Lake County Schools

Providing Unlimited Opportunities to Students

Building Futures through Education and Innovation

Lake County Schools is a district on a mission to prepare every student for the real world, and a successful life after graduation. A strong and collaborative relationship with Lake Technical College is helping the district fulfill this goal, adding opportunities that enhance the student experience, and make future endeavours possible. 

 “We are committed to ensuring that every student has the skills they need to leave high school and get a high paying job and contribute to the workforce,” shares Superintendent Diane Kornegay. “In addition, we want to provide a wealth of opportunities for them to explore their interests and decide what they want to do when they leave us.”

Starting Early with STEM and Career Exploration 

Lake County is not waiting until high school to introduce students to the skills they will need for the future. This fall Minneola Horizon Academy is opening its doors to bring students an array of bold new learning experiences. “It is a K-8 school that will provide an aerospace program starting in kindergarten,” says Kornegay. 

“Students will learn to use drones along with a comprehensive coding curriculum, as part of their regular schedule.” The school will feed into the district’s aerospace high school program, building an intentional pathway from early learning to career training. 

With a total of 78 CTE programs spread across the middle and high schools, career exploration also begins early in Lake County. School counselors, student surveys, and campus tours help students entering middle school match their interests with opportunities and pathways. 

“All of our middle schools have a variety of career exploration offerings, based on interest and the needs or our local workforce,” Kornegay details. Before entering high school, students visit schools to find the program that fits with their planned pathway. “Much like you do a college tour, they’re looking at the various programs, and talking with current students who are our best ambassadors to help them determine areas of interest,” she explains. 

Career Readiness at the Core

Collaboration is a crucial part of Lake County’s educational model, and partnerships with Lake Technical College, Lake-Sumter State College, CareerSource Central Florida , Lake County Government, and Lake Area Economic Development Group all help to bring the district’s vision to life. 

Executive Director of Lake Technical College, DeAnna Thomas recounts, “It really is a collaborative effort on all of our part. These entities are working hand in hand with the school district and post-secondary partners, to provide us with the data and information of what the future is looking like, particularly for business attraction and business retention here in the community.”

She notes that for Lake Technical College the main goal is to provide high quality workforce training and contribute to economic growth and development in the region. 

“Having those partnerships ensures that, from secondary through post secondary, we’re offering quality programs that actually meet the needs of the employers and that these students are coming out highly skilled and ready for that real world of work.”

Lake County Schools also offers a rich dual enrollment system, where students can earn certifications and college credits for free, while still in high school. 

“Something that we’re very proud of, is our LakeWorks partnership with Lake-Sumter State College, which is that additional step,” says Thomas. “I often times refer to the educational path as the career super highway. There’s lots of on and off ramps, and some students are going to get off on one ramp and stay there, and others are going to jump back on and off and really build that skill set as they move along.”

Technology in the Classroom

As a one to one Chromebook district, Lake County Schools is aware that technology has become a permanent part of learning. Kornegay conveys, “We teach students as early as kindergarten how to access a variety of resources. Students develop by the time they’re in third grade some critical technology skills, whether it’s clicking and dragging or actual manipulation of tools within a particular software system. It’s heavily embedded in what we do.” 

Kornegay underscores that this technology never replaces teachers, it only assists them with the delivery and assessment of core instruction and related interventions. Supporting teachers is a priority in Lake County, a PLC (Professional Learning Community) at Work district. “Teachers meet at least once a week, to collaborate around essential standards and skills that students need to reach proficiency,” she depicts. 

“We have four questions that we address with every professional learning team.”

1. What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
2. How will we know each student learned it?
3. How will we respond when a student doesn’t learn it?
4. How will we extend the learning for students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency?”

Lake County Schools has also begun incorporating an AI platform called Magic School. This tool helps educators to generate lesson plans, formative assessments, and intervention materials based on the standard being taught. It not only helps teachers track whether students have mastered a standard but also creates additional lessons or assessments when students need more support. “It’s helping to create resources for the teachers, and it has been a major time saver while enhancing our work and supporting teacher collaboration,” says Kornegay.

Building for Growth and Opportunity

Lake County is seeing steady growth, which means the district must continue adding classrooms and updating older schools keep up with the needs of students.  Since the state no longer provides capital outlay funding, the district depends on local sales tax dollars to renovate schools, while impact fees from new developments are used to build additional student space in growing neighborhoods. 

“Our board was concerned about the debt that they were incurring, so several years ago, they adopted a pay as you go process. That slowed down the building of our new construction, but we’ve been able to maintain a robust five-year capital plan while decreasing our debt,” expands Kornegay. Currently, two new schools are opening, including a replacement for a century old building and the new Minneola Horizon Academy, along with several renovation and expansion projects across the county. 

The district has also celebrated major academic milestones in recent years. Kornegay touts, “We are now designated as an “A” rated district. That has not happened in Lake County since 2008. I would say that our focus on collaborative learning for both teachers and students has been instrumental in helping us to get there. We’re super proud of that, it’s something we’ve been working very hard to achieve.” 

She credits graduation rates that have climbed from 77 percent in 2017 to 93 percent today, as well as students earning almost 5000 industry certifications this year, as playing a role in this top-notch rating.  “That is really a testament to not only what’s happening instructionally in our classrooms, but also our strong partnerships, like the work with Lake Tech that is providing so many opportunities for kids to find their place and to stay in school.” 

A Flexible Approach

The Lincoln Park Education Center is one of the district’s most unique projects. The idea for this new facility emerged after the COVID pandemic, when many high school students began arriving late, leaving early, or skipping school altogether in favor of fulltime and parttime jobs. 

“For many kids, the traditional high school experience just doesn’t meet their needs anymore. It’s not what they’re looking for,” says Kornegay. Recognizing this, district leaders reimagined what a non-traditional high school could look like.

The solution was the renovation of a former elementary school, and the creation of a flexible day program where students can choose morning or afternoon sessions that fit around their work schedules while still receiving in person instruction. “There are 70 kids currently enrolled,” Kornegay reports. Once the building renovations for Lake Technical College are complete, we plan to open enrollment for the afternoon or evening classes allowing students the opportunity to dual-enroll in a workforce program while earning their high school diploma.”

Lake Technical College has joined the initiative by co-locating workforce training programs on the same site. This allows students to earn a high school diploma while also dual enrolling in technical programs. Thomas highlights that the model not only benefits high school students but also expands access for adults in the southern part of the county, who previously had to travel long distances for training. 

Learning for Life

For Lake County Schools, the goal is to ensure every student receives high quality instruction, and achieves mastery of skills that will carry them into the future. Too often in schools, we focus on the teaching of the standard. However, it is vitally important that we shift the focus on students are learning, making sure that every student is learning the standard being taught,” Kornegay reflects. 

“We are tracking student progress to ensure that they are able to achieve those goals, standard by standard, student by student, because that is what’s going to help them to find success whether they plan to go to college, the military and or the workforce.”

When it comes to education, the rewards are often personal. “The most rewarding part is watching students literally change their lives in front of our eyes,” says Thomas. “Helping them find that pathway, reach their goals, and become self-sustaining is really the highlight of the work that we do.”

At a Glance

Name: Lake County Schools

What: An innovative school district serving the growing Lake County community.

Where: Tavares, Florida

Website: www.lake.k12.fl.us