Monroe County School Board member Dr. Sue Woltanski joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the schools.
The district has a busy week ahead with meetings focused on campus improvements, teacher compensation and athletic facility upgrades, while also celebrating the district’s continued academic success.
A community meeting on the future of the historic Reynolds School property is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. at the district administration building on Trumbo Road.
Woltanski said the meeting is designed to give nearby residents an opportunity to review plans for the site as the district moves forward with broader redevelopment efforts.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Woltanski said.
The project includes restoring the historic portion of Reynolds School for adult education classrooms while replacing a newer section of the building with office, storage and workspace.
“The historic portion of Reynolds School will become classrooms, probably for adult education,” Woltanski said. “The back part, which is really an eyesore, will come down and be replaced with office space and storage.”
The School Board will hold its regular meeting Tuesday at Marathon High School, where members are expected to approve the final Reynolds School design plans and consider a memorandum of understanding with the Monroe County teachers union regarding state-funded salary increases.
Woltanski said this year’s funding differs from previous years because it specifically targets veteran educators.
“This was specifically for teachers who have worked in the classroom for 10 years or more,” she said. “Our union here and our district have a great relationship, and they were able to bargain that and get it in on time.”
She called the agreement “a big win for the teachers” and said it demonstrates the value of collaboration between district leadership and the union.
The board will also discuss rescheduling its August meeting to avoid conflicting with Election Day.
Earlier Tuesday, School Board members will meet jointly with the Village of Islamorada to continue discussions on improvements to the Founders Park baseball complex.
Woltanski said negotiations have narrowed to finalizing a license agreement so construction can begin in time for the upcoming baseball season.
“We’ve narrowed the scope of that plan to just the field,” she said. “That includes the new fencing, new dugouts, everything within the fence, and then we’ll bring in the amenities later.”
She said the contractor has indicated work can still be completed before baseball practice begins in January if approvals are finalized by the end of July.
The district is also celebrating its latest A-rated school district designation after once again earning the state’s highest overall grade.
“We are really proud of that A district grade, but nobody believes that our job is complete,” Woltanski said. “We’ll be digging down into the data to determine our strengths and weaknesses.”
She noted the district’s reading performance continues to excel while math and science remain areas for improvement.
“Our reading program is really going gangbusters, but math and science scores were lagging,” she said. “The whole purpose of doing standardized testing is not just to earn a school grade, but to determine your strengths and weaknesses.”
One bright spot was Monroe County’s algebra performance.
“We were a top 10 county for algebra scores,” Woltanski said. “Our algebra scores are through the roof, but we’re not that great in geometry. That’s something we’ll be looking at.”
Woltanski also recognized Coral Shores High School graduate Jake Craig, who recently appeared as a backup dancer during the FIFA Club World Cup halftime show after graduating from Pace University and pursuing a professional dance career.
“We couldn’t be prouder of him and of all the opportunities that not just our schools, but the dance studios, music teachers and coaches give to our kids,” she said.
As families prepare for the new school year, Woltanski reminded parents that school supply lists are now available on the district website.
“School supply lists are up on the website,” she said. “Make the most of the rest of your summer.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keysschools.com/