www.flboe.org. We will do our best to keep you
structure. Previously, Florida had three distinct
community colleges and state universities.
Secretary of Education Jim Horne.
activities in the department. “In terms of efficient
Secretary Horne told the Board of Education. By
districts and community organizations.
changes in their organizational structure.
disruption. Nonetheless, we have had a few
changes. At the top of the list, Dr. Lanny Larson,
the Director of Workforce Development. Loretta
Vocational Rehabilitation.
finalized and more changes may be imminent.
REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
✰✰✰✰✰
Brevard Community College
received the
award for being the lead college for SpaceTEC,
the National Science Foundation’s National
Center of Excellence for Aerospace Technical
Education. Along with this honor, BCC will
receive nearly $3 million to be awarded over the
next three years. The money will be used to
develop and provide an extensive training
program to prepare students to be future
aerospace technicians. Currently, the center has
28 students enrolled in the AS degree program for
aerospace technology. Graduates from the
program will be prepared to go directly into the
aerospace industry and compete for technical
jobs around the country.
✰✰✰✰✰
Walt Disney is recognizing
Valencia
Community College’s
record for world-class
training in hospitality and culinary arts by
contributing $1 million toward the college’s
Hospitality and Tourism Institute. The 61,000
square foot Walt Disney World Center for
Hospitality and Culinary Arts opened in January of
this year on Valencia’s West Campus. The center
features a demonstration kitchen, dual-purpose
classroom/banquet rooms, a hotel front desk
simulation area, and a computer lab equipped
with a high-tech point-of-sale system.
✰✰✰✰✰
The 2002-2003 Nursing Class at
Lake-Sumter
Community College
was second among all
Florida colleges and universities in having the
largest percentage of students to pass the state’s
National Council Licensure Exam for Registered
Nurses on the first attempt.
✰✰✰✰✰
Lake-Sumter Community College
celebrates
its 40
th
anniversary this year. The college now
has three campuses and serves more than 3,500
students annually.
GRANT & SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
SIRSI’s Leader In Library Technology Grant
This scholarship is for public, academic and
special area libraries such as, but not limited to,
college, medical, law, government and museum
libraries. The award amount for this grant is
$10,000. Applications must be received by
12/01/02. Please visit the National Institute for
Literacy News and Events web page at
http://www.nifl.gov for complete eligibility
requirements for the following grant proposal. The
site also includes information on many other
available funding opportunities.
Please visit the Epsilon Sigma Alpha
Foundation web site at www.esaintl.com/esaf to
obtain an application form and instructions for
applying for the following scholarships.
Martha Stickland Scholarship:
This is a $500
scholarship for a Florida woman re-entering the
workforce, or wishing to receive retraining due to
company downsizing.
Rodger and Rhea Weaver Endowment:
This is
a scholarship opportunity for women desiring to
continue their education in order to either acquire
new skills or update present ones. The award
amount is $500.
Getting Down to Business 2
Ready for Best Financial Management
Practices Reviews?
The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
Government Accountability is continuing to
conduct its Best Financial Management Practices
Reviews. Region III districts up for review during
the 2002-2003 school term include Volusia and
Indian River counties. Visit the Department of
Education’s web page at www.firn.edu/doe and
select OPPAGA Best Financial Management
Practices Reviews for a complete review
schedule. In the meantime, your district may
prepare for a review by using the Self-
Assessment document also available on the web
page. To offer further information on OPPAGA,
the Region III Professional Development Council
for Career & Technical Education will be having
an Administrator's Training on October 25 at Mid-
Florida Tech.
DJJ Update
The Department of Juvenile Justice in
conjunction with the Department of Education is
continuing to build bridges in the juvenile justice
education arena. In June, DJJ held its annual
Juvenile Justice Education Institute and Southern
Conference on Corrections as well as the
PAC/DJJ Training Institute.
Both conferences were top of the line
information sharing experiences. Participants
were able to participate in sessions dealing with a
range of topics including mission statements, data
collection, gangs, graffiti, teaching and developing
appropriate positive behaviors, curriculum,
cyberspace, funding opportunities, and
implementing and aligning policy with the state
plan for vocational education.
