Santa Fe principal retires after 10 years

After 10 years serving as the principal of Santa Fe High School, Bill Herschleb is retiring at the end of June.  Standing in front of the Santa Fe High School science building which now bears his name, Herschleb was instrumental in the design and development of the building, which has recently added 10 new mathematics classrooms.

ALACHUA – It’s all about the light bulbs lighting.

Bill Herschleb says the best thing an educator can get out of his or her job is seeing that bright moment of understanding when a student just gets it.

“Every teacher must feel that the most rewarding experience is seeing the light bulbs lighting, when a student makes a realization or starts beginning to understand,” Herschleb said.

Herschleb is officially retiring at the end of June after 10 years as the principal of Santa Fe High School, finishing an education career that has included six years as a science teacher at Santa Fe High and stints as the principal of Eastside High School and as science supervisor for the school district.

Herschleb was also instrumental in the design and development of the Santa Fe High School science building which now bears his name and has recently added 10 new mathematics classrooms.

Herschleb has had science in his life since before he was born.  His father worked for Dow Chemical, and Herschleb evidently shared his father’s interests, earning a degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida.  After disliking the isolation that came with his first job as a researcher for the UF biochemistry lab, he went back to school to get a degree in secondary education and has never regretted the move out of the lab and in to the classroom.

Herschleb said having scientific knowledge is good only if you have the educational skill to share that knowledge with the world.

“Probably one of the most critical needs in the science community today is the ability to explain to the public what your findings are all about,” Herschleb said.

Herschleb’s science background has led him to many endeavors outside of school, such as his current position as chairman of the Florida Foundation for Future Scientists, which runs the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida.

Although Herschleb’s educational background is grounded in the technical, he says a mixture the scientific and the emotional is necessary when dealing with the fragile and ever-changing world of education.

“There is an art and a science to education,” Herschleb said.  “We believe we understand some of the technical aspects of educational psychology, or proper teaching behaviors.  I don’t think we quite understand the art of education, where the effectiveness is measured by how well the student understands.”

Herschleb believes the state required end-of-course exams instituted last year for Algebra I, Biology I and Geometry help teachers pinpoint areas of focus, using technical tools to achieve the “artistic” goal of student understanding.  But new State requirements on how those exams are used for evaluation purposes present new challenges.

“The difficult part is the dramatic change, almost overnight.  It’s just been so rapid, that everyone is having a hard time making an adjustment,” he said. “I’m confident that schools will be able to make that transition, but I’m also aware that it’s caused some changes in the way we do things.

Still, Herschleb believes the faculty he leaves behind will be able to handle the adjustments in stride, saying, “I can’t imagine a group of professionals that are more capable of making those adaptations than the people I’ve worked with.”

“We’re experiencing a shift in the focus of education,” Herschleb said.  “We’re moving from a focus on teacher practice to a focus on student performance.  Instead of focusing on how it’s being taught, now we’re looking at what the students are getting out of it.”

The end-of-course exams, which students are required to pass before graduating, are an example of the dramatic shift in the focus of education.

Herschleb believes that even when money is tight, funding education should be government priority.

“It seems as though we’ve lost faith in the value of education,” Herschleb said.  “It may only be temporary, as we are in tough economic times, but we need to continue to support education.  Teachers and students need to rally around their schools; we need to keep the schools in areas of prominence.  Schools need to continue to be the centers of communities.”

Herschleb’s retirement ceremony will be held at Santa Fe High School on June 19, but after that Herschleb still plans to remain active in education with his role in the Florida Foundation of Future Scientists, balancing that with plenty of woodworking, gardening and raising cattle.

Herschleb said he cannot imagine choosing another career path, noting that his profession provided him with unique challenges every day.  As for the many students who passed under his tutelage through the years, he hopes to have armed them with a desire for knowledge and the tools to attain it.

“I hope that students leaving my school know that they can never know everything, they try to learn as much as they can and that they have the skills necessary to answer their own questions.”

Thanks to Herschleb, the light bulbs will continue to light.

#     #     #

Email delsesser@alachuatoday.com

Cuts Gainesville Transit Initiative

The vote came one day after the County Commission’s joint meeting with the Alachua City Commission, at which city commissioners and Alachua citizens expressed views on the proposed sales taxes.

At Monday’s joint meeting, Alachua County Commissioner Ben Boukari noted briefly that the ¼ cent transit tax would be paid for by the entire county but benefit only Gainesville, while Gainesville would also benefit from the ¾ cent tax for road improvement.

County Commissioner Mike Byerly countered by saying individual cities that have been allotted transportation tax money should be trusted to correctly use that money.

“We should stay on the course where we let cities – including the City of Gainesville, including the City of Alachua – decide, ‘What are [our] priorities,” Byerly said.

Commissioners from both the city and county stated the importance of clear language in the balloting of the proposed taxes, which will go to voters in November.  The county set a tentative date of July 10 for final approval of the language of the ballot.

The surtax was initially discussed last year, when the County Commission proposed a one-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects, asking individual cities of Alachua County to submit plans for projects they would fund with their share of the tax revenue.

The City of Alachua submitted a list of plans that included road and sidewalk improvements.  The City of Gainesville was the only city to submit transit plans in addition to road improvement plans.

The ¾ cent tax ballot approved Tuesday included provisions for sidewalk improvement which initially had been excluded from a proposal approved by the county commission May 22.

