OPINIONS

Publisher Raymond M Eckenrode reckenrode@breezenewspapers com

Executive Editor Valarie Harring vharring@breezenewspapers com

Editor Paulette LeBlanc pleblanc@breezenewspapers com

Advertising Director Laurie Ragle lragle@ breezenewspapers com

Advertising Sales Charlene Russ cruss@breezenewspapers

Design & Layout Chris Strine cstrine@breezenewspapers com Obituaries Debbie Carletti obits@breezenewspapers com

The school year is coming to an end Proms, plays, concerts and award ceremonies are all in full swing, reminding us that summer break is just around the corner As the Class of 2023 prepares to walk across the graduation stage, I will be honored to stand alongside this tenacious group of students, c e l e b r a t i n g a l l t h e y h a v e a c c o m p l i s h e d Teachers and staff are organizing End-of-theYear field trips and parties Parents and families are planning for summer school programs and vacations The School District is preparing for the school year 2023-2024 with many moving parts to consider

Recently signed House Bill 1, contains a comprehensive package of innovations that p r o m o t e p a r e n t a l i n v o l v e m e n t a n d c u stomized K-12 education in Florida. The legislation empowers parents to guide their child r e n ’ s e d u c a t i o n b y p r o v i d i n g f o r a n Education Savings Account for every student in the K-12 system Incorporating recommend a t i o n s f r o m t h e F l o r i d a A s s o c i a t i o n o f District School Superintendents, the bill also takes the first step towards reducing onerous and excessive regulations on public schools

Now law, HB 1 will further cement Florida’s position as the nation’s leader in school choice

HB 733, Middle School and High School Start Times, would change the earliest start time for middle and high schools, including charter schools, beginning July 1, 2026 No

Lee Civic Center and preserving farming in Lee County

m i d d l e s c h o o l c o u l d s t a r t before 8 a m , and no high school could start before 8:30 a m The Senate heard its version of the bill for the first time this week, and it was reported favorably by the Education PreK 1 2 C o m m i t t e e Fortunately, the bill has a threeyear planning period built into it, which will allow each district to look at its operational needs and capacities, engage the local community, and ultimately share all of those local concerns with the Legislature for potential fixes before July 1, 2026.

I want to thank all the teachers, bus drivers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and all professional support staff for all their hard work I also want to thank Dr Christopher Bernier as he approaches one year of service for his leadership Everyone worked so hard during these trying times and faced many obstacles: Hurricane Ian, staff shortages, sickness, and student struggles

I invite members of the community who wish to join our workforce to register for the upcoming Spring 2023 Talent Recruitment Fair to be held at the Lee County Public Education Center on Saturday, April 29 This event will provide candidates the opportunity

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To the editor: Thank you Commissioner Mike Greenwell for trying to protect and resurrect the Lee County Civic Center The Lee Civic Center has a long and famous history It has drawn many famous singers throughout the years Seeing concerts there with Garth Brooks, W i l l y N e l s o n , A l a b a m a , F a b i a n , H a n k Williams Jr , Rush, Chris LeDoux and more is a tribute to this great venue We all need all of you to support and make the civic center flourish again like old times and bring back concerts and more expos to the center and to keep the fair there The fair is very important to the rural community and their way of life

The civic center needs new bleacher seats as they have became outdated and not usable for many years and never replaced Please email your commissioners and tell them to fund new chairs and update a new, more modern stage with new advanced lighting, etc included We could have high- class acts, concerts and plays come to our civic center if we can only reclaim all of the 7,500 seats which the building is capable of holding Where can we get the money to reclaim this building? One fund we could use is the Conservation 20/20 money Renovate the seven lakes on the civic center grounds for kids, oldsters and others to fish Make oak plantations and plant many other trees and shrubs to make the grounds truly green. Stock some quail Make space for individual and community gardening In other words, make i t a g r e e n p a r k w i t h a r e n o v a t e d r o d e o grounds, horse arenas and modern facilities for the fair

Another way is to petition an industrial group, cooperate headquarters, etc to sponsor the center like Hertz does for the Everblades to help keep the arena staff going Make the center available for an NBA or an NHL team Make sure the seats could be moved within each other to have enough room for gun shows, RV shows, fishing shows , etc on the civic center floor

The civic center needs to host the county fair for the second hundred years This means the developers, builders, planners must think

A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e S c h o o l District is pleased to announce the results of the Elementary L e v e l S t u d e n t E n r o l l m e n t P r o x i m i t y P l a n F a m i l i e s should log into their FOCUS accounts to see the latest student elementary school assignment information We ask for your continued patience and u n d e r s t a n d i n g a s t h e w o r k continues to accommodate students in settings that will foster his/her highest learning potential.

I am hopeful that the 2023 school year will bring about an increased sense of normalcy as our community continues its recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian

As an elected school board member, one of my duties is to listen to the community I pledge to continue to listen to all the parents, students, community members, and our staff P l e a s e k n o w t h a t y o u r v o i c e m a t t e r s Everyone is valued, and know that I will continue to respect those whom I was elected to serve.

Melisa W Giovannelli is the District 2 representative of the Lee County School Board rural for Alva, Buckingham, Bayshore, Olga, rest of DRGR and even parts of the Babcock Ranch How do they think rural? It is quite simple All developments will be 10- and 5acre parcels suitable for horses and livestock Are you listening developers?

Why is the gem of rural royalty, the Lee County Civic Center, so highly important to rural life in Southwest Florida? One of the main reasons is the vast 4-H community and F u t u r e F a r m e r s o f A m e r i c a t h a t u s e s i t throughout the year with the county fair being one of its high points The members work diligently throughout the year raising everything from gerbils to steers and horses so they can exhibit them in the fair, winning ribbons and receiving handsome checks at the livestock auctions Equine competitions, too The members benefit greatly learning to raise their livestock daily, riding their horses and handling their charges and how to care for their animals in sickness in health A way of life that is so beneficial to our world in Lee County Our commissioners need to recognize this and keep our county truly rural Preserve our wonderful civic center for future generations to come for all of Lee County Otherwise the farming community will move out of Lee County It is not just the Lee Civic Center but also the wonderful carnival that goes along with the fair.

A special note for Commissioner Mike Greenwell for his enduring approval for the civic center and his recognition and support of our rural lifestyle in Lee County I can only hope he will change his developments to rural ones