The conferences also provided the opportunity
to conduct a Region III workshop with
representation from JJEEP, DJJ, local teachers,
administrators, private contractors, and a local
Workforce Development Board. Participants
shared updated directories, website information,
and what was happening with the Regional
Development Advisory Councils for Adult
Education and Vocational Education.
Additionally, over the last several months, DJJ
has begun to meet regularly with various
agencies and staff to discuss efforts to facilitate
the implementation of the state plan. These
meetings have proven to be very useful in
focusing our objectives and establishing time lines
for policy implementation. DJJ contact, Buz
Stephens has received a great deal of positive
feedback on how helpful the meeting was, and we
look forward to sharing again in the near future.
Soldiers Now Able to Graduate
Education Commissioner Charlie Crist and
Rocky McPherson of Veterans’ Affairs are
announcing the expansion of Florida’s law to
include awarding high school diplomas to
veterans of the Korean War.
From 1950-1953, thousands of young
Americans left home to serve our nation in what is
often referred to as “The Forgotten War.” Upon
returning home, many found that resuming school
was not a practical option. Through Senate Bill
292, Florida is now able to offer diplomas as a
token of appreciation for the sacrifices these
soldiers made in the defense of democracy.
Veterans eligible for the program must meet
the following criteria:
•
Must be a Florida resident
•
Inducted into military service between June 1950
and January 1954
•
Started high school between 1946 and 1950
•
Scheduled to graduate between 1950 and 1954
•
Received an honorable discharge
Applications may be downloaded from the
Department of Education web page:
www.firn.edu/doe. Anyone interested in the
program may contact Debra Rackley at
850/488-0419.
Jump Start Your Future
Getting Down to Business 3
Florida Trend’s
Next
magazine recently
included Jump Start Your Future: Career and
Technical Education, a publication created by the
Workforce Development Career Development
Section.
Next
Magazine provides useful
information to high school students pertaining to
their future after high school. Workforce
Development’s Jump Start Your Future assists
students in making decisions for life following high
school by exploring options in career and
technical education, an often overlooked and
misunderstood postsecondary choice. Jump Start
Your Future includes salary and education
information about DCT, Business Technology,
Family and Consumer Sciences, Industrial,
Agriscience, Health Science, Marketing, Public
Service and Technology Education.
Getting Down to Business 4
DIVISION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UPDATES
•
The Division of Community Colleges
Candidate Review Team recommended David
Armstrong Jr. for the post of Chancellor of the
Florida Community College System.
Armstrong has served as Interim Chancellor
since July 2001 and was the Director of
Community Colleges since 1998. The new
chancellor stood out above other finalists
because of his exceptional record as interim
chancellor and his vision for Florida’s
education system. Armstrong was honored
by the committee’s appointment.
•
The Region III team has also experienced
staffing changes. Gloria Spradley is now
operating in full capacity as Program Director
for the region and LaRhonda Williams has
been added to the staff. Although these
changes may result in lead contacts being
reassigned, the team is confident these
changes will be made with minimal disruptions
to the field.
•
The Workforce Development Adult Education
office has a new Program Director as well.
Bob Wofford who has worked as an
educational consultant in the adult education
office has now assumed this position. The
Adult Education staff will be making
presentations on NRS Reporting and Best
Practices to be included in model GED testing
centers at the annual Ace Conference in
September. The Adult Education staff is also
preparing for the Federal Adult Education
Review to be performed in January.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of
Education will be conducting this review and
may conduct site visits in your area. If your
adult education programs have any
exceptional best practices you would like to
highlight in this review, please contact a
Region III team member.
•
The Division of Workforce Development
released the Adults with Disabilities Request
for Proposal in early August. Applications are
due immediately, so if you have not already
submitted your applications, please make that
a leading priority.
•
The Region III Adult Education Professional
Development Advisory Council met in August
to discuss a range of issues including the
council’s strategic plan, marketing and
professional development activities. The
Council has agreed to align its objectives with
the seven “Strategic Imperatives” of the
Department of Education and a needs
assessment survey was drafted to determine
future training activities. The council will hold
organizational meetings on October 3, 2002,
January 16 and May 8, 2003.
