Austin, Texas – June 25, 2018 – The Florida Charter School Alliance (FCSA) hosted a reception for Florida attendees during the National Charter Schools Conference in Austin last week. Attended by more than 200 charter school operators, principals, teachers, and supporters, the reception was an opportunity to connect with charter school colleagues, stakeholders and friends, and celebrate the great things that happened in Florida this school year.
“We wanted to highlight our victories and recognize of the people who help raise the bar in public education and the charter school movement in Florida,” said Lynn Norman-Teck, FCSA Executive Director. “We recognized a few heroes among us – the principals, teachers, and operators who quietly do outstanding work while making a huge impact in the communities they serve.”
Nominated by FCSA members, following are the 2018 FCSA Charter School Heroes:
- Mike Strader, Charter School Associates – Quality charter school leader and pioneer
- Dina Miller, Principal, Somerset Davie – Two consecutive National Blue Ribbon Awards recipient
- Elizabeth Aldahondo, 4th grade teacher and 3-5 Team Leader, BridgePrep Orange
- Doris Lawson, 3rd grade teacher, UCP East Orange
Florida Public charter school enrollment in the sunshine state surpassed 290,000 in the 2017-2018 school year – an indication that there continues to be vibrant support from parents for education choice. We also had support from state lawmakers who allocated capital outlay for charter schools in the state budget. More importantly, charter schools continue to help students make impressive academic gains while contributing to the overall improvement of the state’s K12 system of public education.
The FCSA is a non-profit statewide charter school support and advocacy organization whose members include independent, network, CMO and EMO public charter schools throughout Florida.