Lee Pinkoson, Winston Bradley and Susan Baird, the three county commissioners who voted to remove the ¼ cent tax for transit, said Gainesville’s proposed plan for the money was unclear.  Additionally, they said the city’s proposed BRT system was unnecessary.

#     #     #

E-mail: delsesser@alachuatoday.com

L-R:  Allie Powell, D'Aisha Porter

ALACHUA – The last week has been a rough start to summer for the Mebane Middle School family and friends and those of two students who died in the last week, one from a drowning and the other from cancer.  Both just completed seventh grade at the school.

Allie Powell of Alachua drowned Thursday, June 7 while swimming at Miramar Beach, Fla. in the Panhandle.  Powell was reportedly swimming with her father and other family members when she was caught in a powerful rip current that evening.  Powell’s father was also caught in the rip current and required resuscitation, reports say.  A sheriff’s deputy who tried to rescue Powell was also taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Allie Powell was a member of Fellowship Church of High Springs and traveled for mission work to Haiti, Costa Rica and El Salvadore.  She leaves behind her parents, Jeff and Jane Powell of Alachua and siblings, Tyler, Austin and Ashlynn.

D’Aisha Porter, also a 13-year-old Mebane student, lost her battle with cancer on Tuesday, June 12.  Since 2009, Porter had been fighting the rare form of cancer known as Clear Cell Sarcoma.

Students at Mebane rallied around Porter, most notably in a March 23 celebration declared D’Aisha’s Pink Passion Day.  The students transformed the school’s colors from black and gold to pink to support Porter in her battle against the disease and to raise funds for her treatment.

Porter’s parents, Tonnetta and Wayne, felt their daughter’s strength was incredible. Despite her struggles, in an interview earlier this year, Wayne Porter said of his daughter that she remembers to keep a smile on her face in and out of the hospital.

Porter, herself, commented at the time, “I found out myself that frowning just makes me sicker.”

Also in an interview earlier this year, Tonnetta Porter said of D’Aisha, “She does not allow her sickness to hold her back, and in spite of it she still manages to keep up with her school work, chores at home and enjoys free time with friends.”

As of late March, Porter had undergone 15 surgeries and exhausted all possible treatments available at Gainesville medical facilities as well as the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The family had been looking at treatment options available outside of the United States.

#     #     #

Email editor@alachuatoday.com

Citing Section 2.04 in the City Charter, Langman said that Barnas overstepped his authority as a commissioner.

“Therefore, as a result of Vice-Mayor Barnas’ repeated refusal to follow the law of the Charter of High Springs, I am calling for him to do the right thing and step down from his position as High Springs Commissioner immediately,” Langman said.

On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, Barnas said the accusations made by Langman were unfounded and that he had no intention of stepping down as a commissioner.

“It’s all up to her what she wants to do,” Barnas said, after stating that the issue was last week’s news.

After Langman spoke with Mayor Dean Davis about the charter violations, he said the issue will be discussed during Thursday’s regularly scheduled commission meeting. The mayor was unsure how the situation would be handled because severe accusations had been lodged by both parties.

“I respect both sides,” he said, “and I think the only way to deal with it is to let the attorney tell us what is legal.”

Within the Charter, the rules clearly state that the mayor shall operate as a figurehead and have no administrative duties other than those necessary to accomplish tasks of process, ceremonial matters and execution of contracts, deeds and other documents.

The city manager, Langman stated during the press conference, has the power to direct and supervise the administration of all departments of the city.

“Since I was appointed city manager, Vice-Mayor Barnas has attempted to run the day-to-day operations of the City of High Springs by directing me to take various actions,” Langman said. “He is a rogue commissioner.”

According to Commissioner Sue Weller, Langman is bringing attention to what has been going on within the walls of City Hall.

“I’m not surprised,” Weller said. “I’ve seen emails showing what she’s talking about.”

During the conference, Langman detailed several accounts of Barnas using his powers as a commissioner to accomplish goals not approved by the commission. In February, Barnas allegedly attempted to exclude former High Springs City Planner Christian Popoli from meetings regarding the city’s sewer system. Throughout the month of February, Langman said Barnas and High Springs City Commissioner Linda Gestrin asked her to fire Popoli.

“Because I refused to fire [Popoli], Vice-Mayor Barnas manipulated the budget to eliminate Christian’s position,” Langman said during the press conference. Since beginning her job as city manager, Langman has kept a record of Barnas’ violations, which include berating city employees, directing Langman to fire employees and carrying out instructions not decided on by the Commission.

Langman intends to contact the State Attorney and Governor’s Office to file a formal complaint.

However, not everyone in attendance agreed with Langman’s allegations.

“Usually when you walk in, make a statement and walk out, you have something to hide,” Bob Hallman said, referring to the lack of time available for the press and residents to ask questions of the city manager during the meeting.

Joyce Hallman questioned whether High Springs should be operating under a city manager form of government. With the regulations surrounding the city manager government, commissioners have their hands tied, and taxpayers cannot hold them responsible, Joyce said.

Resident Linda Hewlett said she was not surprised by the announcement because of emails she has received from Barnas.

“I think that Mr. Barnas is required to follow City Charter, just as he expected past commissioners to follow the rules and regulations,” Hewlett said.

#     #     #

E-mail awilliamson@alachuatoday.com