•
The newly formed Region III Career and
Technical Education Professional
Development Advisory Council met in June
and July discussing methods of increasing
participation and deliverables for this year.
The next meeting date was set for October 3,
2002.
•
The 2002-2003 Program Standards, Basic
Skills Document, Vocational Changes
Document and PSAV Program Length
Document are now available at
www.firn.edu/doe/dwdframe. You may
access changes for individual program areas
by visiting the Division’s web page at
www.firn.edu/doe/workforce and selecting the
program area of your choice. The Adult
Education Frameworks my be accessed
selecting Program Courses at
www.firn.edu/doe/workforce/adult_ed.htm
•
The state GED rule is currently being revised.
As of now, it is undergoing its first review
process so there are no definite changes.
However, the state has not proposed any fee
increases.
•
The Florida Association of Career and
Technical Education held its 36
th
Annual
Conference and Trade Show in July. The
conference was a tremendous success as
participants were able to receive up to date
information from the federal, state and local
levels regarding career and technical
education. Visit www.facte.org for additional
information on career and technical education.
•
Adult and Community Educators of Florida
held its 12
th
Annual Conference in Tampa,
September 23-26, 2002. Topics for the
conference included integrating workforce into
academic curricula, recruitment and retention
strategies as well as staff development. ACE
also scheduled pre-conference activities that
included a graduate course offered through
USF for Administration of Adult Education, an
Even Start Family Literacy Track and a
Technology Learning Lab. The conference
proved to be a huge success as participants
received invaluable tools and information to
help improve Florida’s adult education
programs.
•
The Office of Vocational and Adult Education
has released "Preparing America's Future", a
new initiative that identifies OVAE’s role in
supporting President George W. Bush and
Secretary Rod Paige's education reform
agenda. It more clearly delineates OVAE’s
function in preparing a qualified workforce for
the 21
st
century by centering the office’s
activities on three key issues.
1.
Preparing every American youth to
complete high school and be well prepared
for postsecondary education and
employment.
2.
Supporting community and technical
colleges to fulfill their potential as an engine
of education, career preparation, workforce
development and economic development;
3.
Expanding adult learning to bring higher
levels of literacy and English fluency to
millions of underserved Americans.
The USDOE has organized three teams (High
School Excellence, Community and Technical
Colleges; and Adult Learning) to develop a
coherent strategy for Preparing America's
Future with implications for policy and
practice.
•
E-mail addresses for Department of Education
employees have changed. E-mail addresses
are now in the format of
firstname.lastname@fldoe.org. However, the
old e-mail addresses will work for the
remainder of the fiscal year.
CALENDAR
10/15-16/02
Entrepreneurship Florida! Disney
Workshop Orlando, FL
Linda Huey 850/487-8563
10/17-19/02
Florida Technology Education
Association Annual Conference
Indian Rocks Beach, FL
www.ftea.com
10/25/02
Region III Career and Technical
Professional Development
Advisory Council Administrators
Training Orlando, FL
Buz Stephens 850/487-0098
11/13-16/02
National Community Education
Association 37th Annual
Conference Austin, Texas
www.ncea.com
Please share your success stories with other
practitioners in the Region III community in the
next edition of our newsletter. Articles and/or
photos can be sent via mail, e-mail or fax to a
Region III Team Member
Gloria Spradley - 850/487-1594, SC 277-1594
E-Mail:
gloria.spradley@fldoe.org
Locester Presha - 850/487-6700, SC 277-6700
E-mail: locester.presha@fldoe.org
Jim Polk - 850/487-0709, SC 277-0709
E-Mail: jim.polk@fldoe.org
Buz Stephens - 850/487-0098, SC 277-0098
E-Mail: buz.stephens@fldoe.org
LaRhonda Williams – 850-487-8507, SC 277-8507
E-Mail: larhonda.williams@fldoe.org
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Room 720
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
Region III Fax Number - 850/487- 6259
Web Site: www.firn.edu/doe/regions/r3wp.htm
Getting Down to Business 5
