Charter principal outlines turnaround plan for Lucius & Emma Nixon Academy after low state scores; board seeks data fixes
Summary
Interim principal Adonis Lumpkin told the board Lucius & Emma Nixon Academy scored low on multiple state components (ELA proficiency 20%, math proficiency 20%) and presented a school improvement plan focused on attendance, teacher recruitment and instructional rigor; trustees pressed for corrected data on retained students and clarified sponsor oversight and thresholds for closure.
Adonis Lumpkin, interim principal of Lucius & Emma Nixon Academy, appeared before the board Dec. 16 to present the school's state-mandated School Improvement Plan and to answer questions about low performance and small enrollment.
Lumpkin said the school received scores in four of eight state elementary categories and that several categories were marked NA because of small cell sizes. "In the area of ELA proficiency, our students receive 20%. In the area of ELA learning gains, our students receive 31%. In the area of math proficiency, our students received 20%. And in the area of math learning gains, our students received 8%," Lumpkin told trustees.
Lumpkin and governing-board member Bruce Johnson identified four principal causes for the results: student achievement gaps, a large share of novice or otherwise uncertified instructors in prior years, a highly transient pupil population (the school reported roughly 29% new students this year) and challenges with instructional quality and rigor.
To address those factors the SIP calls for daily attendance outreach and incentives, expanded job‑embedded coaching and peer mentoring for teachers, targeted professional development, and community-based strategies (home visits, family workshops and partnerships) intended to reduce transience. Lumpkin also described scheduling changes, an on-site interventionist funded in part by supplemental dollars, and targeted tutoring and small-group instruction.
Trustees pressed the principal on several data items. Member Vannoz asked about building capacity: according to Lumpkin the facility can hold approximately 450 students but currently enrolls about 50; trustees asked whether the school had considered co-location or facility partnerships to boost enrollment. Members also flagged discrepancies in the SIP figures, including an apparent error that a board member read as 22 retained students out of about 56; Lumpkin acknowledged a possible mistake on one item and agreed to verify and provide corrected numbers.
Board legal staff and School Choice representatives reminded trustees that Florida law requires a charter's director and a governing-board representative to appear before the sponsor when a school receives a D or F and to submit a state‑approved improvement plan; the sponsor (the school district) then reviews and approves the SIP and monitors implementation. Counsel also explained statutory triggers: two consecutive Fs typically lead to automatic closure under state rules, and other multi‑year low‑grade patterns carry prescribed corrective steps the governing board may be required to take.
Lumpkin said his team is open to oversight and invited board staff to continue frequent site visits and collaborative monitoring; School Choice staff said the SIP was approved by the state and will be scheduled for board approval on Jan. 13, 2026. Trustees asked district staff to verify the percent-tested and retained‑student numbers cited in the SIP and return corrected figures at the next meeting.
