SWOT

Monday, February 8th meeting at Creekside Middle

Strengths:

Professional development (some of it)

Highly qualified and distinguished teachers in classrooms

Paraprofessionals

Teamwork within the schools

Positive school environment (changes this year)

Copy Center

Dedicated office staff and support staff

Move toward tech focus

Academic success [Port Orange]

Parent involvement in school activities

Schools incorporate practical knowledge programs, e.g. robotics

PTA support

Money available

VTO

Students

Community involvement

Sports/music/art

Parents

Teachers

Administrative support (varies by school)

Safety

Passionate teachers

Academics require higher level thinking

Academies

Clubs

Teacher professionalism

Teachers love of children

Student transportation

Volunteers

Weaknesses:

Teacher retention

Recess time

Technology (varies by school)

Filthy classrooms

Lack of tangible resources

Us versus them mentality ESE compliance /class size

Lack of quality substitutes especially in high school/vacancies

Too much curriculum

Too much testing

Teacher pay and benefits

Lack of extra-curricular activities

Lack of administrative support

Technology overall outdated and unreliable

Accountability

Poor communication

Developmentally inappropriate curriculum

VAM and teacher evaluations

More male teachers needed

No testing flexibility

Testing windows

Gross food

Lack of security

Dirty schools/bugs

Low morale

Bonuses for district [superintendent] by saving money

EOC demands takeaway from further teaching

Misinformation/misdirection

District micromanagement

Priorities/focus/narrow-mindedness/personal agendas

Transportation (sports/music)

Lack of advocacy for ESE

More communication from school board members/town hall style meetings

School yard supervision

Landscaping has deteriorated ever since outsourcing maintenance (plants

growing in gutters)

Conflict created instead of positive communication

Unprofessional treatment of professionals

Funding wasted my plate guidelines and food waste

Opportunities:

More public involvement in budget

Refocus budget

Contracted companies receive evaluations from stakeholders

Bring back VC custodians - no private companies - employees invested

Online opportunity versus substitutes in high school

Educate the community

Student voice

Healthier school lunches

Writing letters to school board, newspaper editor, legislators

Attend school board meetings

Support and recognize teachers

Better knowledge of what teachers are doing from a parent perspective

Get parents involved in the election process

Participation with VTO walk-ins and walk-outs

Changes to national testing -No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Request changes to national testing to have more freedom

People voting in general

Social media to share ideas

Textbook reviews

3 Moms meetings

Better vetting of school board members

Parent involvement

Teacher recruitment and retention

Opportunities to cut costs at district level - top heavy

Threats:

Dirty schools

Constant changes

Reactive versus proactive

Lack of jobs in the community for parents

Job security

Teacher retention

Lack of partnerships with universities

Public perception

Lack of information

Cyberbullying/web safety

Overload of work

Heating/AC

Curriculum demands/pacing

Computer-based testing

Lack of qualified substitutes in high school

Lack of services

Length of time for PST

Poverty/home support

Evaluation (Danielson)

Student dropout

Common Core

Federal overreach

Money driven

Student safety and security

Pearson (testing company/textbooks)

Status quo

Volusia County members personal agendas against public schools District cost differential (DCD)

Funding

Low morale

Testing

Lack of communication/clarification

Lack of resources

Fear of retaliation

Political agenda

Wednesday, February 10th meeting at Deltona High School

Strengths: Dedicated teachers and employees

Involved parents (dependent on school population)

Some excellent administrators/open door policy

Community support and business partners

Communication outlets (ConnectEd, email, gradebook, etc.)

Testing - Waterford

PTOs and PTAs

Volunteers

Awesome children

SAC and DAC

Extracurricular programs (SGA, sports, etc.)

