On April 22nd, 2024, the Leon County School Board held their agenda review/workshop meeting and discussed graduation rates and budget priorities.
Staff provided the Board with a presentation on LCS graduation rates and the class of 2024. The presentation listed an overview of the challenges that the class of 2024 has faced since the start of Covid in 2020, including changes in the concordant scores to meet the English Language Assessment and the End of Course Exam. For example, an SAT score of 430 is a 10th grade benchmark, now a score of 480 is a 12th grade benchmark.
Other listed challenges include chronic absenteeism, learning loss during the height of Covid, the increase of students involved with the Juvenile Justice System and more.
The Board reviewed LCS’s graduation rates vs. the State’s graduation rates from 2018-2023. From 2018-2019 (pre-Covid) the State graduation rate was 86.9%, while the LCS graduation rate sat at 92.4%. During the Covid shutdown from 2019-2020, graduation rates rose slightly for both the State and for LCS district. However, this can be attributed to the fact that during this time there was no testing required to graduate. Unfortunately, graduation rates for the State and LCS District have continuously dropped from in 2021-2022 and in 2022-2023. Currently the LCS District graduation rate for the 2022-2023 school year is 86.1%.
Lastly, during the Board’s discussion on budget priorities, Board Member Alva Smith noted she is more focused on where the money is coming from than she is about spending, stating, “When we have this conversation, we are not being fiscally responsible and good stewards of tax payer dollars if we do not discuss downsizing in this district.”
She continued, “This is going to be a long discussion. This is not going to be a ‘let’s close this school and let’s do it in August.’… I don’t want to do it, but as we look at the numbers and they continue to decline, and our overall budget continues to decline, this is where this money could come from.”
LCS Board Discusses Graduation Rates, Downsizing at Agenda Review Meeting added by Tristyn Leigh on
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Alva the chameleon trying to switch parties again hhahaa
Leon County doesn’t have a Charter school with graduates yet so that comparison can’t yet be made. Classical may have a few graduates at the end of next year.
I’m alway amazed that this SB doesn’t get it. These charter schools are competitive, claim to have answers, take tax payers money and this SB simply doesn’t get it. Their responses are just, well, not too bright. A New Logo is their answer? Really? This whole city is sinking… too many folks who don’t know how to get things done are in charge. The Doers are shoved into silence.
Downsizing?? But $100,000 for a new logo is ok?
Wait! I thought we got a new logo to make this better?
Are you including Charter Schools in your Numbers? How do the Charter School Numbers compare to the Public School Numbers? How many Public School Kids Transferred to a Charter School and what is their Percentage Rate of Graduation?