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 the schools.
The district saw a successful school year marked by strong graduation rates, millions of dollars in student scholarships, and continued academic achievement.
Tierney said, “Graduation is the summit of a student’s education. It’s so important to parents and families and staff, and I really look forward to attending the three graduations we have in the Keys.”
The district graduated 639 students this year, with members of the Class of 2026 earning more than $13.35 million in scholarships.
“A lot of that is coming from the generosity and unbelievable support of this community,” Tierney said. “The love of the schools and students here is so palpable and evident.”
District leaders credited a variety of initiatives for helping students reach graduation, including efforts to identify struggling students and provide individualized support before they fell behind.
While celebrating the district’s accomplishments, Tierney also discussed concerns about future funding and enrollment trends affecting schools throughout Florida.
According to Tierney, 88 percent of Florida school districts are experiencing declining enrollment, including Monroe County.
“We are one of them,” he said. “There’s a combination of the declining birth rate five years ago during COVID, everyone was saying I’m not bringing a child into this world, and they know that that group is hitting kindergarten right now, and we did the kindergarten kickoff to try to enroll as many as possible, and then you have the expenses of living here and increased options and opportunities for students, so we’re just going to work to show the county and the residents here that we’re their best choice and attract as many as we can and improve outcomes and continue providing a great education with a great culminating ceremony and serve this community as best we can.”
Despite uncertainty surrounding state funding and property tax reform discussions, Tierney said the district has spent months preparing for potential financial challenges. Since January, district administrators have focused on reducing central office spending before considering cuts that could affect classrooms.
“We cut the district office spending next year first, rather than go to the schools first,” Tierney said. “In our small district office, we just crested the million-dollar mark in projected savings for next year.”
Tierney said the district’s goal remains protecting students, teachers, and school-based programs while maintaining academic progress.
The superintendent also cautioned against relying solely on state budget headlines that tout record education funding levels.
Florida lawmakers recently approved a $115 billion state budget that includes approximately $30.6 billion for K-12 public education and a record per-student funding allocation. However, Tierney said districts must carefully examine how those dollars are distributed and what new expenses may accompany the funding.
“That’s a big challenge, and you really have to look closely when the budget comes out, because you know that while that will be touted, sometimes they’ll put more money into the base student allocation, the BSA, but then there’ll be more expenses or other things rolled in there, so you really kind of have to dissect that rather than just the headline to see, are we seeing increased student funding or are we not?” he said.
Teacher compensation remains a priority for Monroe County, Tierney added, noting that the local school board has consistently worked to improve salaries despite limited state assistance.
Looking ahead, the district’s summer priorities include implementing new legislation, finalizing budgets, recruiting staff, and preparing student schedules for the upcoming school year.
Tierney emphasized the importance of individualized scheduling and ensuring that each student receives opportunities that match their interests, abilities, and future goals.
“My expectation is every student is looked at as the individual that they are, with the potential that they have,” he said.
The district is also moving forward with plans for affordable workforce housing initiatives, including projects at Trumbo Point that are intended to help recruit and retain educators in the Florida Keys’ high-cost housing market.
As preparations begin for the 2025-26 school year, Tierney thanked teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community members for contributing to what he described as a successful first year leading the district.
“It doesn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It’s hard work every day, and I appreciate everybody coming to work and working so hard. We at the district office will be working hard to make sure that we open schools even more effectively than we did this year.”
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