This fall State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, welcomed its first high school freshman class to our new Collegiate School on our Venice Campus. These 75 freshmen will have the opportunity to complete their high school education on our South Sarasota County campus and simultaneously earn an Associate in Arts degree when they graduate in four years.

We opened the SCF Collegiate School Venice three years ago, replicating our successful model from SCFCS Bradenton, an annually A-rated and nationally recognized school. The significant difference between the two schools is that while SCFCS Bradenton enrolls students beginning in sixth grade, SCFCS Venice starts in ninth grade.

Last spring, 48 SCFCS Venice students – who enrolled as 11^th graders in fall 2019 – became our first graduates. More than half of our graduates remained on the dean’s and/or president’s list every semester. Venice’s first seniors earned more than $1.5 million in scholarships to institutions around the state and beyond.

As we build to having all four high school grades in Venice, our goal is to have 100 students per class. SCFCS Venice will begin accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year in January 2022. We will accept applications for rising 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grade students. Interested families can complete an intent to enroll form at scfcs.scf.edu/venice. For additional information please visit our website or call 941-408-1451.

The dual enrollment program at our collegiate schools is just one aspect of SCF’s Early College Program. High school students can test their abilities and pursue their interests while earning college credits at no cost by taking college classes on one of our campuses with a college professor. We are committed to ensuring that the quality of courses we offer our early college students meets our high standards and provides a successful path to a college degree.

• Dual Enrollment enables qualified public, private and home education students to enroll in college credit courses offered by SCF.  The credits count toward both a college degree and a high school diploma. 
• Early Admission enables qualified 12^th grade high school students to spend their senior year enrolled at SCF.  Students accepted for Early Admission take all their classes at SCF and must register for at least four classes totaling 12-15 credit hours. Credits count toward a high school diploma and an AA degree. 
• Accelerated Dual Enrollment allows qualified high school juniors to gain college credit and high school credit by attending SCF full time. The students will continue full-time at SCF as seniors to earn their high school diploma and potentially an AA degree from SCF.

Information about SCF’s early college programs is available at www.scf.edu/StudentServices/Registrar/EarlyCollege/default.asp.

As we proudly welcome our first freshmen to SCFCS Venice, we are also excited to see the hundreds of local high school students dual enrolled in courses on campus, online and through Go Live with SCF Online. At SCF, we know that we are the right place for high school students to get a head start on their college education, but I think SCFCS Venice freshman JonHenry says it best:

“The reasons my family chose SCFCS Venice is because of the academic environment and the ability to attend college at an early age. The thing I am looking forward to most is taking the dual enrollment classes. I am very excited to get a head start on my AA degree.”

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is President of State College of Florida, Manatee Sarasota. 

Every couple of years, Gulf Coast Community Foundation conducts what we call a “regional scan.”

The project involves researching and analyzing community data to see long-term and emerging trends, and then enhancing that picture with perspectives from focus groups of community leaders. The result is a roadmap of priorities to help us prepare for challenges ahead and move our region forward together.

Last time around, in 2019, we explored future risks and potential disruptors and identified priorities to make our region more resilient. Little did we—did anyone—know how quickly disruption would come, and how fully our resilience would be tested!

The pandemic has jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of workers, disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income families, afflicted the mental health of children and adults, disrupted our nonprofit organizations and civic institutions, and accelerated social and technological changes in how we live, work, learn, and communicate.

Our brand-new, 2021 scan was conducted as our region worked to recover from over a year of turmoil, uncertainty, and change. This year, we further refined our process and product with an additional, community-facing survey, expanding the number and range of voices helping us define regional priorities and opportunities.

Gulf Coast has identified five priorities that are critical for our region in the year ahead:

• Increased access to mental health care, especially in our underserved and under-resourced populations.
• Supporting, protecting, and retaining our youth.
• Addressing the affordable housing crisis.
• Providing access to stable jobs with livable wages.
• Mitigating threats to our natural environment, especially our region’s waterways.

These will be our focus as a foundation.

Our scan also illuminated cross-cutting and foundational challenges that continue to impact our region and require collaboration to address. They range from achievement gaps and digital divides in education to systemic racial and social inequities to the need for better senior care. Opportunities also exist to strengthen nonprofit networks, engage future leaders, and reform criminal justice.

You can view our summary report at GulfCoastCF.org/scan-2021. It’s a quick read with a bold design that highlights priorities thematically and aims to catalyze action on opportunities.

As we look toward the future, our region in a post-COVID world—if that even comes to be—may look different from in years past. The pandemic’s impacts on our communities, our families, and our children are far-reaching, and ripple effects will be felt for a long time.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation is committed to working with our donors and our partners in the public, civic, and private sectors to enact meaningful change and provide opportunities for all residents. Our priorities are your priorities. Join us in transforming our region.

Mark Pritchett is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

The American Rescue Plan Act was passed and signed by the president this past spring.  Under this law, the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund was established to provide every county, including Sarasota County, and metropolitan city, funding through the federal government. Residents, businesses, non-profits, and civic organizations should participate in deciding how to spend these funds and pay attention as to where they are going.

Unlike CARES Act funding, this funding is intended to be used over a longer timeline.  It has four broad uses, 1) Public Health and Economic Impacts, 2) Investments in Infrastructure limited to water, sewer and broadband, 3) Revenue Loss by government, 4) Premium Pay to eligible workers performing essential work.

Sarasota County is expected to receive almost $85,000,000.  According to the Florida League of Cities, three of our cities will receive money as well.  North Port will receive almost $8.5 million, Sarasota will receive over $10 million, and Venice will receive almost $2.5 million.  Half of the funding was received by the local governments in June of this year, the other half will be received next year.

Some municipalities and counties have already made decisions on how this money should be spent.  Others are still in their planning stages.

Sarasota County has recently released a survey on their web page dedicated to the American Rescue Plan Act.  In that survey, the county asks your Top 3 areas of interest among Affordable Housing, Air Quality, Broadband Investment, Climate resiliency, Educational Disparities, Energy Efficiency, Homelessness prevention and support, Mental Health, Public Safety, Water Quality, Workforce Development, and Vaccination and COVID-19 Mitigation. It also asks if there are any other areas of interest.

It is encouraging that the county is asking for resident and business opinions.  A robust outreach program directly to business organizations, non-profits, and civic organizations, particularly in areas hit the hardest by COVID-19 should be a priority for all governments.  Everyone is still trying to recover and are still feeling the effects of the most recent spike.  Government understanding the needs of the community and how to effectively allocate these dollars is important.

We are encouraged by the actions of the county and encourage them to continue with outreach.  To the civic organizations, non-profits, and businesses, please participate and let the county know what you are seeing and feeling in terms of relief needed.  

For more information and to participate in the county survey on American Rescue Plan Act funds go to, https://www.scgov.net/government/financial-management/coronavirus-local-fiscal-recovery-funds/sarasota-county-american-rescue-plan-act-coronavirus-local-fiscal-recovery-funds-community-survey.

Christine Robinson is Executive Director of The Argus Foundation.