The much-anticipated school grades for the 2022-2023 school year were released under the new assessment system implemented in the State of Florida. Data was released much later than usual and also in parts. The data released this week dealt with District rankings and grades, and also individual school rankings and grades. This column will cover district data.

Sarasota received an “A” grade this year and was ranked 5th in the state in overall points. The No. 1 district, Lafayette County, scored 41 more points than Sarasota. The No. 2 ranked St. John’s County scored 24 points more, No. 3 Walton scored 20 points more, and No. 4 Nassau scored 14 points more than Sarasota overall.

Sarasota Schools are in a two-way tie for 3rd in English Language Arts with Gilcrist County.  St. John’s County is No. 1 in English Language Arts and is 10 points ahead of Sarasota.

Sarasota ranks 8th in Mathematics in the State of Florida. We are 10 points behind St. Johns County, which is No. 1 in math.

We are in a two-way tie for 5th in Science with Gilchrist County. Similar to Math and English, Sarasota is 10 points behind St. John’s County, which is No. 1 in Science.

Sarasota ranks 4th in the state for Social Studies. We are 4 points behind St. Johns County, which is No. 1 in the state in Social Studies.

Middle School Acceleration rates are our worst data from this past school year. We are in a three-way tie for 18th in the state with Suwanee and St. Lucie Counties.  We are 20 points behind Lafayette County, which is No. 1 in the state.

Graduation Rates and College and Career Acceleration are a part of school grades, but this data lags by a year from the other data above. This data will be from the 2021-‘22 school year.     

Sarasota is in a seven-way tie for 21st in Graduation Rates with the counties of Palm Beach, Lake, Putnam, Glades, Hernando and Volusia. We are nine points behind Lafayette, which is No. 1 in the state in Graduation Rates.

We are in a two-way tie for 8th in College and Career Acceleration with Walton County. Lafayette is No. 1 in the state and 19 points ahead of Sarasota County in this category.

Sarasota County scored big in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies – landing consistently in the top seven in these fundamentals. This is a big deal for our district and should be celebrated. We are thankful to the teachers for making sure our children are learning the foundation for success.

The community should also be thanked for its consistent support of our schools through the many volunteers and also the extra tax dollars we vote on to create this success.

There is more work to be done, and this new superintendent has his eyes on the No. 1 spot for all categories and will be using the school data to make that happen. Congratulations to the students, teachers and the community, this is a great grade and great rankings. We will get even better.

Christine Robinson is Executive Director of The Argus Foundation. 

Image via Florida Department of Education: Top 10 Scored districts.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it's right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude,” Brene Brown. 

As I reflect on December as the season of generosity, I am grateful for the warm welcome that I’ve received since arriving in the Gulf Coast region in June. In fact, over the last six months of my leadership at Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast), I’ve experienced an outpouring of kindness. From the hundreds of individuals I’ve had the honor of meeting to how gracious everyone has been, I received a warm, generous welcome and was embraced with open arms when I came to this region, and for that, I am grateful. With the support of champions and advocates who want our region to improve, I’m looking forward to planting deep roots in our community.

Since June, I have had the pleasure of attending nearly 150 meetings with donors, nonprofit partners, elected officials, peer funders, and many more on how we can better impact our region together. I joined the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and the boards of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County and Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. I look forward to continuing to build strong ties as we collectively support this community. 

My onboarding has given me a well-rounded understanding of the opportunities for our community. In August, we held our Partners in Impact Breakfast where we gathered our past year’s grant recipients together to hear our upcoming priorities, our grant funding potential, and create an open forum to ask questions of their Gulf Coast team. It was a wonderful morning of strengthening partnerships through collaboration and transparency. Our strong nonprofit partners are paving the way for the greater good of our community and families.

I was proud to see our Veterans Housing Groundbreaking come to life in October. Together with generous philanthropists and through Gulf Coast’s Veterans Housing Initiative, we broke fresh ground on ten rental units in the City of Sarasota for low-income veterans, providing long-awaited, affordable housing for our country’s heroes. I was deeply inspired by the opportunity to give back to our veterans who have given it all to protect our freedom and to continue to make a difference in our priority of creating affordable housing in our region. The collaboration I witnessed with our donors was nothing short of inspirational, showing that when we come together, we can truly do more. 

