VOLUME 6 ISSUE 28
Diversions for local doctors
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Pg B1 JULY 11 - 17, 2025
Marion school grades improve: No F’s, more A’s
Former MCSO deputy seeks to clear his name Almost three and half years after charges were filed, 18 of 20 were dismissed by a judge and the other two were dropped by the state attorney. By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
Diane Gullett, Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools, speaks during a Technical Working Group meeting at Marion Technical Institute in Ocala on Nov. 27, 2023. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
By Lauren Morrish lauren@ocalagazette.com
T
he Florida Department of Education recently released school grades, revealing large educational gains for Marion County and Florida school districts overall. The FDOE assigns letter grades —A through F— based on student performance to inform parents, communities and policymakers about school effectiveness and identify areas in need of improvement. This year, 71% of Florida schools earned an A or B grade, a 7% improvement from last year. Among the state’s 67 districts, 28 earned A’s; 31, including Marion County, earned B’s; eight earned C’s; and none received a failing grade. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a press release on July 7, the day the grades were announced saying the statewide progress monitoring system the state uses is further proof that Florida is among the leading states in public school student performance. “Providing more opportunities for parents and teachers to intervene in a child’s performance in school leads to better outcomes and a higher quality education,” DeSantis said. Looking specifically at Marion’s results, eight schools received A’s compared to six last year; the number of B schools remained
A
former Marion County Sheriff ’s Office deputy has sued Sheriff Billy Woods and two deputies individually seeking monetary damages for claims he was unjustly retaliated against after complaining about treatment by his superior, targeted for his race and was even falsely arrested and imprisoned in violation of his 14th Amendment right. According to the complaint, David Ur was hired by MCSO on May 14, 2020, after completing the police academy and the Sheriff ’s Field Training Officer program at the age of 45. Ur explained that he and his wife moved to the area from New Jersey while she was doing her medical residency in Gainesville. He said he intended to continue a family legacy and fulfill a lifelong dream of having a law enforcement career. “I come from a huge family of police officers: my brother, my sister, my father, my two uncles,” Ur said. “My grandmother was the first female police officer in New Jersey, Morris County. My son just became a police officer in Delaware.” On Aug. 13, 2020, Ur states in his complaint that he started working in the patrol division under the supervision of Sgt. Timothy Liberatore and they quickly clashed over Ur’s reporting. Ur alleges Liberatore was “demanding that Plaintiff modify the facts in official law enforcement incident and probable cause reports.” Ur reported his concerns to thengeneral counsel for the sheriff, Timothy McCourt, as well as Lt. Michael Joyner and Sgt. Clint Smith. Ur alleges the complaint escalated Liberatore’s antagonism toward him, so he next went to the agency’s human resource department in November 2020. He said Liberatore made comments that Ur, who is Iranian, is “a little dark” and would be sent to Reddick (a predominantly Black area of Marion County) where he would have to contend with the “monkeys” swinging from the trees. Ur claims Maj. Louis Pulford initiated
See Marion school, page A2
See David Ur, page A9
Former Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy David Ur. [Submitted photo]
Helping at-risk children succeed Marion County Public Schools assists students who are considered homeless and the public can help through a supply drive currently underway. By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
Tom Butler, Marion County Public Schools mental health and wellness/district homeless liaison, looks over files in his office at the Fordham Early Learning Academy. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
H
ow widespread is the lack of stable housing in Marion County? It depends on who you ask. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s annual “point-in-time,” or PIT, count taken in January indicates that an estimated 391 people were homeless and living shelters or unsheltered outdoors in Marion County. Yet Marion County Public Schools considered
that 1,556 students— nearly four times the HUD one day count—were homeless last school year. Tom Butler, the MCPS mental health and wellness/district homeless liaison, stated in an email that students may be “living in cars, tents,
hotel/motel, living with relatives and friends in the community.” The Florida Department of Education website details a federal act that dates to 1987 and defines student homelessness and sets guidelines to ensure they
have access to classes and school programs. “The Federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Pre-K-12) states that children and youth who lack a fixed, regular and adequate See Helping children, page A4
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