School board members are afforded the opportunity to introduce topics for discussion during school board meetings.

“I asked the appropriate school board officials to include the topic on the agenda for the next meeting,” said Striplin.

Striplin’s actions come one day after Gilchrist Elementary principal David Solz was put on administrative leave following a Tallahassee Reports story detailing an improper relationship between Solz and a married teacher he supervises.

Other relationships among employees within the school district have also surfaced over the last year.

Striplin told TR she wants to initiate a policy discussion on how personal relationships and nepotism can impact people working in the school district.  Striplin said,  “I feel it is time we address this issue so that there is no allusion of preferential treatment within our school communities.”

Striplin has represented School Board District 1 since her election on August 26, 2014.

The Leon County School Board has informed Tallahassee Reports, that after an investigation, Ms. Striplin’s complaint against Ms. Lawson was unsubstantiated.

Deana McAllister, Director Labor and Employer Relations, wrote in response to Ms. Striplin’s formal complaint that ” it has been determined that your complaint is unsubstantiated and does not meet the threshold for the district to take formal action.”

Original Story

Tallahassee Reports has obtained a copy of the complaint filed by Leon County School Board Member Alva Striplin against Deerlake Assistant Principal Julie Lawson.

Recently, TR reported that Striplin confirmed a complaint was filed and that “Ms. Lawson should conduct herself in an ethical and professional manner as outlined in LCSB policies 3210 and 1210, towards all District employees.”

The complaint details a personal altercation that took place on the Killearn Country Club golf course.

Striplin writes that while playing golf Lawson approached her and her family in a “physically and verbally aggressive manner, videoing us with her cell phone, and expressing her opinion that she hoped I was not re-elected…”

Lawson’s brother-in-law, Ricky Bell, is currently listed as a candidate for Striplin’s school board seat.

Striplin also writes in the complaint that since the altercation, “two teachers personally reported to me she acts in this irrational and threatening manner towards them at school, but yet they feel there will be severe retaliation if the behavior is reported.”

Striplin says that three additional teachers at Deerlake have shared similar stories and are looking for employment elsewhere.

TR will update this story when more information is available.

When contacted by TR,  Striplin confirmed the complaint and said that “Ms. Lawson should conduct herself in an ethical and professional manner as outlined in LCSB policies 3210 and 1210, towards all District employees.”

Stiplin added, “This complaint was not filed without careful consideration.”

The complaint was submitted to Superintendent Rocky Hanna.

Policies 3210 and 1210 are broad policies related to the principles of conduct and ethics for district personnel.

For example, the preamble states “It is expected that employees will be of good moral character and demonstrate conduct as an employee that is at all times appropriate and consistent with the high standards that the Board and community expect.”

Ms. Striplin would not comment on the specifics of the complaint.

However, sources have told TR that the complaint involved a personal altercation between the two school officials late last year on a golf course and more recently moved into the professional realm.

Also, sources told TR they could not recall a complaint lodged by a school board member against an administrator in at least the last eight years.

TR will request a copy of the complaint from the School Board on Monday morning and will seek a comment from Superintendent Rocky Hanna and Ms. Lawson.

School Board member Alva Striplin said, “this is painful, painful to me again…there is no forward thought to my district that is busting at the seams.”

Ms. Striplin represents District 1 which includes the area between Thomasville Road and Mahan Road.

Her concerns were, in part, based on the growth that will result from the Canopy Development within Welaunee, which is east of Fleischmann Road between Centerville and Miccosukee roads.

Ms. Striplin spoke about the current capacity issues at schools in her district and said “I feel like in five years this community is going to look back at us and say why were you not planning for this….we are busting at the seems..”

“I am extremely concerned about the high school situation….I do not see concern in the five year plan addressing the situation”, said Striplin.

Superintendent Hanna responded by saying he shared similar concerns.

However, he said the current priorities for capital investment include updating facilities at Fairview Middle and Rickards High.

Hanna stated these schools were previously neglected and need attention immediately.

The plan could give $8 million to Fairview Middle and $25 million to Rickards High by the year 2022.

Responding to Striplin’s concerns about her district, Hanna said looking ahead we are planning on adding capacity at W.T. Moore Elementary School and Cobb Middle School.

At this time, Hanna said students living in the Canopy Development will be zoned for Lincoln High School.