High School AVID, Academies

Title I funds

Star/FSA/ESOL tutoring

Free dinners and food going home with homeless students

Five Star program

Class Size

Mentoring

Guidance - community outreach during holidays

Collaboration via social media

Dual enrollment

International Baccalaureate (IB) program

VIPS (Volunteers) recognition

Weaknesses:

Funding - state and local

Lack of custodial staff

Inconsistent curriculum materials

Technology (bandwidth)

Bullying by peers/teachers

Too many chiefs that distort information

Security issues on open campuses signing in for on-campus activities

Unqualified (uncertified?) teachers especially in math/core subjects

Numerous substitutes

No vocational tech opportunities

Not prioritizing teachers pay in budget Too much training with no time to implement

Staffing issues (paraprofessionals/clerical/testing staff)

Disconnect between education of students and what is taught

Developmentally inappropriate concepts and technology expectations

Pacing versus mastery

Poor quality and confusing tests

Setting up teachers and students for failure

Test anxiety

Technology replacing teachers

Interactive notebooks

Lack of obviously available parent resources to help children

Lack of curriculum resources and textbooks

Lack of resources for ESE

Lack of experience of board and district administration

Superintendent bonus

Disconnect between theoretical versus practical

Influence of local political parties

Inadequate/antiquated technology

Feeling unwelcome in schools by administration

Poor morale

Lack of communication (parent - teacher and teacher - parent)

District cost differential (DCD)

Background checks more frequently than every 5 years

School board not making kids a priority

Homogenous grouping in classes

Opportunities:

Parent involvement

School board can show teachers they care

Attracting/retaining teachers

Look at other counties

State has more control

School board reallocating funds or use of them

At risk students have an opportunity to earn diplomas

Put money into technology

Purchase curriculum textbooks from money made on VCS property sales

Communication via networking

Emphasize vocational education opportunities

Show support for legislation to fix the DCD

Educate the community at large

Educate English Language Learners (ELL) population

Educate the school board on what a real school day is like (curriculum,

paperwork, expectations, testing)

Give students real world business experience?

Involve parents in school (understand what really happens at school)

Educate parents on Common Core math through workshops

Listen to student videos about their thoughts on programs and school life

We all have the opportunity to make a difference every day!

Revisit and enforce current dress code not uniforms

Threats:

Inconsistent policies

Overdependence on technology (dumbing the students down)

Excessive screen time for students

District mandated tests

Teaching for a test instead of just teaching

Relying on test scores to grade teacher performance

Credit retrieval lab as diploma mill

Too much teacher paperwork outside of class

Graduation rate

District departments out of touch with classroom functioning - not

developmentally appropriate

Grading system - points versus GPA

Prekindergarten and kindergarten expectations

No recess

School campus not secure

Subjectivity on part of principal to determine high performing or

distinguished teacher evaluations

Teachers afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation from administration

Micromanaging of teachers, schedules, curriculum

Social media consuming students lives Florida legislation - charter schools and school choice

Lack of tenure/security

Law dictating students arent allowed to review missed questions Lack of understanding by community on education issues (uninformed

voters)

Cannot enroll in academies at overcrowded schools

Lowest [teacher] pay in the area

School board not respecting teachers

Thursday, February 11th at Hinson Middle School

Strengths:

Passionate, caring teachers and parents

Safety procedures-students prepared!

Caring community

Teachers always making students a priority

Teachers always doing their best to help children succeed

Elected* school board members *gives voters a voice-responsibility!!!

Parks and museums

Vast opportunities for field studies

Many expert teachers tapped for their skills outside of district

This county has 3-4 universities/colleges with many opportunities for

student advancement

Partner opportunities with local colleges/universities

Class size if followed correctly

Plus one schools

FUTURES

Parent volunteers

Facilities (newer schools)

Sports

Some schools customer friendly Food brings hope program

Exemplary employees

After school activities

Title 1 (free breakfast/tutoring/technology/academic coaches

Respected by state program people

Strong Union

Students do have some access to technology

Extended day program

Weaknesses:

Leadership- School Board (not positive leaders)

Lack of Supplies

Mixed Messages

Textbooks

Lack of curriculum resources

Technology (outdated and not enough)

Test Validity (not reliable)

Too much emphasis on testing

Parent Involvement

Cleanliness (contracting out)

Low Morale

Shift in responsibility (accountability, passing the buck)

Accountability

Recess (need PE all year)

Board lacks classroom experience

Student Anxiety

Bus/Zoning

Resource equity (students in poverty and minority students)

Aides not being utilized effectively

Poor communication (site based)

