Monroe County School Board Member John Dick joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the schools.
The Monroe County School District is heading into the new school year with only one classroom vacancy as teachers return for the start of classes.
About 44 new teachers recently participated in new-teacher orientation, followed by a districtwide welcome for new and returning teachers and other employees.
Dick said he asked Superintendent Ed Tierney about the number of remaining teacher vacancies and was told there was only one at the time.
“That’s incredible,” Dick said. “We’ve never been so well stocked, and that’s the best I’ve seen and I’m on the board 20 years.”
The staffing numbers represent a significant improvement from previous years, when the district sometimes began the school year with dozens of open classroom positions.
Dick recalled years when there were roughly 30 teacher vacancies heading into the school year. Even when positions were filled, some teachers ultimately left because they could not find affordable housing in the Florida Keys.
In more recent years, he said, the district’s highest number of vacancies was about 18.
Dick credited the district’s continued efforts to increase salaries with helping improve both recruitment and retention.
“We are, of course, the highest paid district,” Dick said. “The salaries for the teachers in the state, as we should be, because we are funded the most per student than any other district.”
Dick said he has consistently advocated for putting additional funding toward employee compensation.
He pointed to one year when increased funding allowed the district to provide a $5,000 salary increase to teachers and other employees on a proportional basis. Dick said several teachers who had been planning to leave the Keys decided to stay, while two former employees returned to the district after leaving.
“Higher salaries does improve it,” Dick said. “And hopefully we can keep on maintaining the salaries up and keep our teachers here, keep the good ones here, and attract for the new ones, attract the best of the brightest.”
The district’s ability to attract and retain teachers comes as Monroe County continues to maintain an A rating. Dick said the district is also working toward Tierney’s goal of becoming the top-rated school district in Florida.
Dick praised Tierney’s leadership and said he was impressed with the superintendent’s background when the district began its search.
The superintendent was selected from a pool of more than 30 applicants.
“I read his resume. I just said, ‘That’s the one. That’s the guy. That’s who we want,’” Dick said.
Dick said Tierney has been in communication with incoming board member Luis Gonzalez, who will succeed him on the board. Gonzalez, a former Marathon mayor and city councilman, has experience in local government and is familiar with the community.
Dick said Gonzalez will support the superintendent’s efforts to improve the district while continuing to support athletics and other programs.
The district’s progress also extends beyond staffing and academics. During Dick’s two decades on the board, Monroe County has undertaken an extensive school construction program.
Major projects have included the rebuilding of Sugarloaf School, Key West High School and Marathon High School, as well as work at Poinciana, Gerald Adams and Key Largo School, with additional projects continuing.
Dick said the newer facilities have been designed with the Keys’ hurricane risks in mind and can serve as shelters of last resort.
“We’re building them for the hurricanes,” Dick said.
He credited Monroe County taxpayers with helping make the construction program possible and said he hopes the facilities will serve students and families for many years.
With the new school year beginning, Dick said the district’s staffing levels are particularly encouraging after years of difficulty filling positions.
The combination of competitive salaries, teacher retention, new recruitment and continued investment in school facilities has helped put the district in what Dick described as a strong position heading into the new academic year.
“This is a very, very good district,” Dick said. “I’m very glad that I am here.”
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