The Monroe County School District has had an amazing year with a number of accomplishments to share.
Notably, the school district has an interim agreement with SPGL to build 90 units of affordable housing for teachers and staff on Trumbo Point in Key West. Although there are still a number of hurdles to jump, it’s a great start. It has taken hours of work to get to this point and we hope to have shovels in the ground sometime in 2023.
The school board granted each teacher an unprecedented $5,000 raise in November. (This was in addition to the raise they received in August, which amounted to about $2,800 per teacher, for an overall total raise of $7,800). All other employees received an additional $2,600 in November and nearly the same amount in August. I applaud the board for endeavoring to help bridge the gap between the annual median income in Monroe County, which is $100,500, and teachers’ starting salary of $56,800. These efforts must continue if we are going to hire and retain qualified staff.
One of the best things going forward is the district’s new and well-developed strategic plan. This took the last six months of 2022 to complete. The plan was developed in hours of meetings with all stakeholders, many of whom participated virtually to ensure everyone had a voice in the
process. It is a flight plan for the future and will ensure our success. The completed plan will be housed on our website at keysschools.com. The board and the community will receive regular updates on progress.
The school district also unveiled a new smartphone app known as “My MCSD” that offers all the information anyone needs to navigate the school system. Parents can check their students’ grades, schedules and attendance. They can access calendars for all school events and lunch schedules. Push notifications will notify them of any emergency issues. If they have students in
two different schools, they can get all the information in the same app by toggling to the other school. Student information is available to parents through their FOCUS log-in; however, all other information about the district is available to community members as well.
Our focus on environmental education is another great plus for the district. We have developed a curriculum to educate all students (pre-K through 12th grade) on the importance of protecting our natural resources. The curriculum was developed with the help of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, but our partnerships extend to others, including the Coral Reef Restoration Foundation, NOAA, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, United Way and Reef Relief. When our students understand their stewardship role, we can continue and enhance ongoing efforts to protect our coral reefs and near shore waters.
Another school enhancement occurred with the addition of a much-needed elementary wing at Sugarloaf School, where I spent 20 years of my career.
The school board members toured the new facility on Dec. 6 and were thrilled to see the classrooms and other amenities that will benefit students and teachers.
The Monroe Occupation and Vocational Experiences (MOVE) program has expanded and continues to grow. Through our partnerships with Keys Energy Services, Keys Federal Credit Union, Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, Keys Auto Center, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, A20 Architecture, Blown Away hair studio, A&B Marina and the Spottswood Companies, district students are finding opportunities to learn important workplace skills. Through the MOVE program, businesses can train prospective employees before they enter the workforce, reducing the costs of new employee training and employee turnover.
Our sports programs were stellar throughout the year and achievements are too multiple to name here. The Keys Weekly’s Sports Wrap reporters Tracy and Sean McDonald have masterfully covered our athletes and programs.
But I would like to thank each of our athletic directors and coaches for their relentless efforts to coordinate all of our teams. Students flourished in their programs.
Lastly, the class of 2022 received community scholarships in the amount of $2.6 million. Hats off to our community for its support of students. I know scholarship money comes from multiple fundraisers throughout the year and hours of dedicated work by volunteers. We are beyond grateful for this support. In addition, these same students received other scholarships totaling $4.5 million, for a grand total of $7.1 million.
We enjoy our work in providing educational services for the students in Monroe County and the school district staff plans to actualize our new mission statement each day in the coming year:
“Working together to inspire and bring excellence to every student every day.”
Happy New Year!
Theresa Axford
Superintendent
Monroe County School District
