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214:- The school for African-American students before desegregation. The first building opened in 1936 with a second in 1940. The last building opened in 1957, as a K-8 school, with high school grades coming in 1960. In 1970, schools were integrated and it became the middle school for the county. The original buildings stopped being used after the 1960s.
112:(FDOE) took over financial oversight of the district to rescue it from a declared financial emergency due to budget deficits. In June 2011, the district exited financial emergency one year sooner than expected due to efforts from District faculty and staff; subsequently, it operated for two years with a fund balance well over the mandated 3%.
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be under emergency, and no other district at the time in
Florida had such a status. In the summer of 2016 the FDOE decided that the elected school board should make a plan to change its governance significantly. The state DOE again took financial control in 2017 due to missing money, low school grades and questionable staffing decisions.
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Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jefferson
Elementary averaged total enrollment of 900 students each year. Demographically the school averaged 50% African-American and 50% White students. During the 2000s, Jefferson Elementary experienced a decrease in enrollment, averaging 500-600 students each year.
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In 2022, the FDOE was unable to find a new operator for the charter schools, and the state allowed a locally elected board to take control once again. The FDOE returned control to the local school board on
February 9, 2022 but the district must submit a monthly budget report to the state for one year
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In 2015 the state government reduced the amount of money going into the district, which by then had 882 students, at that point the lowest such number ever. The racial conflict in the board intensified when
African-Americans gained the majority in 2016. That year its financial status was declared to
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In 2003, the school district approved plans to move the high school from its 1832 location and construct a new facility on 127 acres 4 miles south of the original school. Construction was complete in time for the high school to make the move for the 2004-2005 school year. The district had planned to
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build a new middle school next to the new high school by 2009. However, in the fall of 2005, the district had no choice but to expedite this move and cram the middle school into the new high school campus. The merge of the two schools changed the high schools name to
Jefferson County Middle/High.
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was hired as the operator. Jefferson County is the only
Florida school district to ever be controlled by a charter network. From 2017 to 2022, the schools were known as Jefferson Somerset K-12 School, also known as Somerset Academy Jefferson County
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By the 2010s the public school system was majority
African-American even though the majority of the county's population is non-Hispanic White. In 2016 it had about 800 students, with about 66% being African-American. In earlier eras after
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At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the district opened its rebranded K-12 school with a total of 800 students. The district had successfully hired over 40 new faculty and staff members to turnaround the school and the district.
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The school also experienced a 20-25% decrease in white student enrollment. Prior to the elementary school merging with the middle and high school in 2017, enrollment had declined to 390 students, 75% African-American and 25% White.
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Howard Middle School - Opened in 1970, taking the space of Howard
Academy. It closed in 2004. In 2019 the district was considering selling the building, but it had not decided on a plan yet.
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ended, the student population was 75% African-American. Some white students attend school districts in other counties and others attend a private school.
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507:"The Jefferson School District's transition plan back to local control hinges on a legislative plan to revamp student testing"
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565:"Jefferson gets its schools back following bid shenanigans and efforts to keep it with a charter operator"
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393:"'It's totally obliterated local rule': How a troubled, segregated district lost its public schools"
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479:"District on the brink: Jefferson County Schools offered last-ditch options"
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452:"State gives back control to Jefferson County Schools after controversy"
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365:"Parents and teachers react to Jefferson County Schools' dire finances"
38:. Aucilla Christian School is the private school in Jefferson County.
347:"State to take over Jefferson County School District's weak finances"
89:, which is on the property which has the school district headquarters
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697:"School District signs $ 280,000 grant to refurbish Howard Academy"
258:"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson County, FL"
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667:. Jefferson County Schools. March 1, 2004. Archived from
640:"JEFFERSON COUNTY ELEMENTARY A SOMERSET CHARTER SCHOOL"
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Jefferson County Middle/High School (current building)
615:"JEFFERSON COUNTY MIDDLE A SOMERSET CHARTER SCHOOL"
135:and maintain a minimum 5% unassigned fund balance.
812:documentary series about the charter school period
590:"JEFFERSON COUNTY HIGH A SOMERSET CHARTER SCHOOL"
320:"Jefferson County schools face more budget cuts"
245:1490 West Washington Street Monticello, FL 32344
725:"Fate of Howard Middle School remains in limbo"
30:, is a public school district headquartered in
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419:"Jefferson County schools on brink of crisis"
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296:. National Center for Educational Statistics
180:(NCES) counts it as three separate schools:
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417:Curcio, Amanda Claire (August 11, 2016).
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16:School district in Florida, United States
644:National Center for Education Statistics
619:National Center for Education Statistics
594:National Center for Education Statistics
178:National Center for Education Statistics
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391:Bakeman, Jessica (September 17, 2019).
318:Curcio, Amanda Claire (June 11, 2015).
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101:In 2001 the district had 1,709 pupils.
799: (archive index) - The page from
174:Jefferson County Middle / High School
87:Jefferson County Middle / High School
7:
723:Aleman, Lazaro (February 19, 2019).
531:Bakeman, Jessica (August 29, 2019).
695:Aleman, Lazaro (January 25, 2022).
563:Mueller, Sarah (January 18, 2022).
505:Mueller, Sarah (January 29, 2022).
758:"A local landmark: Howard Academy"
97:Former Jefferson Elementary School
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477:Dailey, Ryan (January 17, 2017).
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110:Florida Department of Education
756:Nissley, Lina (July 9, 2020).
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194:Jefferson County Adult School
24:Jefferson County School Board
208:Jefferson County High School
831:School districts in Florida
290:"AUCILLA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY"
202:Jefferson Elementary School
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235:. Jefferson County Schools
826:Jefferson County, Florida
28:Jefferson School District
788:Jefferson County Schools
20:Jefferson County Schools
793:Somerset Jefferson K-12
108:On April 23, 2009, the
458:. Tallahassee Democrat
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128:Somerset Academy, Inc.
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801:Somerset Academy Inc.
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484:Tallahassee Democrat
424:Tallahassee Democrat
369:Tallahassee Democrat
351:Tallahassee Democrat
325:Tallahassee Democrat
22:, also known as the
154:de jure segregation
34:. It serves all of
32:Monticello, Florida
450:Goñi-Lessan, Ana.
265:U.S. Census Bureau
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61:. You can help by
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669:the original
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143:Demographics
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63:adding to it
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462:February 9,
300:February 3,
294:NCES.ed.gov
183:High School
820:Categories
219:References
806:Chartered
665:"Schools"
278:Text list
70:May 2022
795:at the
769:May 16,
736:May 16,
708:May 16,
675:May 15,
649:May 15,
624:May 15,
599:May 15,
574:May 15,
548:May 16,
516:May 15,
490:May 17,
430:May 17,
402:May 15,
331:May 17,
270:May 17,
239:May 15,
160:Schools
85:Former
42:History
26:or the
808:- The
233:"Home"
176:- The
261:(PDF)
810:WLRN
771:2022
738:2022
710:2022
677:2022
651:2022
626:2022
601:2022
576:2022
569:WFSU
550:2022
543:WLRN
518:2022
511:WFSU
492:2022
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432:2022
404:2022
397:WLRN
333:2022
302:2023
272:2022
241:2022
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