Lee County School District
Board Member
By: Mrs. Cathleen Morgan
Greetings from the School District of Lee County and warm wishes to Lehigh Community members for a blessed and joyous 2020!
The educational excitement in Lehigh continues to grow – new schools, new leadership, new learning opportunities.
Beth Barfield was recently appointed Principal at the Alva School Principal.
Melissa Robery, Principal at East Lee County High School, has been named 2020 Lee County School District Principal in January 2018, East Lee was a “D” school with only a 55% graduation rate. With her leadership, 81% of the seniors graduated and only missed a “C” grade by .03%. By the end of the 2018-2019 school year; East lee had improved enough to easily earn a “C” and be removed from state supervision.
Jackson Morgan, Assistant Principal at Lehigh Elementary School, was named Lee County School District Assistant Principal of the Year.
Lehigh Senior High School opened its JROTC Center and several hundred new and refurbished classrooms. The now-vacant portables are being converted into a temporary high school site for students who join Gateway high School 2024 freshman class in the spring.
And construction of Gateway High is well underway. The 2024 freshman class at Lehigh Senior will enter the new school in the fall of 2021. Gateway high will offer four Academies – Carpentry, Cyber-security, Medical Assisting and Veterinary Assisting. Gateway High School will also be the District’s second high school to offer dual enrollment at FGCU through the FGCU Collegiate Academy. These academies are in addition to already established academies and programs like The Center for the Arts at Lehigh Senior high School, or Criminal Justice and Firefighting at East Lee County High School.
Academic opportunities abound for middle school students in Lehigh as well. Students may choose to attend expanded course offerings in the arts. Middle school Cambridge programs are available at Harns Marsh and Lehigh Acres also have access to a STEAM Program, offering electives in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.
Much of the progress being achieved and projected for the next five years is possible because of the community support for the School District Sales Tax Initiative approved by voters in 2018.
Recently, the School District and Lee Health entered into a partnership that will expand mental services to children and support families in the process of receiving services. State Senator Kathleen Passidomo and State Representative Byron Donalds are sponsoring a Lee County School District 2020 Florida Legislature initiative to pilot comprehensive health curriculum for eighth grade students that will include mental health components.
State testing results show continued improvement, especially in language arts and math – evidence that our strategic plan is making a difference. We plan to continue student progress by expanding and improving pre-K; offering extended school time for selected students; expanded career and technical opportunities; and proximity-based student assignment.
