Superintendent highlights community donations, Miles Teller gift and new after-school career program

Superintendent Scott Hebert used the board meeting on Dec. 9 to highlight community partnerships, recognize donors and announce a new student program.

Hebert introduced representatives from the Citrus County Education Foundation and the Citrus County United Way and acknowledged a district campaign that raised funds across the system. Addison Leonard, an intern with the Education Foundation, thanked the board for payroll deduction support for employees that strengthens the foundation’s work.

At the meeting the board acknowledged a check presentation from the local electric cooperative reporting $43,000 in capital credits donated to Citrus County Schools and an ongoing scholarship program. The co-op described a record allocation year and urged schools and students to apply for scholarship funds.

Hebert also announced that Lecanto High School had named the Miles Teller Theater in the Curtis Peterson Auditorium and said Miles Teller donated $50,000 to the Education Foundation to support local work. Board members and staff praised Teller for spending time with students and supporting several district events.

The superintendent introduced a pilot after-school program, Toolbox for Tomorrow's Leaders, scheduled to run eight Thursdays from January to March at Inverness Middle School from 2:30–5:00 PM. He described the program as a hands-on career-exploration series intended to connect middle-school students with high-school pathways and local employers; Hebert said staff will return with an update after the pilot and hope to expand to other middle schools.

Hebert also presented a Superintendent’s Impact Award recognizing Robin Bowles, a Lecanto Primary PTO volunteer who performed the Heimlich maneuver in November and was credited with saving a child’s life; he read brief award language and presented the certificate.

Staff noted the Education Foundation's visibility — including a segment on The Today Show — and increased scholarship offerings described in the meeting by cooperative representatives. Board members thanked volunteers and community organizations for their work supporting schools.