[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6091351,"mediaKeyId","2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1","parentId",2863213,"title","Board hears extended debate over switching Collegiate Academy provider; no motion taken","audioSeconds",4212,"startMs",3601000,"endMs",7813000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1&start=3601&end=7813","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1/thumbnail_3601000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6091351/Florida/Board-hears-extended-debate-over-switching-Collegiate-Academy-provider-no-motion-taken","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091351-496269ac9cd096caeac869715eec0770/orig.mp4?Expires=1770457080&Signature=m2j~kSbBgrQpko2rmdZ1xFIZRGwfyHTPbSJoZD3ZNJTeWz5nddtnKvxqZ5D7vyqvjZZI3zRmY8lldWjBr5Q-Mpl4lirDdVwMe-lP0aByhKW2KXQvUAlS4Qdq9FImrzUM871TyPyLoh4SQ2QrfSg1Cr6eV-q-1CnntUoij3ZIL8Wz5iLYeLxF6igtHx3RPM4S1-Ed~TA2Hx8GzmxNxp2Ef2GkZyU8IK-Mx3sbOieRAZsR2FTFLYfb8NC9RlJxYJ8l04Q5fGdLMPaJi8lDCASY6pZCtiA2cYnnKnSj0liFgTB4OygdTqajmFYF94fHiiUh8-uPG7qe1QSlwhox0eVaBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hendry County School District","date","2025-04-03T00:00:00Z","article","Residents, college officials and school staff debated a proposed switch of the Clewiston High School Collegiate Academy provider from Florida Southwestern State College (FSW) to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). The superintendent recommended approving an FGCU memorandum of understanding, but the board did not make a motion and took no formal action.

Julia DeBloy, who identified herself as a Clewiston resident and a member of the Florida Southwestern State College board of trustees, urged the board to retain FSW for the program. “By releasing the FSW Collegiate… it looks like you’re going to end up spending $40,000 to $60,000 more annually, and you’re going to have far fewer credits that the students in this community are going to earn,” DeBloy said, and she asked whether FGCU could guarantee in-person courses and preserve the AA degree and graduation ceremony FSW students receive.

Superintendent Swindle summarized the district’s concerns and the opportunity with FGCU. He described long-standing service by FSW but said business and billing practices had prompted the district to explore alternatives. The superintendent recommended that the board approve the FGCU MOU so FGCU could become the Collegiate Academy provider at Clewiston High School; he added that the change would not affect LaBelle dual enrollment offerings and that if approved the junior cohort would begin with FGCU while FSW would “teach out” current seniors.

Becky Jones, director of early college programs at FGCU, described FGCU’s model and said FGCU intended to offer a minimum of eight FGCU credits on site at Clewiston High School in the first year, with the potential for more credits later as FGCU seeks campus-level approvals. Jones said FGCU would offer guaranteed admission and consider students for scholarships following completion of the Collegiate Academy and noted the university’s “destination” scholarship ($3,000 cited as an example) tied to completion and grade requirements.

FSW representatives disputed claims that their program provides lower rigor or fewer supports. Tina Karriker, director of accelerated pathways at FSW, said FSW is “really focused on our first generation college students” and noted that FSW automatically awards an AA degree when students complete 60 appropriate credits and that students participate in a formal commencement. Ian Newhart, deputy chief of staff at FSW, provided cost figures and said FSW’s cost-per-credit-hour is lower than FGCU’s standard university rate; he offered to meet again with the board to provide side-by-side comparisons.

Board members asked detailed questions about accreditation, entry requirements, faculty staffing and billing practices. Superintendent Swindle said staffing challenges mean neither provider can guarantee every course will be in-person each semester but that FGCU had proposed flexibility on billing for courses taught on-site versus virtual instruction. Several board members and community speakers emphasized the value students place on receiving an AA degree and the ceremonial graduation at FSW; supporters of FSW pointed to long-standing ties and outcomes for Clewiston students.

By the meeting’s end the superintendent repeated his recommendation to approve the FGCU MOU, but no board member made a motion to act. The superintendent said the proposal would begin with next year’s junior cohort if the board later approves the MOU; otherwise the current FSW agreement would be taught out for the senior cohort.

