Happy $3 New Year! VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1
December 26 - January 1, 2026
Brewer will become district superintendent
School district leaders weigh $10,000 CEP membership
School Board abandons national search after reviewing progress monitoring data. By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
Danielle Brewer, interim superintendent, speaks during a Marion County School Board meeting in Ocala on May 13, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
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iting a surge in student achievement and a desire to maintain “steady waters,” the Marion County School Board on Dec. 18 unanimously decided to abandon its national search
for a new leader, instead moving to solidify interim superintendent Danielle Brewer, Ph.D., as the district’s superintendent. The board’s decision came after reviewing Progress Monitoring 2 (PM2) data, which showed substantial gains in student performance since Brewer took the
interim role in mid-2025. According to district data, 41% of students are currently on grade level in English Language Arts (ELA), up from 37% last year, and math proficiency has risen to 27%, a four-point increase over the same period. See Brewer, page A9
Community champion dies at 85 in Ocala Among her many accomplishments, Mary Sue Rich served as a city councilwoman for 24 years.
By Susan Smiley-Height magnoliamediaco.com
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atriarch, trailblazer, teacher, community advocate, public servant, lover of people — all of these are descriptive of Mary Sue Rich. Rich, who passed away in Ocala on Dec. 18 at the age of 85, surrounded by her loving family, led a life filled with accomplishments, including being elected in 1995 as the first Black woman on the Ocala City Council. She represented District 2, which encompasses the city’s west side. Following 24 years of distinguished service, she left the seat in 2019 after she chose not to seek re-election. Rich was born in Ocala and was adopted as an infant. She was married to Franklin R. Rich for 52 years, until he passed away in 2011. The couple had four children, nine grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. “When I was growing up, State Road 40 was an unpaved road,” she recalled in an article about her in the “Gazette’s” sister publication, “Ocala Style” magazine. “The city was also segregated and a lot of people believed in that. I’ve seen a lot of growth, most of it for the betterment of Ocala. I’ve really enjoyed being on the council and have met a lot of wonderful people,” she said, emphasizing that serving is about many people working together rather than anything she accomplished as an individual. See Mary Sue Rich, page A7
Matt McCormick [Photo courtesy CEP]
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette
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Mary Sue Rich was a civic leader and dedicated public servant in Ocala for many years. [John Jernigan/Ocala Style file photo]
he Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership’s new leader made his formal debut before the Marion County School Board on Dec. 18, sparking a candid discussion about the $10,000 annual price tag for the school district’s membership. Matt McCormick, president and chief executive officer, was finishing his fourth week directing the CEP when he presented a “top hits” list of the organization’s involvement with the district, ranging from voter engagement for the successful half-penny sales tax referendum in November 2024 to Career and Technical Education (CTE) partnerships. McCormick, who moved to Ocala from Missouri, emphasized that his career in economic development has taught him a simple truth: “The community with the best schools wins.” The presentation explored the value and source of the membership dues. School Board member Allison Campbell revealed she had inadvertently received the CEP’s invoice for the last two years, which prompted a deeper look into the partnership during a year when the district faced a $64 million shortfall. See CEP membership, page A5
Novel plan faces challenges The aim is to build affordable housing for Marion County school employees.
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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pward Communities CEO Jason Roberts returned to the Marion County School Board on Dec. 18 to provide a “long overdue” update on a project
to build affordable housing for local educators, citing a “weird time” in the state legislature as a primary hurdle. Upward Communities is a Texas-based company created to retain and support essential educators by providing affordable housing near their schools. The
company planned to launch its first Florida community in Marion County. Following an August update in which Roberts promised to “double our resources” to make the housing community a reality, the CEO informed the board that while property has been selected,
legal complexities regarding tax exemptions have slowed progress. Roberts explained that the project’s affordability hinges on the land being treated as taxexempt school district property, but current county interpretation does not explicitly cover housing. Roberts noted the timing is
particularly complicated due to ongoing legislative debates in Tallahassee regarding Florida’s tax structure. “There’s a lot of other stuff going on. This is a really weird time,” Roberts said to the board. See Novel plan, page A6
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Paramedicine program................ A5 Citizen participation.................... A6 Heart of the Park.......................... B1 Habitat house blessings............... B3 Calendar......................................... B6
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