Florida TaxWatch Announces Okeechobee High School Principal Lauren Myers as 2023-24 Principal Leadership Award Winner
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Wed., Feb. 21, Florida TaxWatch will proudly announce that Okeechobee High School Principal Lauren Myers is among the 15 winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2023-24 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Principal Myers has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida Prepaid College Scholarship.
The award and scholarship will be presented during a ceremony held on the campus of Okeechobee High School at 12:30 p.m. EST today. Media are invited to attend and asked to RSVP to Aly Coleman Raschid via email at aly@on3pr.com or by phone at 850.391.5040.
Note: There will be another local Principal Leadership Awards Ceremony on Tues., March 5 to honor Elbridge Gale Elementary School Principal Gail Pasterczyk. Additional details will be provided closer to the event date.
Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President & General Counsel and Acting President & CEO Jeff Kottkamp said, “Principals are the lifeblood of Florida’s schools – as leaders in their schools, they support and motivate hard-working teachers and ensure students of all ages are provided ample opportunities to succeed. That’s why Florida TaxWatch established this one-of-a-kind Principal Leadership Awards program, now in its 11th year, which uses comprehensive data to determine the most effective principals in our state and reward them for the transformational impact they are having both in their schools and in their communities. And this year, we have the privilege of honoring 15 deserving principals, the most in the history of the program, so that is extremely exciting. Congratulations to all the winners!”
Florida Prepaid College Foundation Director Cindy O’Connell said, “Every day, the work of these dedicated principals dictates which opportunities for success will be available to our children and how their educational experience will mold them into productive adults for our world. The Florida Prepaid College Foundation is proud to sponsor the Principal Leadership Awards with the Foundation’s Academic A+ Challenge Match Scholarship Program. We look forward to helping these 15 students realize their potential. We are grateful to organizations like Florida TaxWatch for its staunch commitment to highlighting the good works of these public servants and unyielding dedication to education in Florida.”
Florida Lottery Secretary John F. Davis said, “The Florida Lottery is proud to partner with Florida TaxWatch in support of the Principal Leadership Awards and commends each of the award recipients for their outstanding dedication and commitment to students and schools; these diligent efforts are making a difference each and every day. At the Florida Lottery, we believe that the path to a brighter future begins with a good education and that a good education starts with exceptional educators. We look forward to continuing this partnership to support these efforts on behalf of all of Florida’s students and schools.”
About the Principal Leadership Awards Program
Established by Florida TaxWatch in 2013, the Principal Leadership Awards (PLA) program serves to acknowledge and reward educational leaders who are creating meaningful change in their students’ lives, while also promoting their uniquely effective practices among their peers. This program, which is the only one of its kind nationwide, recognizes 15 of Florida’s most successful principals from high-risk K-12 public schools across the state (five principals each from elementary, middle, and high schools, including traditional and charter public schools). Principals are selected based on weighted Florida Department of Education data, not through nominations.
Additionally, Florida TaxWatch is partnering with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and private corporate sponsors to provide one student from each winner’s school with a two-year college scholarship. The winning students – who find out about the scholarship during a surprise announcement the day of the award presentation – are selected by their principal and must meet several criteria that would traditionally make attending college, let alone paying for it, a significant challenge. Through these scholarships, this transformational program is able to change deserving students’ lives and help close the achievement gap.
The PLA program would not be possible without the support of Florida TaxWatch’s generous sponsors, including Charter Communications, Dominic and Debbie Calabro, FBMC Benefits Management, First Horizon Bank, the Florida Lottery, Florida Power and Light, Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, JM Rubin Foundation, Kyra Solutions, Maximus, Steve and Linda Evans, Tampa Electric Company, and Walmart.
For more information, including a full list of the 2023-24 PLA winners, please click here.
About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute for more than forty years and the trusted eyes and ears of Florida taxpayers, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it serves since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
About the Florida Prepaid College Foundation
The Florida Prepaid College Foundation administers several innovative scholarship programs designed to help students achieve their dream of earning a college education. The Stanley Tate Project STARS (Scholarship Tuition for At- Risk Students) Scholarship Program is the Foundation’s hallmark program. Since the Stanley Tate Project STARS scholarship program began, 29,000 scholarships have been awarded to low-income students at risk of dropping out of school, and who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to attend college. In addition to the Stanley Tate Project STARS program, the Foundation sponsors scholarship programs in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month. When combined with the number of scholarships purchased for the Stanley Tate Project STARS program and scholarships purchased by other charitable organizations, the Foundation has awarded almost 37,700 college scholarships, and more than 20,800 students have attended college using their scholarship benefits. The Foundation is the 501(c)3 direct support organization for the Florida Prepaid College Board. For more information, please visit www.floridaprepaidcollegefoundation.com.
About the Florida Lottery
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $45 billion to enhance education and sending more than 983,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 99 percent of its revenue into Florida's economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,500 Lottery retailers, and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $91.2 billion in prizes and made more than 3,800 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.