- July 12, 2025
In the movie, “The Miracle on 34th Street,” Kris Kringle, the Macy’s Santa Clause, goes against store policy by sending parents to a competitor to get the best deal for a specific toy.
In that vein, Flagler Schools is planning to create a new district position to help families navigate the increasingly complicated options open to them for educating their children — even if the parents don’t choose public schools.
The district position of School Choice Specialist would replace the current position of Student Engagement Specialist which has been vacant for a few months and was more of a clerical position, Assistant Superintendent Angela O’Brien said.
The School Choice Specialist will ensure that families will have timely and personalized guidance, O’Brien told the School Board at an information workshop on Tuesday, June 24.
Several counties have created similar positions “to get ahead of the curve on school choice,” Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Ouellette said. “We can make sure we clear up any misunderstandings as far as what we offer.”
Superintendent LaShakia Moore said parents might want to try a hybrid program that includes home schooling along with certain courses the school district provides, or they may want to go in a different direction outside of the district.
“I want parents to know we’re not upset with them when they make the best choice for their children. We just want to do our part well.
— LASHAKIA MOORE, Flagler Schools superintendent
“I want parents to know we’re not upset with them when they make the best choice for their children,” Moore said. “We just want to do our part well.”
The School Choice Specialist would help both the families and the district navigate the various scenarios, she said.
“When a parent comes in wanting to do a hybrid or wanting to go in a different direction that includes us or doesn’t include us, we’ll have that person that can provide proper guidance,” Moore said. “It can be very complex — home education, dual enrollment, students on PEP (personalized education program) scholarships, and they’re wanting to take courses with us, and how do we set up invoices to make sure we’re receiving proper compensation for those courses?”
John Fanelli, the district’s director of student services, said school choice legislation is changing every year and families may not be fully informed on the outcome of their decisions.
“It’s really important to have somebody able to answer all their questions and walk them through virtual to school choice to home education to a blended model,” he said.
School Board Chair Will Furry said he supports the new position but wondered if a person with such a wealth of knowledge exists.
Moore said the district need to think outside the box. The job description calls for a bachelor’s degree in education, communications, public administration or a related field, with a master’s degree preferred, plus three or more years of professional experience in any of a variety of fields including education, family engagement or marketing.
“I do believe it’s a position we’ll be able to fill,” Moore said. “It could be a current or former teacher, or someone who worked in communications in a district and learned this information from creating the content or Human Resources or someone from a collegiate level, experienced with this process of registration, enrollment and how to create an ala carte type of educational experience. I do believe the person exists, but to get the really best candidate, we’ll have to open it up to individuals who may not be coming from the traditional route in education.
“I’m very excited about this position,” she added. “I can also see this person out in the community.”
The workshop began with the district’s legislative consultants, John and Bob Cerra, providing a somewhat grim report on the recently ended legislative session. Total education funding is increasing almost $1 billion to 29.5 billion, but most of that will be within the voucher program, John Cerra said. The legislature is providing about a $1.9 million increase to the district’s total potential funding but will require it to spend about $2.2 million in legislative mandates next year.
“The loss of students for school choice options are extremely challenging for the board to make their budget moving forward,” he said. “We are having our own issue, but other districts are having a worse time.”
The School Choice Specialist would follow up with families that withdraw their child to try homeschooling, Moore said.
“This person would be following back up, ‘How is it going? Can we do anything to support you?’ We want (them) to know we’re here as a partner,” Moore said.
