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Foundation for Rural Education Excellence
Supporting Academic Achievement in
Rural Northeast Florida Communities
June 2023 Newsletter
The Foundation for Rural Education Excellence, a registered 501 (C)(3) organization, was founded in 1998 to facilitate philanthropic support for rural school districts of the North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC): Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, Suwannee, and Union Counties as well as Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and PK Yonge Developmental Research School. Working collaboratively, our mission is to enhance academic success and career opportunities for rural students in northeast Florida.
Coordinating Statewide Conferences with FDOE
NEFEC's Instructional Team has been all over the State with the Florida Department of Education, Just Read, Florida!, and the Bureau of School Improvement teams.

Our very own Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Rick Surrency from the Putnam County School District, presented and shared during a general session in Orlando with the Bureau of School Improvement (attended by approximately 1,200 educators from all over the state).

NEFEC is grateful for every opportunity to partner with FLDOE to serve and support educators across the State of Florida.
Executive Director Presented Patriot Award
NEFEC Executive Director, Dr. Patrick Wnek, was awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's (ESGR) 'Patriot Award' at a recent Board of Directors meeting.

Dr. Wnek was nominated by FDLRS Administration Program Administrator, Alice Schmitges, who is currently serving in the United States Navy Reserves and deployed in the country of Bahrain.

This prestigious award recognizes supervisors who directly support nominating service members and their families through mobilization. Alice was able join the meeting virtually to thank Dr. Wnek for being so supportive during her deployment.

Thank you to the ESGR and Representative Bobby Payne for coming to present Dr. Wnek with this award. We are grateful for Dr. Wnek's leadership and we are counting down the days until Alice rejoins our NEFEC Family!
Board Honors Superintendent Mittlestadt
The NEFEC Board of Directors conveyed their appreciation and well wishes to Flagler County Superintendent Cathy Mittlestadt at the June board meeting.

Superintendent Mittlestadt has been a tremendous board member and a true professional. Her impact on Flagler County Schools will yield benefits for many years to come.

We wish her great success in her future adventures.
Outstanding NEFECers Receive Awards
This year’s Florida Association of Managed Information Systems (FAMIS) conference was held June 13-15 in Daytona Beach. 

During the conference, NEFEC Applications Manager, Daniel Hornsby, was awarded the Lavan Dukes Award for his years of outstanding service to the MIS community. Recipients of this award have consistently demonstrated their passion for improving education systems by striving for accuracy and precision in data collection, analysis, and reporting. By fostering strong relationships, they have facilitated informed decision-making processes, influenced evidence-based policies, and contributed to the continuous improvement of educational systems.

Daniel is retiring this month after almost 23 years of service at NEFEC. Congratulations and thank you to Daniel for his dedication to our organization and his help and support to our NEFEC districts. 

Additional congratulations are in order for former NEFECer Candy Garcia. Candy was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for his years of outstanding leadership at the FAMIS conference. Candy spent over 31 of his 36 years in education as a NEFEC employee before going to work for FLDOE. He has spent his last few years in Clay County.  
Mark Your Calendars
Summer Leadership Conference

NEFEC's Annual Summer Leadership Conference is scheduled for July 10-11, 2023, at the Sawgrass Marriott in
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
26th Annual Golf Tournament

FREE's annual golf tournament is scheduled for March 22, 2024, at The Palatka Golf Club.


Foundation for Rural Education Excellence
(352) 317-0621
foundationruraled@gmail.com
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