As far as a new high school in the northeast, Hanna said the district has $260 million in debt and $26 million a year for debt service and does not think it is fiscally prudent to borrow more money for construction at this time.

Hanna said after the work at Fairview Middle and Rickards High is completed the Board can look at possibly borrowing more money to address the high school situation in the northeast.

In an exclusive interview, Van Camp told TR why he is running and addressed each of his opponents. Van Camp said:

I have decided to come out of retirement and run for Superintendent of Schools for Leon County. I cannot sit by and watch the possibility that this great school district may be turned over to a political maverick like Scott Maddox, or a non-experienced showboat, Rocky Hanna. I am also concerned that my friend, Jackie Pons, may have waited too late to show leadership in dealing with problem employees and current issues.

Van Camp highlighted his 36 years with the Leon County school district as qualifications for the position. He has served on the administrative staff for all superintendents since 1978 and served 6 years on the Leon County School Board.

In 2014 Van Camp lost his bid for re-election to current Leon School Board member Alva Striplin as the investigation into the awarding of construction contracts at the school board was unfolding.

Van Camp detailed specific policy positions he will support as superintendent.

He wants to remove common core from Leon County schools, reduce staff at the district level, and make sure Leon County Schools are run by local decisions.

Also, Van Camp staked out a position that promises to garner attention and appears to be in direct opposition to current school district policy. Van Camp stated  “that all students will use the bathroom/shower facilities based on gender at birth. Accommodations can and will be made for special needs.”

TR recently reported on the the School Board’s position on this issue here.

A list of Van Camp’s policy positions are provided at the end of this story.

The Race

The entrance of Van Camp is bound to add political intrigue and uncertainty to the already controversial race which featured former Leon High School principal Rocky Hanna and current City Commissioner Scott Maddox challenging incumbent Superintendent Jackie Pons.

City Commissioner Scott Maddox was first to enter the race, criticizing Pons’ leadership and referencing the ongoing FBI investigation. At their first debate, Maddox continued the critique.

Maddox is also advocating for redirecting more funds to the classroom and addressing the low school grades on the southside.

Pons, who was under constant attack in local media with regards to the construction contract issue, decided to run for re-election when an in-house report found no wrong doing and it appeared no action from the authorities was imminent. He announced his intentions in July, 2015

Pons argues that the construction contract issue was overblown and that he and his staff deserve credit for the district’s A rating.

Maddox and Pons are running as Democrats in the partisan race scheduled to be decided in the primary on August 3oth.

Former Leon School principal Rocky Hanna announced his intentions to run in August, 2015. He chose to run with no party affiliation and will not appear on the ballot until November.  Hanna made news when he filed for whistle blower protection during the investigation into school board construction contracts.  Hanna recently resigned his position with the school board, as is required by state law.

Hanna believes the school district has been mismanaged under Pons’ leadership and has criticized highly paid administrators and the diversion of money for school supplies to other purposes.

Together, the three candidates have raised over $600,000.

There are some who have been following the politics of this race who believe Van Camp entered the contest to take votes from Hanna in the general election which could help Pons win.

When asked about this theory, Van Camp said “I believe I am more qualified than anyone in this race and my commitment to education is beyond reproach. I am in it to win it.”

By entering the race Van Camp, a Republican and currently without a primary opponent, ensures that the November race will feature a Republican, a Democrat, and at this point, at least three candidates with no party affiliation. The no party affiliation candidates included Hanna, Michael Wynn, and Patricia Sunday.

Van Camp’s Campaign Positions

• Treat all students as if they are my grandchildren. I plan to adopt all of them.
• Return Leon County Schools to the basics, both academically and financially.
• Empower principals and school staff to make decisions at the school level. I will hire the best principals, and they will report directly to me.
• Reduce staff at the district level.
• Redirect dollars to the classroom.
• Redirect the use of federal dollars to serve all students and not just selected sites.
• Remove Common Core from Leon County Schools.
• Stand firm that all students will use the bathroom/shower facilities based on gender at birth. Accommodations can and will be made for special needs.
• Hire the best teachers to better ensure that all students receive the BEST educational experiences possible.
• Make sure USDOE and FDOE will not run Leon County Schools.
• Listen to parents and community leaders and work with the Leon County School Board to ensure that a great educational community exists in Leon County

Last year the headline in the Tallahassee Democrat said “Crowded Leon County may get a new high school.”

