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| March 2026 |
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Congratulations to our six 2025-2026 Golden Apple Recipients! Alongside Champions For Learning, I had the honor of visiting each recipient’s classroom last week to surprise them with this well-deserved recognition. Click here to watch this year's prize patrol video and please join me in congratulating our recipients:
- Elias Cuevas (Immokalee High School, U.S. History)
- Connie Kinstler (Big Cypress Elementary School, Kindergarten)
- Wende Malik (Vineyards Elementary School, 3rd Grade)
- Shanna Moss (Manatee Middle School, Earth and Space Science)
- Julie Raymond (Osceola Elementary School, 4th Grade)
- Stephanie Scalise (Veterans Memorial Elementary School, 3rd Grade)
Golden Apple is a community-driven program that celebrates outstanding educators through nominations from students, parents, and community members. We look forward to celebrating our Golden Apple Recipients and this year’s Teachers of Distinction cohort at the 36th Annual Golden Apple Celebration of Teachers Dinner on April 17 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point. The celebration will also be featured on Gulf Coast NBC during the Golden Apple Celebration of Teachers television program, airing Saturday, May 23, at 8:00 p.m.
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| Student enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is now available. If you have an incoming kindergarten student or will be new to CCPS for the 26-27 school year, begin the enrollment process now to ensure your child is ready to start school in August. Everything you need from required documents to step-by-step instructions can be found at www.collierschools.com/enroll. |
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| Our CCPS Soccer Night with FC Naples is coming up on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Join us at Paradise Coast Sports Complex as FC Naples takes on Forward Madison FC. Tickets start as low as $11.50 and can be purchased at www.collierschools.com/SoccerNight. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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| ~ Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli |
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| UPCOMING |
| DATES TO NOTE |
| March 25 |
| Early Dismissal Day (Professional Learning for Teachers) |
| April 3 |
| No School for Students and Teachers |
| April 14 |
| Regular School Board Meeting at 8:30am |
| April 15 |
| School Board Work Session (Policy) at 9:00am |
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| On March 18th the School Board held a budget work session in preparation for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget hearing. There is still confusion about the school district budget, especially when it is compared to the budgets of other local government entities like the Collier County Commission and the Naples City Council. Recently, it was quoted that, “The current Collier County School Board is the only taxing entity that has consistently voted to raise taxes on Collier Residents year after year.” |
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| Despite our efforts to be extremely transparent and provide detailed information at board meetings as well as one-page information documents on our website regarding the budget, these comments continue to be made. At first, I thought these comments were from a place of confusion and inexperience as the budget is complex, but it appears it is being done for political reasons. Regardless of their intentions to mislead the public, it is important for me to set the record straight. |
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| The Collier County School District is the ONLY local taxing authority that is mandated by the State to have what is known as the “Required Local Effort” millage rate. The School Board can’t change the RLE millage rate dictated by the State. In addition, the discretionary millage is incorporated into FEFP funding levels established by the Legislature each year. Because the Florida Legislature has a Truth in Millage statute, government entities must inform voters if the proposed millage is greater than the rollback rate, it is considered a tax increase. Why not go back to the roll back rate, so there wouldn’t be a tax increase? The School Board can’t change the required local effort dictated by the state. |
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| At no time has this school board initiated a tax referendum or a sales tax referendum like many other school boards in the state. If you recall, the voters approved a tax-neutral referendum in 2024, which in no way added additional taxes to the residents of Collier County. Further, the only millage rate we can adjust is the capital millage. The Board did lower the capital millage during the 2024-2025 budget adoption. |
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| Fiscal Responsibility is one of the Board’s five priorities. Since 2022 our Board and District staff have worked together to reduce wasteful spending and prioritize spending based on a positive return on investment. The Superintendent created workgroups that focus on spending reductions for all department budgets. We will continue our efforts to be wise stewards of taxpayer dollars. |
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| With Gratitude, |
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| Kelly Mason, School Board Member |
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| ITECH PINS INAUGURAL PROFESSIONAL NURSING COHORT |
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| Immokalee Technical College (iTECH) celebrated a historic milestone as its Professional Nursing (LPN to RN) students were formally pinned during a special ceremony honoring their achievement. iTECH is proud to be the second technical college in the State of Florida to launch a Professional Nursing (LPN to RN) bridge program. Through the generous support of FutureMakers Coalition, this program was offered to students at no cost. Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) served as the full clinical partner for the cohort, providing students with hands-on training and real-world clinical experience essential to their professional development. This milestone represents not only the success of 12 nursing professionals, but also the strength of community partnership in expanding access to high-quality healthcare education and addressing regional workforce demands. |
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| CCPS SHOWDOWN: HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS COMPETITION |
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| CCPS high school students recently put their engineering skills to the test in an exciting Vex Robotics competition by designing, building, and driving their own robots to compete in a fast-paced challenge. We are so proud of the creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving they demonstrated every step of the way! |
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| Click here to watch video |
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| FEEDBACK WELCOME |
| Let us know what you think about the newsletter, our website, or if you have suggestions for future newsletters. |
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| Collier County Public Schools |
| p: (239) 377-0001 |
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| School Board |
| Mrs. Stephanie Lucarelli, Chair • Mr. Erick Carter, Vice Chair |
| Ms. Kelly Mason, Member • Mr. Tim Moshier, Member • Mr. Jerry Rutherford, Member |
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| Superintendent |
| Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli |
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| Copyright © 2026 Collier County Public Schools |
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