Administrators that micro-manage

Teachers authority is taken away No behavioral support system

No consistency/ jump from one thing to another

knee-jerk reactions Programs not aligned or effective

Too many scripted programs/no room for creativity

Too structured

Lack of thinking things through

Some schools have poor reputations

Parents have to advocate for students/teachers

Lack of support

Inconsistent standards at schools

Disconnect between school board and schools

Lack of support/concern for teachers

Discipline

Inexperienced board with outside priorities

Opportunities:

Fundraising

Recruiting possible certified teachers from local colleges

Longevity bonuses= retaining teachers

Building community alliances

Increase family involvement

Finding best practices from other counties, collaboration

Low base pay raise causing lack of hires

Do we know why teachers dont look for jobs here Opportunities for teacher flexibility and decisions

Increase community involvement

Increase voting/voter knowledge

Gain support of retirees

Hold elected officials responsible through the ballot box

DCD- opportunity to earn it back

Grants

Dual enrollment

Technical education

Career academies

Scholarships

cent sales tax

Technology donations

Grants

Partnerships with local corporations

Threats:

Legislature/Governor

Teacher exodus

Teacher-school board relations-tension

Lack of competitive wages

Ineffective leadership

Inexperienced leadership

Lack of priorities/focus by leadership

School board motives/personal agendas

School board that refuses to listen to opinions they dont agree with Close-minded leadership/school board

Homeschooling. Private schools. Online. Vouchers

Lack of community awareness (disconnect)

Lack of local businesses/corporations grasping importance of investing in

local school system (strong schools=strong economy)

Apathy

Cyclical process (responsibility)

Education is being run by politics/like a business

Lack of technology-students not prepared

Curriculum is developmentally inappropriate

Charter schools

Funds being diverted from public schools

Lack of tenure/inability to have job security

Financial stability (purchasing homes etc difficult)

Unfilled positions/too many vacancies

Excessive high stakes testing

Evaluation based on high stakes testing

Lack of innovation

Students lose love of learning

Increased insurance costs

Voter apathy

More social services

Lack of individualized learning opportunities

Canned learning-no opportunities for creativity/teaching freedoms

Legend:

Creekside Middle School

Deltona High School

Hinson Middle School

Combined Data

Strengths:

Students

o Academic success (collaboration of

students/teachers/parents/community)

o Awesome children

Employees

o Highly qualified and distinguished teachers in classrooms

o Passionate teachers

o Paraprofessionals

o Dedicated office staff and support staff

o Teacher professionalism

o Teachers love of children

o VTO

o Administrative support (varies by school)

o Dedicated teachers and employees

o Some excellent administrators/open door policy

o Passionate, caring teachers and parents

o Teachers always making students a priority

o Teachers always doing their best to help children succeed

o Many expert teachers tapped for their skills outside of district

o Exemplary employees

o Respected by state program people

o Strong Union

Parents/Community

o Parent involvement in school activities

o PTA Support

o Parents

o Dedicated office staff and support staff

o Teacher professionalism

o Teachers love of children

o Volunteers

o Community involvement

o Involved parents (dependent on school population)

o PTOs and PTAs

Strengths (continued):

Parents/Community

o Volunteers

o SAC and DAC

o Mentoring

o Community support and business partners

o Caring community

o Parent volunteers

o FUTURES

o Food Brings Hope program

o Elected school board members - gives voters a voice/responsibility!!!

o Parks and museums

o After school activities

Schools/District/Federal

o Professional development (some of it)

o Teamwork within the schools

o Positive school environment (changes this year)

o Schools incorporate practical knowledge programs, e.g. robotics

o Academics require higher level thinking

o Move toward tech focus

o Sports/music/art

o Academies

o Clubs

o Safety

o Student transportation

o Copy Center

o Money available

o Communication outlets (ConnectEd, email, gradebook, etc.)

o Testing Waterford o Extracurricular programs (SGA, sports, etc.)

o High School AVID, Academies

o Star/FSA/ESOL tutoring

o Free dinners and food going home with homeless students

o Guidance - community outreach during holidays

o Five Star program

o Class Size

o Collaboration via social media

o Dual enrollment

o International Baccalaureate (IB) program

Strengths (continued):

Schools/District/Federal

o VIPS (Volunteers) recognition

o Title I funds

o Safety procedures-students prepared!

o Class size (if followed correctly)

o Plus one schools

o Facilities (newer schools)

o Sports

o Some schools customer friendly o Students do have some access to technology

o Extended day program

o Title 1 (free breakfast/tutoring/technology/academic coaches)

