VOLUME 4 ISSUE 33
Senator Scott visits Ocala Pg B8
AUGUST 18 - AUGUST 24, 2023
Saluting their service
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“We are at a precipice” Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Purple Heart recipients and Agent Orange victims honored at recognition event.
Clockwise from upper left: Commissioners and School Board members meet together during the Joint Workshop with the Marion County Commission and the Marion County Public School Board at the Webber Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Friday, August 11, 2023. Barbara Dobbins, the Executive Director of Operations and Emergency Management for Marion County Public Schools, gives a school district staff facility recommendations presentation. Nigün Kamp of Benesch Consultant for Marion County Public Schools gives a presentation on a long range school planning study. Commissioner Carl Zalak, right, talks with County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes, left. Commissioner Michelle Stone, right, speaks as Commissioner Kathy Bryant, left, listens. Craig Curry of the Marion County Commission, left, talks with Allison Campbell of the Marion County Public School Board, right. Don Washbish, 98, a U.S. Air Force veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient, who was a pilot of B-25s and served in Burma, India and China, salutes as the National Anthem is performed during the Purple Heart and Agent Orange Recognition Ceremony at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park in Ocala on Saturday, August 12, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
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urple Heart recipient Kevin McCabe, who wears a prosthetic due to injuries he sustained when he stepped on a land mine during the Vietnam War, was one of the veterans honored Saturday at the Purple Heart and Agent Orange Recognition Ceremony at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. “Very nice,” McCabe said about the event, which saw about 100 attendees pay tribute to 18 Purple Heart recipients, 11 who also suffered from exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. Additionally, 23 veterans were acknowledged for their “ongoing personal sacrifices due to exposure to Agent Orange.” Volunteers presented each veteran with a certificate from the Friends of Marion County Veterans Park Foundation recognizing their sacrifice and thanking them for their service. Many of the Purple Heart recipients at the ceremony were Vietnam War veterans, including speaker Tom Reese, who served in Army and was awarded decorations including the Purple Heart, Silver Star and four Bronze Stars with “V” for valor. “This is about what you did but wouldn’t have done if you had thought about it,” he said. Reese, who said he thinks recognition for Vietnam War veterans is “long overdue,” added that he’s observed a change in perception about Vietnam War Veterans who were seen in a very negative light by some when they returned to the U.S. from Vietnam. See Veterans, page A5
School, county leaders discuss reviving impact fees to help Marion schools catch up to explosive growth. By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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he Marion County School Board may ask the Marion County Commission to reinstate school impact fees at less than half the rate recommended
by a consultant. The fees, on hold since 2011, are needed to help the district financially accommodate a rising student population fueled by increased housing development in the county. The school board, which has deliberated the issue for over a year, met with the county commissioners
on Aug. 11 to seek a consensus on how much developers should be charged to support the construction of new schools. Impact fees are one-time assessments developers pay for each new housing unit built to offset the effects the increased population has See Impact, page A2
Help wanted
Marion County school district tops state percentage of out-of-field teachers. By Lauren Morrish lauren@ocalagazette.com
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he growing number of teacher vacancies in Florida is leading school districts to place more instructors in classrooms where they are teaching subjects in which they are not certified just to fill the gap, according to the Florida Department of Education. In Marion County, the percentage of teachers working in an out-of-field assignment tops the state average, according to the school district. Less than 10% of courses statewide are being taught by educators out-of-field, according to the FLDOE’s report called “Identification of High Demand Teacher Needs for 2023-24.” That
translates to 55,405 out of 587,607 courses being taught by uncertified teachers. In Marion County, 10.33% of teachers are working in an out-of-field assignment, according to Marion County Public Schools. The FLDOE projected 8,888 staff vacancies statewide for the 2023-24 school year, a significant increase from the last school year. On Sept. 1, 2022, the state reported 5,547 teacher vacancies. In Marion County, there are an estimated 150 teacher vacancies. The school district said its plans to expand, adding new school wings and entire buildings, will likely increase the number of vacancies as more positions are needed to accommodate expected growth. See Teachers, page A5
Bobbie Davila, a new teacher at College Park Elementary School, who will be teaching 3rd grade English and Social Studies, puts a box of books for her students on a shelf in her classroom at College Park Elementary School in Ocala on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
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