Christopher Doty, candidate for Highlands County Superintendent of Schools will address the Highlands Tea Party this coming Tuesday evening.
“After a couple of articles in the paper and a broadcast on the local radio, I feel it is time for me to correct and clarify a number of things,” he said. “This appears to be my first and best opportunity to set the record straight.”
Doty has served for some three decades in the Highlands County school system in a number of administrative capacities, including principal at schools in Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid.
“At Avon Park Middle School I was challenged to provide leadership at a facility that was struggling academically and behaviorally,” he said. “We brought the school grade up from a D to a C and changed the culture.”
School letter grades also increased at Hill-Gustat Middle School, and Lake Placid Middle School during his tenure at those campuses. Most recently, he served as principal at Moore Haven Elementary in Glades County. That school will also move up a letter grade.
Moreover, Doty contends that during the 2020 Covid crisis, there were many under performing schools that were not accepted by the current superintendent. He maintains that of the five schools that were submitted, Hill Gustat – where he was principal – waslisted. Doty said it was the only secondary school that year with a B rating.
“Given the poor performance of our schools currently, I believe we can change the culture and bring the entire system up to levels that are more accurate as to the ability of our students,” he said. “We owe it to the children, we owe it to the teachers and we owe it to the taxpayers of Highlands County.
Allegations of hostile work environment have also have been leveled against Doty. A hearing will take so that he can provide evidence that the accusations are false.
“I welcome the hearing to clear my name,” he said. “Much has been written and broadcasted about this and I feel we need to set the record straight.”
Doty pointed to a December 2021 Highlands County School Board workshop on the issue, where he and several school board members asked that the internal investigation be re-opened. However, the sitting superintendent refused.
During that workshop, several teachers maintained that their testimony was incorrectly listed by interviewers.
“I think there’s just a lot of things that voters need to know about before the election. This will be my first opportunity to actually provide factual evidence,” he said.
Prior to his tenure at the Highlands County schools, Doty earned his Bachelor of Arts in Special Education at the University of South Florida. He later achieved his Master of Education in Educational Leadership, also at USF.
The Highlands Tea Party has featured a string of candidates that are running for various county and district offices. In addition to presentations, the candidates also have a question and answer session. They also remain after the meeting for longer, more involved discussions.
The Highlands Tea Party meets Tuesday evenings at the Vietnam Veterans’ Hall, 33565 Grand Prix Drive (behind the Sebring Walmart). Doors open at 5pm with meetings to commence at 6pm.