Weaknesses:

School/District Environment

o Teacher retention

o Recess time

o Technology (varies by school)

o Filthy classrooms/dirty campuses/bugs

o Us versus them mentality o ESE compliance /class size

o Lack of quality substitutes especially in high school/vacancies

o Teacher pay and benefits

o Lack of extra-curricular activities

o Lack of administrative support

o Technology overall outdated and unreliable

o Accountability

o Poor communication

o VAM and teacher evaluations

o More male teachers needed

o Gross food

o Lack of security

o Low morale

o Bonuses for district [superintendent] by saving money

o Funding - state and local

o Lack of custodial staff

o Bullying by peers/teachers

o Too many chiefs that distort information

o Security issues on open campuses signing in for on-campus activities

o Unqualified (uncertified?) teachers especially in math/core subjects

o Numerous substitutes

o No vocational tech opportunities

o Not prioritizing teachers pay in budget o Too much training with no time to implement

o Staffing issues (paraprofessionals/clerical/testing staff)

o Disconnect between education of students and what is taught

o Technology (bandwidth)

o Setting up teachers and students for failure

o Technology replacing teachers

o Lack of experience of board and district administration

o Superintendent bonus

o Homogenous grouping in classes

Weaknesses (continued):

School/District Environment o Leadership - School Board (not positive leaders)

o Lack of supplies (paper, printer ink, etc.)

o Mixed messages

o Technology (outdated and not enough)

o Lack of parent involvement

o Cleanliness (contracting out)

o Low morale

o Shift in responsibility (accountability, passing the buck)

o Accountability

o Recess (need PE all year)

o Board lacks classroom experience

o Student anxiety

o Bus/Zoning

o Resource equity (students in poverty and minority students)

o Aides not being utilized effectively

o Poor communication (site based)

o Administrators that micro-manage

o Teachers authority is taken away o No behavioral support system

o knee-jerk reactions o Lack of thinking things through

o Some schools have poor reputations

o Parents have to advocate for students/teachers

o Lack of support

o Inconsistent standards at schools

o Disconnect between school board and schools

o Lack of support/concern for teachers

o Discipline

o Inexperienced board with outside priorities

Curriculum (known that many of these are state-level decisions)

o Lack of tangible resources

o Too much curriculum

o Too much testing

o Developmentally inappropriate curriculum

o No testing flexibility

o Testing windows

o EOC demands takeaway from further teaching

o Inconsistent curriculum materials

o Developmentally inappropriate concepts and technology expectations

o Pacing versus mastery

o Poor quality and confusing tests

o Test anxiety

o Interactive notebooks

o Lack of obviously available parent resources to help children

o Lack of curriculum resources and textbooks

o Lack of resources for ESE

o Disconnect between theoretical versus practical

o Textbooks

o Lack of curriculum resources

o Test Validity (not reliable)

o Too much emphasis on testing

o No consistency/ jump from one thing to another

o Programs not aligned or effective

o Too many scripted programs/no room for creativity

o Too structured

Opportunities:

Community

o More public involvement in budget

o Educate the community

o Writing letters to school board, newspaper editor, legislators

o Attend school board meetings

o Better knowledge of what teachers are doing from a parent perspective

o Get parents involved in the election process

o Participation with VTO walk-ins and walk-outs

o People voting in general

o 3 Moms meetings

o Better vetting of school board members

o Parent involvement

o Parent involvement

o Show support for legislation to fix the DCD

o Educate the community at large

o Educate English Language Learners (ELL) population (possibly partnership

with district)

o We all have the opportunity to make a difference every day!

o Revisit and enforce current dress code not uniforms

o Fundraising

o Increase family involvement

o Increase community involvement

o Increase voting/voter knowledge

o Gain support of retirees

o Hold elected officials responsible through the ballot box

o Technology donations

o Partnerships with local corporations

o Vast opportunities for field studies

o Partner opportunities with local colleges/universities

o This county has 3-4 universities/colleges with many opportunities for

student advancement

District/State/National

o Refocus budget

o Contracted companies receive evaluations from stakeholders

o Bring back VC custodians - no private companies - employees invested

o Online opportunity versus substitutes in high school

o Student voice

Opportunities (continued):

