Principals around the Hernando County School District believe Franklin Covey Education’s Leader in Me program can help reduce discipline issues at their schools.
Seven schools will put that to the test starting next school year. The Hernando County School Board on March 11 approved the implementation of the program, which will cost the district $514,630.64 after $403,450 in sponsor funding reduces the total from $918,080.64.
Eastside Elementary, Moton Elementary, Challenger K-8, Explorer K-8, Parrott Middle, Hernando High and Weeki Wachee High will all add the program designed to nurture leadership skills, teamwork and personal growth in students.
Florida schools that have participated in the program have seen a 13% reduction in disciplinary incidents and a 23% reduction in behavioral referrals.
“But I know speaking for all of us without even talking to them, that’s a goal that we will all shoot for and our expectation as principals will be to obtain that goal, obviously,” said Dr. Mike Lastra, principal of Eastside Elementary, during a March 11 school board workshop. “Knowing what the program does and what it brings to a school and visiting multiple schools with that, that is an achievable matrix that we will strive for.”
Each school will go through a Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) meant to examine culture, leadership and academics. School employees will work with Franklin Covey coaches to build Wildy Important Goals (WIGs) and coordinate action plans. The MRA will review absence and discipline issues at each school, as well as school connectedness.
The first year will feature reviews of the growth between the baseline MRA and final MRA, the positive feedback in the engagement survey data between 2023-24 and 2024-25 with the expectation of an increase in positivity, discipline and threat assessment data with the expectation of fewer incidents, and event feedback data with the expectation of positive input and buy-in.
“I’ve talked to almost every administrator at the schools and the ones that are going to be incorporated on this go-around are very excited about it. The ones that did not get it want to be the next on the list,” board member Michelle Bonczek said. “So to me listening to administrators and if we’re going to go back to listening to our schools and say what do our schools say, what do our schools need, they want it.”
Superintendent Ray Pinder said he would check in with other schools to gauge who else wants to join Leader in Me. “Whenever you implement a program, you want the principals and the people at that school, the teachers, the paras (paraprofessionals), the cafeteria workers, the bus drivers, everyone to be excited and want to implement that program,” Pinder said. “Because if you have that, it’s going to be successful. No doubt about it, it’s going to be successful… I’m glad to hear there are other schools that want to be part of this and it’s a good problem that I’ll deal with moving forward.”
Board chairperson Shannon Rodriguez believes all K-8 schools need to be included, specifically Winding Waters, due to it being a feeder school that shares a campus with Weeki Wachee High. “It doesn’t make sense to go this far and to not finish a feeder program,” Rodriguez said. “You’re getting those children from kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. That is the biggest disciplinary and behavioral reflection of starting out when they’re little all the way through eighth grade. Then they’re moving over to the high school. So if we’re going to have one high school involved but not the K-8 through that, that doesn’t make sense to me.”
However, both board members Mark Johnson and Susan Duval advocated for sticking with the seven schools in Year 1 to determine whether or not this proves a worthwhile investment. “In the interim, we can do training with the staff at those schools under our district license, I believe to get adults trained,” Pinder said “It begins the process. It’s not like they’re starting a whole year behind by doing that if the board doesn’t agree to add those schools at this time.”
