ACPS hosts leadership conference for school and community leaders
Press release from Alachua County Public Schools
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – More than 350 school and community leaders will gather next week for a conference designed to inspire, connect, and prepare them for the year ahead.
The conference, themed “Leading Together: Building Excellence,” will feature presentations by Brad Meltzer and Don Yaeger, both award-winning authors and nationally recognized speakers. Their appearances are being sponsored by Florida Credit Union, the Community Foundation of North Central Florida, and The Education Foundation of Alachua County.
Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for his powerful storytelling about heroes and ordinary people who make a difference in the world. Yaeger is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and leadership expert who has spent decades studying what makes great leaders and teams successful.
Meltzer will address conference attendees at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 27, while Yaeger’s presentation is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28.
The conference will also include school-focused presentations and group activities centered on team building, collaborative planning, and leadership. School teams will include principals, assistant principals, literacy and math coaches, behavioral resource teachers, and other staff members.
The conference will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 4000 NW 53rd Avenue.
Woke.
Doesn’t school start in about two weeks?
Shouldn’t principals and staff be in their schools getting ready? There are numerous new principal assignments this year, and Skyward was just down for days. How are they supposed to build student schedules, hire teachers, fill support staff vacancies, and get campuses ready to open when they’re stuck sitting through multi-day district presentations?
Pulling administrators away from their schools right now is inefficient and a complete misuse of time—not to mention the likely cost of thousands to the ‘presenters’ or at the very least, paying staff to sit for presentations instead of prepping their campuses. Taxpayers expect district leadership to let administrators do their jobs and focus on what matters: getting our schools ready for our kids.