No formal vote was recorded on item 5c during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hendry County School District Live Stream 2025-04-03","oneSentenceSummary","Hendry County School District leaders presented a proposed memorandum of understanding with Florida Gulf Coast University to replace Florida Southwestern State College as the Collegiate Academy provider at Clewiston High School; the superintendent recommended FGCU but the board did not vote.","taxTitle","Hendry, School Districts, Florida","taxId",15382,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6091356,"Hendry CTE gets $1.7M AgTech grant for drones, AI and unmanned tractors",329,3271000,3600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1&start=3271&end=3600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1/thumbnail_3271000.jpg","/articles/6091356/Florida/Hendry-CTE-gets-17M-AgTech-grant-for-drones-AI-and-unmanned-tractors","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091356-319a76c0d6809b76aedc9978b8c06489/orig.mp4?Expires=1770457080&Signature=d7LFAYAwnBR-Hf~h85UbrEMD~kgx7b413e0LIbi4nZLDnvuVbXco-9HK2f3nsU4NP83j-fnRYnsSEqpiGkPLbUok8eoV8SPmyTAl9l-iJVvZCAhmXbxXsC64HzXs6MNVDYpEAKkmEeSS9H3nnLEuotCOL17xjoX01sy57WBBiNyfkuOSGh703Nb9IipSsbqq1WxHzlabx5ejqctIJ9dWWaNMKjs32RazPa7Wc8lC1ZCXsV171uSUP51LDEDaGhtNBOvvLQlXtDNYsicBIeThVRvtS28TWSh-28WtnbxHVYXKqulyiu-eMX2k~DIsWIc49HDJvuth-z3l22RorHZmSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Hendry County CTE leaders announced a $1.7 million grant to expand agricultural technology training, saying the funds will buy drones, analytics tools and unmanned-tractor systems for local high schools.

CTE director Ms. Goff told the board the district was one of seven school districts in Florida awarded funds through the state’s CAC workforce development grant. “This is a $1.7 million opportunity to increase AI and advanced technology in our agriculture programs,” she said, and added the award follows local stakeholder conversations with farmers and producers about the technology they expect to use in the next three to five years.

Ms. Goff described equipment that will be purchased for LaBelle and Clouston high school programs: pesticide-application drones, drone-based analytics, worker- and equipment-tracking tools, and — as the technology matures — unmanned tractors that can be driven by tablet. She said the grant will also fund facility upgrades and some Wi-Fi infrastructure improvements so students can use and troubleshoot the systems on-site.

Board members asked whether the grant covers Wi‑Fi upgrades; Ms. Goff said it does and that district IT will be involved. Several board members praised the program’s high certification rates; Ms. Goff noted the district ranks in the state’s top five for industry certifications and reported a 75% pass rate for credentials.

Ms. Goff said the district plans to put equipment on-site and to use it as a hands-on teaching lab so students can analyze, maintain and troubleshoot advanced agricultural systems prior to workforce entry. The district intends to publicize opportunities to students and the community once equipment arrives.","District CTE leaders said a $1.7 million state workforce grant will buy drones, AI analytics and unmanned-tractor technology for LaBelle and Clouston high school agricultural programs and include facility and Wi-Fi upgrades.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6091361,"Hendry schools highlight teletherapy partnership after state grant",605,2691000,3296000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1&start=2691&end=3296","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1/thumbnail_2691000.jpg","/articles/6091361/Florida/Hendry-schools-highlight-teletherapy-partnership-after-state-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091361-7e9d7d3d10ce823171d24e120fcdb759/orig.mp4?Expires=1770457080&Signature=EaDE6SbIoEislIcn2qowkS633DIOOwGcBRajQimJQJDKJt~eD3v-QpCFRTRlGy5yOA0fvRlU~uVICX8VqU8IHVsWSU4QMR42OGUGUn1O448cSoTE~Lt18~8YxudjALFqqQHbt77Or-qttMCKV9-YEtVfevgp~zPniHSPiQqzELOFvDTwgjwwkrnBxQjE0byd85O2e~cBRClQiIyjhm-7J1MMi~je0w~NL0dHnfH6quXfQqEHIVjp4VBiebl6ekGwsU3e4s1fxHtH2HaO2ipULdr0C-qR7VCInUSCLGIiLida4n0A8zp~Nw5SlXph5XfZAxjcAqJEbeYfV9cqPJWpiA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Swindle and the district’s special education leaders praised a teletherapy partnership that they say has expanded access to speech and language services across Hendry County.

The district’s ESE and Student Services director, identified in the meeting as Ms. White, introduced Presence representatives and local clinicians and said the state Department of Education visited the district and “left here in awe” of how Hendry handles student services. Ms. White said the department recently received a “very large grant” from the Department of Education to permit the district to work with other districts statewide.

