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 GAINESVILLE -  Williams Elementary School has been selected as the site of Alachua County Public Schools’ first International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). As outlined on the International Baccalaureate Organization’s website, the PYP “offers a stimulating, challenging learning environment that nurtures the whole child and fosters a lifelong love of learning for all.”

The International Baccalaureate program has a long history of educational excellence worldwide. Eastside High School has had a highly-successful IB program for decades.

The IB PYP, which is designed for students in elementary school, is in place in schools throughout the world, including in Florida. Unlike the high school IB program, the PYP is a ‘whole school’ program, which means all students at a school participate. It is inquiry-based and operates across subject areas and grade levels. More information about the IB PYP is available at www.sbac.edu/WilliamsPYP

The IB PYP will launch at Williams Elementary this fall. All students currently enrolled at the school and those zoned for Williams next year will automatically transition into the IB PYP, including those in the existing magnet program. It will also be offered to elementary students throughout the district as a magnet program.

The district’s magnet application window for the 2024-25 school year runs through February 13. The application and more information are available at www.sbac.edu/magnet.

An Open House about the Williams IB PYP for elementary families in the district who may be interested in applying for the program will be held Thursday, February 1 at 6 p.m. at the school. Additional informational sessions will be scheduled in the future.

The IB PYP is an initiative advocated by Superintendent Shane Andrew throughout his tenure. Originally considered for placement at the currently-vacant Prairie View Elementary School campus, the decision was made to establish it at an existing school with a diverse student population, staff and infrastructure already in place, and room for students zoned for other schools who may be interested in applying.

“I’ve been a principal at an International Baccalaureate school, and I’ve seen the benefits it offers students,” said Andrew, who led Eastside High School for five years. “I’m very excited about the opportunities that the IB PYP will provide for all students at Williams to learn, thrive and grow.”

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 19, 2024) – The Gainesville Police Department Canine (K-9) Unit will return to regular duty status on Monday, January 22. This full reinstatement comes after 10 months under a Limited Deployment Protocol.

Gainesville Police Chief Lonnie Scott first removed the K-9 Unit from service in late 2022 following an unexpected change in unit supervision. In March 2023, as the unit faced training challenges and a shortage of officers, Gainesville City Manager Cynthia W. Curry initiated the extended period of limited deployment to give the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) time to increase K-9 Unit staffing.

Gainesville Police Chief Lonnie Scott reports the department has now met the minimum operational staffing goal. “Getting the K-9 Unit back to regular duty is an important step for our department,” said Chief Scott. “A well-trained K-9 Unit saves lives. The canines are used to find missing people, search for weapons, and track and apprehend armed and violent subjects.”

During the months spent in limited deployment, GPD has added two K-9 officers and two new canines, bringing the unit to its current staffing level of four K-9 teams. Additional changes include revised training protocols, improved supervision, and enhanced focus on safety measures and oversight.

In addition, the Canine Unit Policy Manual received a thorough review with a number of updates. These include an expanded list of the equipment provided to each handler and a higher level of detail in determining how and when the units will be deployed.

“Our intention with the limited deployment was to support the police department and its officers,” said City Manager Curry. “This strategic move has achieved the intended results. It gave GPD the opportunity to evolve procedures so our skilled and dedicated police officers can continue to have all the tools they need to protect our neighbors."

While under limited deployment, the K-9 Unit was only activated on a case-by-case basis as approved by Chief Scott. After its scheduled return to full duty status on Monday, that decision can be made by other personnel in the chain of command in accordance with criteria listed in the updated policy manual. 

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The IdentoGo TSA Pre✓® Mobile Enrollment Truck returns to the Gainesville Regional Airport Tue., Feb. 20 - Fri. Mar. 1, 2024

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 19, 2023 — The popular IdentoGO by IDEMIA TSA Pre✓® Mobile Enrollment Truck event is returning to Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) in February. The event will run from Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Friday, Mar. 1, 2024 (closed Saturday and Sunday, and does not operate Monday, Feb. 19 as it is President’s Day). The Mobile Enrollment Center will be located on the airport property at 3880 NE 39th Ave., Gainesville, Fla., 32609. Enrollees should look for the truck in the parking lot between the airport’s second cell phone lot and the GNV Airport Fire Station, across from the temporary overflow parking lot at GNV (please see small royal blue box denoting truck location in airport parking map below.)

IdentoGO, the company that manages the event, offers 12 appointments per hour. Applicants should note that appointments are limited and are available on a first come, first serve basis, so register as soon as possible. Please note this event is for TSA Pre✓® only, not Global Entry. TWIC enrollment will also be offered.

GNV TSA Pre✓® Mobile Enrollment Truck Returns to GNV in February 2-2-2

GNV has hosted seven previous enrollment events, allowing thousands of people to easily enroll in the popular expedited screening program without having to drive to Jacksonville, Orlando or Tampa. To accommodate increased passenger traffic, GNV added a second screening lane in May 2018 and added TSA Pre✓® in October 2018. TSA Pre✓® is now available for all flights at GNV.

TSA Pre✓® is an expedited screening program that enables identified low-risk air travelers to enjoy a smart and efficient screening experience. For TSA Pre✓® travelers, there is no need to remove shoes, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, light outerwear or belts. Today, TSA Pre✓® has more than 450 lanes at 200+ U.S. airports and in Nassau, The Bahamas.

