SUN, SHADE AND DRUG TESTING AWAIT SCHOOL BOARD VOTES

The giant, kite-like shades that keep the sun off of Collier County
schools' playgrounds could become a thing of the past if the School
Board finds them too costly to repair.

Board members will consider a proposal by the district no to replace
the sun shades damaged in Hurricane Wilma and will phase out the sun
shades that were not damaged as they become worn.

The School Board tabled the repair bill Feb. 16, asking the district
to consider other options for the sun shades to help keep Collier
County youth out of the sun. District officials said the sun shades
would cost more than $421,000 to replace at 23 schools. The cost of
a new sun shade structure is $90,000.

Since 2001, the district has installed sun shades over sand play
court areas that children use typically for 10 to 15 minutes a day
during recess. Sea Gate Elementary parents successfully lobbied the
board for $2 million worth of shades as a prevention against skin cancer.

The large shades block 95 percent of the sun's ultraviolet rays yet
allow air to flow.

Board members also asked staff to consider the possibility to use
shade trees in place of the sun shades. Alvah Hardy, executive
director of facilities management at the district, told Board
members in a memo that would not be possible.

"Staff research concludes that shade trees are not a practical
reason for a variety of reasons, including ineffectiveness shading
the area during lunch time when the sun is directly overhead," he wrote.

Hardy also wrote that the district spent more than $800,000
replacing trees following Hurricane Wilma.

The recommendation also includes two other alternatives. One asks
the board to consider repairing and reinstalling all sun shades
damaged with a caveat that, once taken down due to the threat of a
hurricane, they will not be reinstalled until after the
hurricane season. The second is that the district will replaces the
damaged sun shades with a metal roof structure, which would cost
between $350,000 and $375,000. The metal roof structure would also
be used on the playgrounds of the new schools.

Other matters board members may take up today:

- -- Students could be closer to a drug test if the School Board
approves a random drug testing policy today for student athletes.

Students and their parents will have to agree to the policy if the
student wants to participate in an athletic activity, including
cheerleading, according to the policy.

If a student tests positive for drugs or alcohol, he or she will be
required to complete a three-hour state licensed and accredited
drug/alcohol counseling or rehabilitation program.

- -- The School Board will vote to make Dr. Nancy Graham the principal
at Naples High School effective July 1.

Current Naples High School Principal Rosanne Winter announced her
resignation last year. She will join her husband, Bill, in Las Vegas
where he has accepted a position with the Donald W. Reynolds
Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds national
initiatives in the areas of cardiovascular research, aging and journalism.

Graham, who is currently the principal at Coral Gables High School,
was named Lee County Principal of the Year in 2003.

- -- Before the 2 p.m. School Board meeting, the Board will get an
idea of how much money it will have next year.

Robert Spencer, the district's executive director of financial
services, will review the district's general fund balance and
carryover, estimates of new revenue and new costs, and an overview
of Gov. Jeb Bush's proposed 2006-07 budget during the Board's second
budget workshop.

Bush has proposed a $33 billion state education budget that includes
more money for public schools, the voluntary pre-kindergarten
program, reading initiatives and class size amendment requirements.