The article went on to say that “For years, classroom portables functioned as Band-Aids to overcrowding problems caused by steady hikes in student enrollment, but approval for a new high school could be just around the corner.”

Recently, Leon County School Board member Alva Striplin let her position be known at a meeting by saying she thinks a new high school needs to be located on the northside of Leon County.

Others, including Superintendent Jackie Pons, say a new high school is needed on the southside and would cost approximately $50 million.

But what do the numbers say?

Is there an overcrowding problem in Leon County that requires a new high school?

If so, where should it be located?

To begin answering these questions, TR turned to the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) database which provides great information on student enrollment.

Listed below is a graph of student enrollment in PK-12 Leon County Schools over the last five years.

Click on image to enlarge.

The graph for PK-12 enrollments shows that since the 2011-12 school year, Leon County Schools have added approximately 600 students. That is about a 1.8% increase over a five year period or 120 students per year.

At the state level, student enrollment increased by 4.6%,  just over 2.5 times as fast over the same time period.

What about growth in high school enrollment?

Data from the FDOE shows that over the last five years, Leon County High Schools have added approximately 535 students for a 5.9% increase. This is equal to about a 1.2% increase in high school enrollment per year or approximately 100 new high school students per year.

This also indicates that only 65 students have been added to PK-8 enrollment over the last five years.

Do these numbers warrant a new high school?

Hillsborough County  is another school district in Florida considering a new high school due to growth in enrollment.

However, Hillsborough’s K-12 growth is significantly higher than in Leon County over the last five years.

Total enrollment in Hillsborough increased 7.5% over the last five years compared to the 1.8% in Leon County.

High school enrollment in Hillsborough has increased 11.7% over the last five years compared to the 5.9% in Leon County.

However, growth in enrollment is not the only determining factor in building new schools. At times new schools are needed when population movement within a school district results in overcrowding in specific schools and unused space in others.

Is this occurring in Leon County? Lets look at current Leon County high school enrollment.

Three Leon County high schools – Lincoln, Leon and Chiles – are operating at or above capacity. The current enrollment for these schools fall between 2,000 and 2,200 students.

Lincoln is located in the eastern part of the district, while Chiles is located in the northeast part of Leon County. Leon High School is located in downtown Tallahassee.

However, two other high schools, Rickards and Godby,  are operating significantly below capacity. Enrollment information shows that Rickards serves 1,284 students and Godby serves 1,273 students.

Rickards is located on the south side of the school district and and Godby is located on the west side.

Unused capacity at these two schools would indicate that the district could serve between 400 and 800 additional high school students. Based on passed growth trends – adding about 100 new high school students each year – rezoning could delay construction of a new high school by 3-5 years.

However, this brings up re-zoning, which is a painful process for students, parents and elected officials.

Is it more painful than spending $50 million for a new high school? This is a question elected officials will be forced to answer.

In Hillsborough County, Cindy Stuart, a school board member addressed the issue. “I never want to say it, but it does have to be said because as good stewards of our tax dollars, we need to put kids where we have seats. Maybe not tonight or tomorrow, but we can realize savings by putting children in the seats we have available before we start spending large amounts of money.”

A first look at the information for the Leon County school district indicates three high schools operating at high capacity and two high schools are operating significantly below capacity.

There appears to be two options – rezoning or building a new high school. If elected leaders choose to build, the next question is where?

In our next report we will look at population trends within Leon County and try to provide information that might lead to an answer to the $50 million question?

Ms. Striplin, who retained Ron Meyer, of Meyer, Brooks, Demma and Blohm, P.A., asked the Florida Commission on Ethics if it was a violation of state ethics laws for a school board member to travel “and exchange gifts with a friend who is a partner in a law firm that provides counsel to the School District?”

The staff of the Florida Commission on Ethics drafted an opinion which will be presented to the Ethics Commisison at their January 22, 2016 meeting. See agenda and materials here.

The opinion states that since Ms. Striplin’s friend is “a partner of a lobbyist, the member is prohibited from accepting a gift from him with a value greater than $100, and because the firm is the firm or principle of a lobbyist, she is prohibited from accepting a gift worth more than $100 from the firm.”

The opinion does not address any issues related to voting conflicts.