Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K-8 School

Title I School

Jason W. Kurtz, PhD - Principal

Dr. Jason Kurtz is excited to serve as the Principal of Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. K-8 School.

Dr. Kurtz grew up in Kendall, NY graduating from Kendall Jr. Sr. High School. He received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College in Comparative Literature with a minor in education. Dr. Kurtz earned his Master’s Degree in Special Education from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2004 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Exceptional Student Education from the Adrian Dominican School of Education at Barry University in 2011. His interests include special education, organizational learning and change.

Dr. Kurtz began his career in education at Immokalee Middle School, where he taught 7th grade Language Arts and Reading. He has taught elementary, middle, and college level students and has served as an administrator at both the school and district levels in his more than 18 years with the School District of Lee County. Dr. Kurtz believes in meeting the needs of all students and views a collaborative school environment as the key to creating successful students and teachers. He believes partnerships with parents and community partners are essential to enriching the educational experience at Cafferata K-8. 

During his free time, Dr. Kurtz enjoys sailing, baseball, reading, and spending time with his family.

Michael Licata - Assistant Principal 

Mr. Licata originally grew up in Michigan and graduated from Western Michigan University. Mr. Licata earned his Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from St. Leo University. He is currently in his 18th year with Lee County Schools. Mr. Licata began his career teaching 4th grade at Ray V. Pottorf for three years. For 12 years, Mr. Licata worked at Heights Elementary and served in multiple roles as a 4th-grade teacher, Math Coach, and most recently as the Dean of Students. Mr. Licata has a passion for working with students and has a focus on teaching the whole child. He believes that creating a positive culture, collaborating collectively, and commitment to setting high expectations is the key to a successful school, and ultimately student learning!

Mr. Licata’s wife, Kristyn, teaches 3rd grade in the district and they have two boys (Joey 10 and Vinny 12) that keep them very busy. During his free time, Mr. Licata enjoys golfing, working out, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends. Mr. Licata is honored and thrilled to serve as Assistant Principal at Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. K-8 School!

Marcus A.  Jenkins, PhD – Dean of Student Discipline

Dr. Jenkins grew up locally in the heart of Fort Myers, Florida, and is a proud product of the Lee County Public School system. Here, he graduated from North Fort Myers High School, where he excelled in athletics and later earned a football scholarship to the University of Central Florida. At UCF, Dr. Jenkins studied Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law.

In 1998, Dr. Jenkins earned a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in Emotional Handicap. In 2009, he earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Jenkins began his teaching career at Cape Coral High School, where he taught for six years in ESE, Civics, World History, and American History. He later left the School District of Lee County to accept an Assistant Principal position in Hendry County at LaBelle Middle School, serving from 2007 to 2012. During that time, Dr. Jenkins also taught Cornerstone courses as an adjunct professor at Edison State College and Florida Southwestern State College, splitting time between both the LaBelle and Fort Myers campuses.

After serving as an Assistant Principal in Hendry County for 5 years Dr. Jenkins accepted a new role in Desoto County as a Director of an alternative school; Desoto Alternative Program (DAP) including Spring Lake Youth Academy that provided education for adjudicated youth boys from the ages of 13-22. After several years away, Dr. Jenkins returned to the School District of Lee County as a Behavioral Specialist at Hector Cafferata, Jr. Elementary School, where he served for two years. He now proudly serves Hector Cafferata, Jr. K-8 School as the Dean of Student Discipline.

Dr. Jenkins’ wife, Karen, also works for the School District of Lee County as an ESE Pre-K instructor. The love of Dr. Jenkins’ life is his daughter, Destiny, who is also a proud product of Lee County Schools. Destiny went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the School of Engineering at the University of South Florida. In his spare time, Dr. Jenkins enjoys playing bass guitar, basketball, and working out.

His philosophy regarding discipline is simple but powerful: “Discipline is about changing behaviors, not about punishing children.” What an awesome opportunity to be Dean of student discipline here at Hector Cafferata, Jr. K-8 School.