Community foundations are created to inspire philanthropy and make an impact in the region they serve. I want to grow both through strong partnerships with our donors. Gulf Coast donors and fundholders appreciate our community knowledge and our ability to provide excellent service, flexible options, and meaningful community impact. In my conversations with donors since my arrival, several have shared they want an even stronger partnership to invest in our region. As we create our future strategy, we’re dreaming of ways to bring that to life. After all, we’re better together.

Working towards the greater good has been the hallmark of my career. It’s the through-thread that ties all my experiences together. The culture in our community, from Boca Grande to Venice to Lakewood Ranch, values the greater good across the board. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

Phillip P. Lanham is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Picture courtesy Pixabay.

The Winter 2023 commencement at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota celebrated nearly 1,000 graduates at our SCF Bradenton campus. Degrees and certificates were awarded to students who completed their credentials in the Summer and Fall terms, including 562 associate in arts degrees, 211 associate in science degrees, 138 bachelor’s degrees and 43 workforce certificates. We also pinned 104 nursing students who received an Associate in Science in Nursing and celebrated 64 registered nurses who completed their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Our total number of graduates now exceeds 61,000, with 25,000 remaining within our local workforce. 

Each fall and spring semester, SCF hosts a luncheon to celebrate our outstanding graduate finalists and announce the winner. It’s a cherished tradition as I get to know the students and learn about their experience at the College, and I am reminded that we serve a broad range of students with vast experiences and aspirations that aim to improve our community and change the world. I am SCF-Proud to highlight this year’s nominated outstanding graduates.

Outstanding graduate award finalist Colton Cook graduated with an associate in arts degree. He is a United States Coast Guard veteran who served four years as an electronic technician in Key West with various deployments and search and rescue missions. Cook was the President of the Student Veterans of America Bradenton Chapter, founded and created the annual SCF Dodgeball Tournament, joined the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and participated in numerous volunteer events. Cook knows he wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t serve his country and receive the GI Bill and he wants to pay it forward. His true passion lies in fishing, and his ultimate goal is to protect the ecosystem and help prevent over-fishing in Bradenton by working with commercial fisheries. 

OGA recipient Jaelyn Landers graduated with an associate in arts degree. She plans to pursue a career in labor and delivery nursing, as she’s long wanted to help mothers, fathers and babies through some of the most challenging and wonderful times in their lives. Landers understands firsthand that tough choices are critical in life. She chose to stay close to home and attend SCF while working and spending time with her father, who lost his battle against kidney cancer. She’s since been supporting her family, paying for College and applying for any available scholarships. She served as President of the Student Government Association (SGA) and Vice President for STEM.Med, and in 2022, she served as the Vice President of SGA. Landers has also been an active Phi Theta Kappa, Sigma Kappa Delta and History & Political Science Club member. Landers credits SCF’s many resources, from academic to mental health support, for her success and encourages fellow students never to shy away from asking for help. “SCF is definitely a place where you can grow and succeed.”

After a nine-year hiatus, OGA finalist Kristen Pizzo graduated with her associate in arts degree. Pizzo disregarded discouraging remarks that returning to College would be a waste of effort and was compelled to re-enroll at SCF to become a veterinary technician. She’d spent several years working at a veterinary clinic where she met a deaf client. Pizzo didn’t know American Sign Language (ASL) and could only use written communication. She felt helpless and immediately registered for SCF’s ASL classes, which led her to the College’s Tutoring and Academic Success Center (TASC). Working as a writing and ASL peer tutor ignited her passion to become an educator. She aims to work in the field as an interpreter before attaining a master’s degree in Interpreting Pedagogy to teach ASL in a higher education setting. Pizzo values relationship building and has joined several organizations, including the Nerd Culture Club, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Sarasota Deaf-ASL Group, and served as a Student Activity Budget Review representative. She earned Outstanding Academic Achievements in “Introduction to Literature” and “Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction” and the Honors Convocation Award “Outstanding Award in American Sign Languages.” Working as a TASC tutor, Pizzo is most proud of the guidance she’s provided students, some with debilitating conditions. As someone who’s struggled with a severe speech impediment herself, she’s appreciative of SCF’s inclusivity. She urges students “to open your mind and heart to the wisdom and lessons people have to share, and I guarantee you will become the best version of yourself.”

This year’s Outstanding Graduate finalists and awardee remind us that SCF is your community’s College and we meet students where they are in their higher education journey.

Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld is President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. 

Photo courtesy SCF: Jaelyn Landers.