The TSA Pre✓® application program allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to directly apply for TSA Pre✓®. Once approved, travelers will receive a “Known Traveler Number”(KTN), which can be added to a travelers airline profile and reservations and will have the opportunity to utilize TSA Pre✓® lanes at select security checkpoints when flying on over 80 carriers that currently participate in TSA Pre✓®.

To participate in GNV’s enrollment event, follow these steps to pre-enroll:

1. Visit tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov to access the application page
2. Click “NEW ENROLLMENT”
3. Fill out steps and choose “Next” at the bottom of each screen
4. Type in your location in the Zipcode/City/Airport Code box – then click Search
5. Choose location “Gainesville, FL - Truck Pop-Up: GNV 2/20-3/1” and click Next
6. Select your desired appointment time (Please be sure to make note of your appointment time, no reminders will be sent out.)

The hours for the IdentoGo TSA Pre✓® Mobile RV Event at GNV will be:

Tuesday, February 20 – Thursday, February 29: Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - noon, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. (closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch).

Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, March 1, 2024: 9 a.m. - noon, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Convenient parking will be available in the parking lot between the second cell phone lot and the airport fire station, across from the temporary overflow lot.

IMPORTANT! To complete the application process, you will need to bring documentation proving identity and citizenship status! If you have a valid U.S. passport, that is all you need for ID! You will finish the process onsite by providing your fingerprints for a background check.

The application fee is $78, which covers five years of participation, if approved, and can be paid by credit card, money order, company check, or certified/cashier's check. Cash and personal checks are not accepted.

Enroll now in TSA PreCheck and become part of an expedited security screening program that helps take the stress out of travel.

GNV TSA Pre✓® Mobile Enrollment Truck Returns to GNV in February 3-3-3

About Gainesville Regional Airport

Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) serves North Central Florida and the Heart of Florida through all facets of aviation: commercial airlines, general aviation, military operations, medical missions and air cargo. Located in Gainesville, Florida, just minutes away from the University of Florida, GNV provides a close, convenient and competitively priced “gateway” to the Heart of Florida. The airport normally operates 16 daily departures on American Airlines, Delta and Silver Airways with nonstop service to the international hubs of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, providing access to hundreds of destinations around the world in one stop. GNV is served by a full-service fixed base operator, University Air Center (UAC). With more than 400 part- and full-time employees and tenants at the airport, GNV has an annual economic impact on North Central Florida of $556 million. In 2023, 547,457 commercial passengers flew in and out of GNV. For more information, please visit flygainesville.com

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - City of Gainesville officials anticipate severe weather conditions, including temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit during evening hours Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 21. The anticipated temperatures will lead to the activation of the city's Cold Night Shelter (CNS) Program, and it is expected to remain in effect until overnight low temperatures rise above 45 F. The CNS program normally runs from Nov. 1 through March 31.

 St. Francis House and GRACE Marketplace at the Empowerment Center will provide Cold Night Shelter services to people in need of shelter as long as overnight temperatures remain below 45 F. The CNS program providers serve additional persons in need of shelter so that families and individuals desiring shelter will have a warm place to stay. St. Francis House provides temporary shelter that is appropriate for families, women and children. GRACE Marketplace primarily serves individual adults.

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GAINESVILLE, FL - During a special meeting today, the School Board of Alachua County approved a new salary schedule and contract for teachers and educational support employees.

Under the new salary schedule, employees will receive a 3.5% raise on top of the automatic ‘step’ increase they received at the beginning of the school year. The step increase can vary from employee to employee, but typically averages 1%.

The increase will be retroactive to July 1 of 2023, depending on when each employee’s contract took effect. For example, if an employee’s contract for 2023-24 started the first day of school, the raise would be retroactive to that date.

The salary and contract language were ratified by employees, with 2230 voting ‘Yes’ and 31 voting ‘No,’ according to Carmen Ward, president of the Alachua County Education Association (ACEA), which represents instructional and educational support professionals (ESP), such as bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, paraprofessionals and office staff.

“We’re very pleased that we’ve completed this process and that the agreement we reached with the ACEA was approved so overwhelmingly by the employees, who do so much for our students, families and district,” said Superintendent Shane Andrew. “Our payroll and finance teams will be working very hard to get the raises and retroactive pay into our employees’ hands as soon as possible.”

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GAINESVILLE, Fl. — Starting Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, through Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office is expanding its operations to the City of Newberry by hosting a mobile pop-up at the Mentholee Norfleet Municipal Building.

The popup will be located at 25420 W Newberry Rd, Newberry, FL 32669 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. each weekday.   During this time, the office will be available to assist with questions about homestead and other exemptions, agricultural classifications, title and ownership, property fraud detection and more. Appointments are not required and walk-ins are welcome. 

“Our office hopes for this mobilization initiative to be the first of many pop-ups,” said Property Appraiser, Ayesha Solomon. “With the continuous growth of the county, we must strive to be as accessible as possible.” 

The Property Appraiser's office said they plan to continue to collaborate with neighboring cities and government officials to help determine the best central areas to expand our services throughout the county.

"We prioritize community involvement," said Solomon. “Being community driven has always been a priority of this office as we want to ensure we are actively engaging with the communities we serve and gaining direct insight from residents.” 

This event is free and will be open to the general public. In addition, this event will be photographed and is subject to later use. 

The Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office ensures that all taxable property in the county is assessed equitably and at its fair market value in accordance with Florida statutes. The Property Appraiser’s Office has two locations: 515 N. Main Street in Gainesville and 15010 N.W. 142nd Terrace in Alachua. For more information visit https://www.acpafl.org.

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