Comments on: LCS Spending, Student Growth Trends

By: Megan Mansell

Megan Mansell — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:06:38 +0000

During election season, our superintendent repeatedly said he looked at running a school district like running a business, but does not seem to be following this advice. Any well-functioning franchise knows that you must cull the underperforming locations if doing so means keeping the company afloat.
We also must address the teacher retention issue. We would not expect doctors to have pay based on how many patients they save or heal — it is understood that they have no control over the hand they are dealt. Why we do not extend this grace to teachers and instead slap them with merit pay and annual contracts begs for a high turnover rate. There are absolutely solutions to the issues we face in this district, and we don’t get through this by ignoring the glaringly obvious.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:50:54 +0000

Fire the bloated administrative staff and use the money for teacher salaries.

By: ResidentSince1990

ResidentSince1990 — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:17:30 +0000

I have not supported/voted for many elected officials with a “D” after their names since Bill Clinton. For many reasons, sadly, I normally disagree with “progressive” viewpoints. School Board Member, Alva Smith, and her LCSO proposals make so much common sense that I support her 100%!
Our Leon Co. School system has been driven by so much political, “don’t offend” costly, political corruptness that I thank God I don’t have children in this school system anymore.
School Board Members: Tune out the local political noise. Teachers: get the hell out of the radical Teacher’s Union…who do nothing for you except print signs so you can protest. I quit paying teacher’s union dues many years ago.
Make some ADULT decisions and consolidate underperforming schools.
Teach classes like my former school system now teaches: Financial Literacy. Teach children how to save, invest, use credit, how to shop for insurance, and the ability to read, sign and understand wills, power of attorney and other financial documents.
Teach Socratic methods and show them how to put away the damn, handheld, electronic screens in order for them to to think, read, and learn.
Lazy teachers need to leave and become “digital content creators”.
Today’s kids need teachers, and school boards to focus on life skills.
Integrate schools into learning centers. Stop the “day care” mentality of thinking and invest public school resources into actually teaching our next generation to lead us into the future.
Thank you, Alva Swafford Smith, for your courage to make changes.

By: A Skeptic

A Skeptic — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:41:36 +0000

It would seem that if our schools did a better job of teaching math and basic economics our elected leaders would find this as disturbing as the rest of us.

By: August West

August West — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:08:00 +0000

So, the “others” are arguing that inefficiency is ok as long as the students are equally illiterate. Stupid people are running the school board.

I see the morbidly obese elementary school teachers at Hartsfield everyday, and I hear them yelling at the students in broken, improper English almost as often.

I think most of them are paid too much!

P.S. I went to Hartsfield, Fairview, Rickards, TCC and FSU. The best teachers in the world taught there at one time. (Shout out to Mr. Fleming, Fred Hollis, Coach McDaris and Bill Cunningham!)