John Dick, board member from the Monroe County School District, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the schools.
About 8,500 students are served by the Monroe County School District and almost 600 teachers are providing them an education.
Dick said, “Because of the makeup of the geographics of this district, it takes more schools than we would like. In other words, we have to have schools in the different areas, ptherwise, we’re transporting people or students far, far longer times and distances. So ideally, I mean, at 8,500 students, when I grew up, and one of the schools I went to in New York City had 6,500 students in it. So just think about how you don’t need so many buildings. Of course, you don’t need as many administrators, you don’t have to have a principal in every school. So it’s a lot involved. I’m very satisfied with how the district is run. I mean, we’re always looking for things to be better, but they’re doing the best of their ability. I think they’re doing a very good job.”
A school board meeting will be held tomorrow at 5 p.m. in Marathon.
Dick said, “We’re going to approve the calendars for the following two years, meaning next school year, and the following year after, of course, there can always be an adjustment of something before if something changes that we see. But what people will be very happy is I know that they were annoying, these early release days that we had over the school year, where the students would get out a little earlier and people that have planned for their work, almost everybody is both parents or both guardians are working. So it causes a problem for the grammar school kids, the younger kids that are getting out early, these parents then, who do they have to take care of them? So what’s happened is, they’ve removed the early release days, they are not doing them anymore. I shouldn’t say completely, because there was one that they do leave on. But nobody ever complained about it. The last day of school before the Christmas break, we got out a little early, and everybody seemed to like that one. That was not a problem. But these are intermittent early release days, people didn’t realize, they forget what it is. So we put a stop to them. There will be three days scattered throughout the year that they will have no students and the teachers will get their service done and their planning and what they have to do during that time. So I think the community be very happy because the calendar committee, which is made up of staff and community members, union members, administration, and they even had a student on it this year. So everybody seems to be 100% on board with it. I think the community will be very happy with that.”
The overhaul of the Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium will also be discussed.
Dick said, “They’re going to ask for approval on a change order to increase the cost. They’re going to do another building, they’re changing the way they’re doing the building for the concession stand and they’re going to add the restrooms with it. They’re going to change the entrance way. To me, this is all a good thing. Once they get further on in the job, they could see some things that might be a little better to do something this way, when you actually see what’s going on. To me, we would we did some changes along the way when we were doing Marathon and it increased the costs, but this is a one time shot and this is a draw to this community. It really is a very, very beautiful stadium, and the community will be very happy with it, I think. I’m satisfied with the changes that they’re doing. I know we had costs but unfortunately, that’s the name of the game. We did a very, very top notch job in Marathon and I expect to do the same in Key West, as we are doing the baseball field, the football field will be top notch. Of course on baseball, we had an unfortunate passing of one of our loved coaches and graduate from Key West High School, one of the best baseball players and basketball players they ever had in that school. So that was unfortunate. Condolences to the family and it’s a sad time for everybody and I know that the Key West baseball team went out and played a game and won a game against a tough opponent in memory of the passing of the coach.”
Mike Stapleford of KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM added, “We want to again continue to send condolences to the family. The entire community feeling the loss of Dexter Butler, beloved coach and teacher in the district, also recipient of the Black Educator Pioneer Award, certainly heralded throughout the community and he will be sorely missed.”
Coral Shores High School will also be getting some upgrades at Founders Park as well.
Dick said, “The fields of Key West and Marathon, the Monroe County School District owns that property, it’s our property and so whenever we do a rebuild like that, we bring the community in to see what they want. What do they think and we offer this and see that and it’s just kind of a planning with the community. Now this thing with Founders Park, we have an inter-local agreement with the city of Islamorada. It’s their property, that is Founders Park. We have a baseball field that Coral Shores High School students use. So we don’t own the property. But I was concerned that the first original drawing came out with this massive thing. I don’t know why it looked like a stadium coming out. Some of the people got wind of that and got concerned that all the trees would be taken down. Then there was concern about what kind of a field would be. So I said, we need to make sure that they get together with their community and that the Islamorada City Council would sign off on it before we would go forward and do anything because I don’t want the school board blamed for something that people did or didn’t want and say, well, why didn’t you talk to us and show us? So the Islamorada Council agreed and they had a community meeting the other day last week, and I attended, as did Dr. Woltanski. We listened and saw what the community wanted. One of the biggest contentious thing really was the difference between artificial turf and just having a regular grass field. It was overwhelmingly strong for the artificial turf. I mean, there’s, there’s both sides of that story, there’s things about people getting injured, but the injuries seem to be more on a football side of the injuries where they talk about having trouble in those fields. But football is a different game. Of course, then baseball, and the baseball fields, nobody seems to be backing off on the artificial turf on baseball. So I’m sure that that’s where the final thing from the Islamorada Council, they’ll sign off and everything and then we’ll proceed with that field and get that one going to. We’ll make it an ideal field for the community. That’s what we want to do. We’ll do it for everybody and they deserve it.”
Public input is welcome at the upcoming school board meeting.
Dick said, “We welcome anybody who wants to come and speak to us and with anything that they want to say. We do not engage with somebody, but we will if somebody brings forth something we might put it on an agenda at a following meeting or discuss it at a workshop but this is a business meeting and we will approve a couple of items that are on the agenda. We’re going to get an update from adult education, which is another part of the programs that we do in Monroe County that not everybody is well aware of. But it just shows you where we’re doing preschool, we are doing of course the K to 12 and then we do have adult education which is a way for a lot of people to get a diploma that they may never have done earlier in their life. We’re going to adopt a social studies curriculum, which has been approved by the state of Florida. We’ve looked it over and parents can look at the agenda and look at the materials that we’re going to use. It’s online if they wanted to look at it. And if they have any concerns, bring it to us at the board.”
For the agenda for tomorrow’s school board meeting, click here: https://monroe-k12.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1