Paige Dershall, partnership director for Presence in Florida, described the company and the services it supplies. “We serve 10,000 schools in Presence. We’ve been around for 16 years,” Dershall said, adding the vendor has provided millions of therapy sessions and a HIPAA- and FERPA-compliant teletherapy platform. Dershall said Presence chose Hendry “because of” the district’s approach and that Hendry was selected as “partner of the year” after the vendor received multiple nominations nationwide.

District staff and Presence described a mixed model of on-site therapy and teletherapy to address shortages of speech-language pathologists in the region. Tracy Dalton, identified as the district’s lead speech and language therapist, and Presence staff said teletherapy is used only where individualized plans show it’s appropriate. “We do look at those needs and we plan accordingly,” the district therapist said, noting some students have produced stronger results in teletherapy than staff initially expected.

Dershall provided usage figures she said were current to February: the partnership served “over 360 students in your district,” delivered “5,300 therapy sessions,” and logged roughly “157,000 minutes of impactful therapy” in Hendry County. The district noted local staff — speech aides and on-site SLPs — support the teletherapy clinicians and help run an integrated program.

District and vendor speakers emphasized the individualized nature of services and said the model is intended to complement — not replace — in-person therapy when that is required. Ms. White and Presence thanked local staff and singled out the district’s speech staff for facilitating visits and clinical supervision.

The presentation concluded with a short recognition of district speech aides who assist therapists in the classroom and a brief Q&A about program operations.","School officials and vendor Presence described on-site and teletherapy speech services, saying the district served about 360 students through 5,300 sessions and recently received a state Department of Education grant to expand the model.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6091347,"Board approves consent agenda, electronic marquee and alternate meeting calendar",935,3808000,4743000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1&start=3808&end=4743","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863213-a844f3f154af496c6255d8ba91df5ec1/thumbnail_3808000.jpg","/articles/6091347/Florida/Board-approves-consent-agenda-electronic-marquee-and-alternate-meeting-calendar","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091347-5009be85c878ff38ca2d5ce55bcbc2ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1770457080&Signature=Lcg9uR68QzdRdg4TNemy15ekX1bHg3bxbzkfhD5ftSiFRQbbn3K8P1aENzihmpPwBWxsVEQFLP3c5FmqQgD5ErkQmAi2c~DFHTl7d1zyy7t8WPXJs6LrsFrCn0vYZq7TKyzw8PJgPk86NiO3nxt4WxYK1nq9eROnLyDcWLeYayd33-23SAvLh~6ktn8r7vQ2VCdtKpuwBYKVQMd36Jsf1rboiflOLeyDtXY-JDtNjEo9vKbRr0Mf56nB3TCWS1jeedEr3-85FLITxdgF2sZULolz~ye3qSGgYt5EcfVo~tDKYv-5TfL5UhlsfXiflCKBUzQ7xnANKaPHZ~xEpR6iOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hendry County School Board approved multiple routine and operational items, including the consent agenda, a contract for an electronic message center and an alternative board meeting calendar.

Consent agenda: The board approved the consent agenda on a motion by Mrs. Nelson, seconded by Mrs. Farmer. The motion carried with all members voting in favor.

Electronic message center (Action item 5a): The board approved a recommendation to purchase an electronic marquee from Lehi Designs for a site near the campus and other district locations. The superintendent said the sign will be an 8-by-8 screen to carry district messages and emergency information. The motion to approve the electronic message center was made by Reverend Brown, seconded by Mrs. Nelson, and carried unanimously; the superintendent described the sign’s purpose as a district-controlled communications medium and said sales-tax funds will pay for the purchase.

Board meeting calendar (Action item 5b): The board voted to adopt an alternative calendar moving to an average of one meeting per month with a placeholder for a possible second meeting when necessary. Board member Sam Bernite moved to adopt the alternative calendar for a one-year trial and Mrs. Nelson seconded the motion; the board voted in favor and the motion carried.

The board noted it will continue posting meeting notifications in accordance with legal posting timelines if a second monthly meeting is required.","Hendry County School Board approved the consent agenda, an electronic message center contract and adopted an alternative board meeting calendar; votes were unanimous during the meeting.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board hears extended debate over switching Collegiate Academy provider; no motion taken

Hendry CTE gets $1.7M AgTech grant for drones, AI and unmanned tractors

Hendry schools highlight teletherapy partnership after state grant

Board approves consent agenda, electronic marquee and alternate meeting calendar