An outgoing Marion County School Board member is pointing to chronic student absenteeism as the primary culprit behind the district’s recent “C” grade and historically low educational rankings, insisting that “even great teachers can’t teach an empty seat.”
Nancy Thrower, who will vacate her District 4 seat this November, recently issued a lengthy statement through social media addressing the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school and district grades. Thrower, who regularly posts statements on her social channels, expressed her frustration after the district earned exactly 59% of its total possible points, narrowly missing the 60% cutoff for a “B” grade due to new, higher state thresholds.
“It is very disappointing and frustrating to miss anything by 1 point! Even if our Marion County Public Schools had maintained a B grade overall again this year by 1 point this still wouldn’t qualify for big bragging rights in my opinion,” Thrower stated. “I’ll save that for when we achieve legitimate A – District status.”…