District/State/National o Healthier school lunches

o Support and recognize teachers

o Changes to national testing -No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

o Request changes to national testing to have more freedom

o Social media to share ideas

o Textbook reviews

o Teacher recruitment and retention

o Opportunities to cut costs at district level - top heavy

o School board can show teachers they care

o Attracting/retaining teachers

o Look at other counties

o State has more control

o School board reallocating funds or use of them

o At risk students have an opportunity to earn diplomas

o Put money into technology

o Purchase curriculum textbooks from money made on VCS property sales

o Communication via networking

o Emphasize vocational education opportunities

o Educate the school board on what a real school day is like (curriculum,

paperwork, expectations, testing)

o Give students real world business experience

o Involve parents in school (understand what really happens at school)

o Educate parents on Common Core math through workshops

o Listen to student videos about their thoughts on programs and school life

o Recruiting possible certified teachers from local colleges

o Longevity bonuses= retaining teachers

o Building community alliances

o Finding best practices from other counties, collaboration

o Do we know why teachers dont look for jobs here o Opportunities for teacher flexibility and decisions

o DCD- opportunity to earn it back

o Grants

o Dual enrollment

o Technical education

o Career academies

o Scholarships

o cent sales tax

Threats:

Community

o Lack of jobs in the community for parents

o Volusia County members personal agendas against public schools o Poverty/home support

o Political agenda

o Lack of understanding by community on education issues (uninformed

voters)

o Lack of community awareness (disconnect)

o Lack of local businesses/corporations grasping importance of investing in

local school system (strong schools=strong economy)

o Apathy

o Cyclical process (responsibility)

o Financial stability (purchasing homes, etc. difficult)

o Voter apathy

o More social services

District

o Dirty schools

o Constant changes

o Reactive versus proactive

o Job security

o Teacher retention

o Lack of partnerships with universities

o Public perception

o Lack of information

o Overload of work

o Heating/AC

o Curriculum demands/pacing

o Computer-based testing

o Lack of qualified substitutes in high school

o Lack of services

o Length of time for PST

o Student dropout

o Money driven

o Student safety and security

o Status quo

o Low morale

o Testing

o Lack of communication/clarification

Threats (continued):

District

o Lack of resources

o Fear of retaliation

o Funding

o Inconsistent policies

o Overdependence on technology (dumbing the students down)

o Excessive screen time for students

o District mandated tests

o Teaching for a test instead of just teaching

o Relying on test scores to grade teacher performance

o Credit retrieval lab as diploma mill

o Too much teacher paperwork outside of class

o Graduation rate

o District departments out of touch with classroom functioning - not

developmentally appropriate

o Grading system - points versus GPA

o No recess

o School campus not secure

o Subjectivity on part of principal to determine high performing or

distinguished teacher evaluations

o Teachers afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation from administration

o Micromanaging of teachers, schedules, curriculum

o Cannot enroll in academies at overcrowded schools

o Lowest [teacher] pay in the area

o School board not respecting teachers

o Low base pay raise causing lack of hires

o Teacher-school board relations-tension

o Ineffective leadership

o Inexperienced leadership

o Lack of priorities/focus by leadership

o School board motives/personal agendas

o School board that refuses to listen to opinions they dont agree with o Close-minded leadership/school board

o Lack of technology-students not prepared

o Unfilled positions/too many vacancies

o Lack of innovation

o Increased insurance costs

o Lack of individualized learning opportunities

o Canned learning-no opportunities for creativity/teaching freedoms

Threats (continued):

State/National/Global

o Cyberbullying/web safety

o Evaluation (Danielson)

o Common Core

o Federal overreach

o Pearson (testing company/textbooks)

o District cost differential (DCD)

o Prekindergarten and kindergarten expectations

o Social media consuming students lives o Florida legislation - charter schools and school choice

o Lack of tenure/security

o Law dictating students arent allowed to review missed questions o Legislature/Governor

o Teacher exodus

o Homeschooling/Private schools/Online/Vouchers

o Education is being run by politics/like a business

o Curriculum is developmentally inappropriate

o Charter schools

o Funds being diverted from public schools

o Lack of tenure/inability to have job security

o Excessive high stakes testing

o Evaluation based on high stakes testing

o Students lose love of learning