.  The students may not go to school in Florida, but they will end up with a college education.

Again, a quality education opens the door for our students' future and helps insure that they are productive members of our society.

Lake County is relatively competitive with our surrounding counties as far as starting salaries, but years 4 through 10 we do not compare well.  Continuity with our teachers is critical to the long-term success of our school district.

We must recognize and support our teachers who are providing a superior educational experience for our students.  Teachers who are a part of a school system for extended periods of time get to know our students and their families.  It is easier for them to recognize a child's strengths and help the child expand on their strong points.  Conversely, a child's weaknesses are more easily recognized when teachers have professional relationships with one another and are able to share their first-hand experiences with a child as they progress through the school district.

We must retain those teachers who make a real, positive difference in our educational system and reward their efforts so that other school districts do not lure them away.

We must focus our taxpayer dollars on the classroom and make sure that our citizens are receiving the biggest bang for their educational dollars.  Too often, educational spending is not focused on the classroom, but on the other things that make up public education.

We must insure that teachers have the necessary resources to provide a quality educational experience for each child.  Providing the necessary labs, computer equipment, textbooks and other resources that insure the classroom experience is both creative and challenging is a critical element in preparing our students for the next step in the educational process.  Focusing our money on the classroom, not administrative bureaucracy, is foundational to a success public education experience in Lake County.