First district town hall held at Caloosa Elementary

Sep 6, 2022 By CHUCK BALLARO 4 min read

Lee County Superintendent of Schools Christopher Bernier only took over the job in May, but he has his sights on creating a world-class school system that creates the high-wage workers of the future.

And that means listening to the concerns of his fellow educators, parents, bus drivers and yes, students. And they have an awful lot of them.

Bernier held the first of three scheduled town hall meetings at Caloosa Elementary School Thursday night, where parents and educators gave him a list of what’s working, things they can do better in the short and long term, and things that should keep the superintendent up at night.

Bernier said the school year has started well, but not without issues such as transportation which he said they district is working to alleviate.

“We have to be about what’s best for our kids. If we’re going to be successful, we have to turn out high-quality college-ready graduates and build a world-class school system,” Bernier said. “High-quality students drive our economic engine. They go to school and into careers, earn money and drive the economy.”

This will allow communities to attract businesses where there are attractive employees and schools for the employees’ family can go to school.

However, this was about engaging the community, and they were tasked with telling Bernier everything about their schools.

The good included school safety, educational materials, technology, student support, improvements in virtual learning, school board meetings are productive, with leadership receptive with feedback.

However, transportation and starting times for students were at the top for concerns, as some students are on the bus for hours per day, often waiting for the bus, or even starting first period classes, in the dark.

There were also concerns for students with special needs and gifted students and a lack of staff and programs for them, a consistent dress code, overcrowded schools, graduation rates, the amount of homework, especially at the AP level, and teacher burnout.

Christy DeVigili, who was a primary hopeful for the District 1 Lee County School Board seat and who has a child in North Fort Myers High School, loved the idea of the superintendent coming to the schools.

“I’m very hopeful about our new superintendent. A lot of positive changes have been made so far and I’m excited to see the things written down and put to action,” said DeVigili, who said student proximity to schools and dress code were her main concerns. “All the issues were important and deserve our time and attention.”

Lynne Fallica, a teacher at Caloosa, said she was happy Bernier was willing to listen to teachers and parents.

“I think he’s going to correct the problems at our schools. What concerns me is the transportation. We have kids on the bus for 90 minutes and they arrive late and sometimes in the dark,” Fallica said. “I also understand there’s a lot of growth in the system and we’re doing the best we can to accommodate.”

Bernier was ecstatic by the results.

“I’m thrilled the community turned out. We had parents with significant issues and they brought up things I totally expected and some things to think about,” Bernier said. “I now have new things that will keep me up at night.”

The evening got started with the introduction of a new book-vending machine, where students can spend a gold token on birthdays or for excellence on a book of their liking.

Caloosa Elementary was able to raise the money for the machine through a read-a-thon, said Suzanne Roberts, a 2008 Golden Apple winner and the person who masterminded the idea.

“We had a goal of getting a machine like this. We had one at Diplomat Elementary and we had a Read-a-thon in April. Students got pledges from family and friends and read 7,297 hours to completely fund the machine,” Robert said.

Blaise Shover, 9, was the first child to try out the glitzily lit machine and chose a Star Wars book.

To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com