Monroe County School District Superintendent Ed Tierney joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in our schools.
With the first day of classes just days away, the Monroe County School District is entering the new school year with every classroom teacher position filled, a second consecutive A school district rating and a continued focus on protecting classroom resources despite budget challenges.
District employees have spent the summer preparing schools, hiring staff and making budget decisions designed to minimize the impact on students and teachers.
“The summer is a busy time for the district office,” Tierney said. “There’s always hiring, budget work and facilities projects, but we had a very successful summer.”
Among the district’s leadership changes are four new principals and six new or newly assigned assistant principals, representing significant turnover among school administrators.
The district also faced a difficult budget year, prompting administrators to look internally for savings rather than reducing classroom positions.
“We decided as a district office that we would take the biggest hit and the first hit,” Tierney said.
The district reduced approximately $1.68 million from district office operations by eliminating four administrative positions, moving five instructional positions from the district office into schools and leaving seven ancillary positions vacant after employees departed.
“We did everything we could to support teachers and principals in schools, as that is the school system,” Tierney said.
Despite ongoing teacher shortages affecting many districts across Florida, Monroe County has successfully filled every classroom teaching position before the start of the school year.
The district welcomed 44 new teachers this week.
“I thought they were an impressive, professional, motivated bunch,” Tierney said. “They’re going to be a great addition to this team.”
Monroe County also recently earned its second consecutive A rating from the state, despite higher performance standards.
Tierney said the recognition validates the district’s progress but also highlights areas needing improvement.
“We had some great areas, English and social studies last year, and then we had some soft spots that have to be worked on, math and science,” he said. “Right after that celebration, we turned to focusing where we need to grow.”
The district is also emphasizing early childhood education through its kindergarten readiness initiative for the Class of 2039.
After hosting a kindergarten kickoff event in the spring, the district has spent the summer sending weekly educational videos in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole to incoming kindergarten families. The videos focus on social, literacy and math skills that students will need when they enter school.
Tierney said the response has exceeded expectations.
“As of yesterday, we had 17,000 views on those videos, so parents are clearly taking advantage of that interaction,” he said. “I really hope that when we determine the kindergarten readiness of the Class of 2039, we’ve improved on our historical readiness.”
Teachers returned to work this week ahead of students, who begin classes Aug. 12.
Tierney urged motorists to be especially cautious as school buses return to area roadways.
“Just be mindful of young people crossing streets and getting on the buses,” he said. “Leave a little earlier so we can make sure everybody’s getting to and from work and school safely.”
Tierney also noted that a long-awaited agreement has been finalized to provide a permanent home field for Coral Shores High School baseball, calling it an example of successful cooperation between local government bodies.
“It was a great example of governance because two elected bodies came together for the good of the community and the students,” he said. “Everybody gave a little. Nobody got everything they wanted, but ultimately we’re going to have a beautiful playing field for the athletes and the community.”
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