Collier Schools

New mission and vision statements and new school board priorities passed unanimously at a recent meeting of the newly-elected Collier County School Board.

A candidate for the position of Collier County School Board attorney withdrew his name, prompting the board to revisit posting the position again.

A blog had reported that a candidate for the position of Collier County School Board school attorney had prior and potentially unethical email contact with a board member, including sending the board member a proposed employment agreement in November. That information was discounted by board officials, who said nothing below-board had taken place.

After the candidate interviews the board may select and recommend one of the candidates for the position, listed on the Jan. 23 agenda as a $180,000 position, or decide to seek additional input and/or candidates.

Southwest Florida voters will decide on a number of school board seats as well as choose if the next Lee County school superintendent will be appointed or elected.

The funds, more than $200 million through the School Recognition Program, will go to 1,400 schools across the state that demonstrated student growth and teaching excellence in the 2021-22 school year. To be eligible, schools must receive a school grade of “A” or improve at least one letter grade from the prior year.

Collier County Public Schools will reopen Thursday, Oct. 6.

Here's a breakdown of school board races on the ballot in Southwest Florida for the Aug. 23 Primary Election.

Collier County Public Schools is working on a solution to housing cost concerns that would allow employees an opportunity to save money to buy a home later on.

The Collier County Public School District is seeing a critical teacher shortage with just two weeks left for teachers to report to school. The district has about 100 instructional positions open out of a total of 274 employment positions listed on their website at the start of the week. President of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County Kevin Daly said he sees the issue in Lee County too. He said the scarcity issue will cause more stress on teachers because they will have to cover more classes, missing planning periods. According to the Florida Department of Education, the shortage represents many teachers who are not certified in the fields they are hired to teach. The Department also says postsecondary institutions are not producing enough graduates to meet demand.