School board focuses on leadership development
Gulf District School Board members have participated in several programs this month aimed at enhancing their leadership abilities in the education field.
Last week, school board members Marvin Davis and Cindy Belin traveled to Tampa to take part in the 76th annual Florida School Boards Association and Florida Association of District School Superintendents’ Joint Conference.
The week-long event focuses on leadership development, networking, and training. The Gulf District Schools representatives joined more than 400 educators from around the state.
“After the last year and a half of limited physical interaction due to COVID-19, it is clear that it is more important than ever for our members and district staff to interact, collaborate, and network to discuss and create solutions to the many education issues that are prevalent in our local, state, and national dialogue,” said FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina. “This event provided new inspiration for school board members and superintendents to continue to lead, ensuring their public schools reflect their community’s priorities.”
Back in Gulf County, all five school board members and Superintendent Jim Norton participated in the second session of the Master Board program following their Dec. 7 meeting. The session was led by Florida School Boards Association Consultant, Stacy Kirvin.
“The Master Board program is a voluntary program which provides opportunities for the leadership team to engage in training that enhances its capacity to provide visionary leadership for the school district,” said Belin.
“The Master Board program concentrates on the leadership team’s governance roles for enhancing student achievement, fostering connections and empowering collaboration between schools and the community, and in creating a learning organization to advance excellence in public education.”
Participation in these trainings has been a priority of the current board, and Belin said that the leadership team hopes their involvement will allow them to be more well-rounded in their governmental and educational roles.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.