Candidate: JOHN F "JEFF" MCCULLERS

For full biography and other details, visit https://www.jeffmccullers.com/.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY LIFE

J.F. “Jeff” McCullers, 58, is a fifth-generation Floridian who grew up in his grandparent’s orange grove in Estero. His mother worked at the Estero post office. His father John worked for Gulf Atlantic Corporation in Cape Coral, and then ran his own business as a water well driller. His brother Andy of Alva manages citrus groves across the state. His wife Dona was a long-time high school teacher, and she now works for the U.S. Postal Service. They have two children, Ainsley and John, who both attended Lee County schools. Jeff and Dona live in the Country Oaks neighborhood.

During their teaching careers, Jeff and Dona collaborated on youth theater programs at Cypress Lake High School, sharing directing duties while Jeff supervised the technical crews and Dona provided choreography and musical direction. These plays were one of many strong and vibrant arts programs at the school which subsequently led to its designation as a Center for the Arts.

EDUCATION AND CAREER

Jeff attended Villas Elementary School, Cypress Lake Middle School, and Cypress Lake High School, where he gained a love for journalism, creative writing, design, photography, and theater.

From the age of 8 to the age of 18, he was an active member of the Estero Go-Getters 4-H Club. In 1978, he received the highest national honor from the 4-H program for his years-long work in citizenship projects that included voter registration, petition drives, community mosquito education.  litter cleanups, mangrove restoration projects, and two self-published books on local history.

Jeff’s high school jobs included working as a groundskeeper for the Sunny Grove mobile home park, as a secretary for Estero Realty, Inc., as a grove hand for his grandfather, and as a well drilling assistant for his father.

In 1979, Jeff graduated from Cypress Lake High School and was named as a National Merit Scholar. He then attended the University of Florida with full scholarships.

In 1985, he began teaching British Literature and journalism at Cypress Lake High School, and later taught American Literature, Humanities, Drama, and Stagecraft there.

In 1993, he and his wife Dona served on the founding faculty of Academy High School at New Directions, an experimental grant-funded high school. The school was intended to be a showcase school that researched standards-based education.

In 1997, Jeff was named the principal investigator for two teacher training grant programs at the District’s Southwest Florida Teacher Education Center.

In 1998, Jeff was hired as a coordinator in the District’s Department of Personnel Services. In this role, he analyzed teacher transcripts for certification, conducted internal investigations, assisted teachers seeking national certification, and provided retirement estimates and counseling. He conducted research and analysis for bargaining sessions and during the legislative sessions.

In 2000, Jeff was promoted to head the District’s newly-created Department of Grants & Program Development. This unit was intended to combine grant proposal development, grant administration, and research and development activities.

He conducted textbook analyses, evaluated curriculum programs, and briefed School Boards on numerous policy topics related to No Child Left Behind Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Race to the Top, and the Every Student Succeeds Act.

From 1999 to 2019, he was a member of the District’s expert review panel that evaluated proposals for new charter schools. In 2007, he began representing the School Board as liaison to the District’s charter schools, and supervised all aspects of charter school authorizing and contract management. In the twelve years he served in this post, he directed the evaluation of 75 charter school applications of which 25 were approved. During this time, he directed the closure of 11 charter schools.

Jeff’s statewide reputation covers both the grants work (especially in terms of federal funding, policy, and regulation) and charter school authorizing. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Florida Grant Developers Network K-12 for many years, and also served that organization as President.

Jeff was a member of the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers, and has long provided its members with analysis and advice for the complex policy issues related to charter school authorizing and evaluation.

PROFESSIONAL DEGREES AND CREDENTIALS

• Bachelor of Arts in Education, University of Florida
• Master of Science in Educational Leadership, Nova Southeastern University
• Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, University of Central Florida

Florida Professional Educator Certification

• Biology (Grades 6-12)
• Educational Leadership (Grades K-12)
• English (Grades 6-12)
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (Grades K-12)
• Exceptional Student Education (Grades K-12)