September 2008
Community Paper
copyright ©2008 by Community Paper College Park, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Letter from Anne Geiger, School Board District 6 Representative

As many are already aware, I did not seek re-election to the Orange County School Board, and am thankful to the voters who in 2004 gave me this opportunity to serve our children. My platform at the time was to bring educational equity and excellence to our students and demonstrate fiscal stewardship. I will touch briefly on the past four years of service, specifically related to our College Park public schools.

After much work and study, plans for the renovation of Edgewater High School are being finalized so that future students will benefit from a new campus and additional land within a budget that is responsible to taxpayers. Even though strict fiscal discipline was applied, it is still the largest budget for a school renovation in the history of Orange County Public Schools. Future board members will have to remain vigilant as this project progresses while they simultaneously fulfill the promise to Orange County taxpayers to renovate all existing schools and build new ones.

Construction is set to begin in summer of 2009. Keeping the stadium intact, the campus design includes new classrooms, gymnasium, locker rooms, cafeteria, administrative offices, music suite, and media center. The current media center will become a separate 9th grade campus. A dedicated bus loop and additional parking will be provided, with separate areas for faculty, students and visitors. The campus design improves overall vehicular and pedestrian access and circulation, and gives more elbow room for athletic, ROTC and marching band activities.

Edgewater improved dramatically under Principal Rob Anderson, who was appointed at the same time I was elected to the school board. He put necessary focus on expanding and improving the Engineering, Science and Technology magnet, broadening the overall use of technology, adding more career/technical education options, and establishing the Advanced Placement Academy. Athletics continue to flourish, and the arts are growing in strength and popularity. Parental and community support, through the Edgewater Foundation, PTSA, SAC, athletic booster clubs, and the Construction Advisory Team (a standard committee set up for renovation projects), continues to be essential to Edgewater’s sense of family and success as an educational institution. New principal, Mr. Kenny Iames, comes to Edgewater from Olympia High School, with a strong academic and leadership pedigree, and lifelong dedication to athletics and the arts. Edgewater High School will be in good hands.

Lee Middle School, with a newly accredited Middle Years International Baccalaureate program, is now an “A” school. Principal Tom Pylant has ably led Lee in achieving this important accreditation and exceptional school grade status. The IB program will be offered school-wide in school year 2010-2011. Lee’s full renovation is underway, with new classrooms, locker rooms, cafeteria, and administrative offices, as well as renovated classrooms, gymnasium and media center.

College Park-area elementary schools, Lake Silver, Princeton and Killarney, have excelled over the last four years and are all now “A” schools. They are thriving under the skillful leadership of Principals Cindy Dodge, Shayne Grove and Letecia Foster (she recently moved from Assistant Principal to Principal). Killarney is undergoing its own renovation, with new classrooms, cafeteria and administrative offices.

There are twenty-four schools in District 6, and over 175 in Orange County, and so my support of all schools was important in fulfilling my commitment to educational equity and excellence. One intense focus was the transformation of Evans High School and providing support to its feeder elementary and middle schools in Pine Hills. Evans’ success is important for the success of the whole school district, and its students are as wonderful, worthy and capable as any in the county.

It may not be widely known, but students in Orange County’s public schools come from 179 countries and speak 132 languages and dialects. This diversity reflects the future of Orange County, a fact that I find both fascinating and exciting. District 6 itself is socioeconomically, racially and culturally diverse with a wide variety of neighborhoods, from Downtown Orlando to Pine Hills, from West and North Winter Park to Rosemont, from College Park to Eatonville, from Colonialtown to Lockhart, from Loch Haven to Azalea Park, from Killarney to Maitland.

It has been an honor working with our incredible principals, teachers, parents, students and community supporters. Our public schools in College Park, District 6, and throughout the county, are excelling at an unprecedented pace. In fact, the Florida Department of Education has designated Orange County Public Schools an “A” school district. I have never met a more dedicated family of professionals who truly care about our children’s welfare, always seek to better themselves in their areas of expertise, and work tirelessly every day to educate our children to the highest levels. The school district’s new vision to be “the top producer of successful students in the nation” is possible because of these dedicated professionals.

I will continue to publish posts on my blog, www.anneforschools.blogspot.com to share insights and information about issues affecting public education in our community, state and nation. My perspective on the recent decision to flip start times for middle and high school is the most recent post. In a nutshell, this significant cost savings makes transportation more efficient, and therefore protects the classroom from further cuts in a time of declining state revenues. All efforts are being made to provide an excellent education for our children with all available resources in a manner that ensures the fiscal health of one of our community’s most important public institutions. Challenges will continue well into the future. Responsible and courageous leadership will be necessary.

While I still have a lot of work to do over the next few months, I will be meeting regularly with Nancy Robbinson, my successor, to bring her up to speed on the many complex issues and serious responsibilities involved in serving on the Orange County School Board. It is unprecedented, and unusual, that my withdrawal essentially places her in this seat without a full campaign or voter mandate. Nonetheless, she has assured me that she wants to serve with integrity and dedication, and will place priority on what counts most-the educational success of our children, all of them, whether they are students in our College Park public schools, in any of the twenty-four schools in District 6, or in the 175-plus schools in Orange County.

Thank you to those of you with whom I have worked and those who have supported me over the last several years. Your support means the world to me. Together we will build a better community. I encourage everyone to mentor, volunteer, or otherwise support our public schools. They are truly the foundation of a healthy society, strong economy and sound democracy.

Anne Geiger
Orange County Public Schools
School Board, District 6
407-317-3236 (office), 407-399-1768 (cell)
geigera@ocps.net