MILTON — Clifton “Buddy” Hinote edged out Joseph Pool to fill the Santa Rosa County School Board seat Hugh Winkles vacated. Now, the long-time educator-administrator is eager to get back to work.
“Retirement just does not agree with me,” he said. “This way I can continue to give back to my community and I am excited about the opportunity.”
Hinote, a lifelong county resident, served the school district for more than 37 years. Before overseeing high schools in the district, he was Central School’s principal.
In representing District 2, Hinote — to be sworn in sometime in November — shared some areas of interest he would like to see explored.
“I would like to see high schools return to having seven periods a day as supposed to six periods,” he said.
Before the recession, Hinote said schools had seven periods but were forced to cut back to reduce spending.
In addition to giving students the opportunity to explore a new curriculum, Hinote said the move could give teachers flexibility with their planning schedules.
Another avenue Hinote wants to explore is making International Baccalaureate available to the district. The non-profit organization offers educational curriculum to students, which assists with professional development.
Hinote said he understands these options might be costly to the school district’s budget, but he believes they would benefit students.
While those options could be explored later, Hinote also wants to work with school district officials to find a solution for a growing student population.
“We are busting at the seams in the south end and in the Pace area,” Hinote said. “We need to work with those communities in resolving the issue.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Hinote eyes International Baccalaureate, 7-period school days