A remarkably brief meeting of the Monroe County School Board lasted barely 20 minutes beyond its citizens’ comment portion, allowing superintendent Theresa Axford to encapsulate the district’s progress throughout the 2022-23 school year.
The superintendent’s summary celebrated what many instructors described to her as “the first real school year in a while” and touted smooth integration of new curriculum and testing by teachers.
Increasing engagement with more than a dozen local organizations like NOAA, Mote Marine Lab, Dolphin Research Center, the History of Diving Museum and the Coral Restoration Foundation to enhance environmental education opportunities headlined Axford’s report. Keys schools also boasted several state science fair winners this year.
Axford said the district’s efforts drew notice from accreditation agency Cognia, which suggested that the district should become a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) district.
“I’m very proud of this environmental education emphasis, because it’s so critical for our community that our students understand they are stewards of this beautiful place where we live,” she said.
In addition to acknowledging achievements of many student-athletes across the district as they claimed district, regional and state championships, Axford reminded the board of the district’s efforts to collaborate and engage with community members through English Learning (EL) nights, art nights and heritage festivals.
The superintendent also gave a nod to half a dozen theatrical productions throughout Keys schools, as well as high placements from student musicians in statewide band competitions. She announced a new partnership between Key Largo School and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to establish an aerospace program at the school and recognized the accomplishments of career and technical education (CTE) students in statewide competitions, one of whom – Marathon senior Jay Sweeney – was recognized with a Great Educational Moments (GEMS) award earlier in the evening.
Board member Sue Woltanski voiced her thanks for the Keys Kids Swim program, which enabled 67 kindergartners at Key Largo School to take two weeks of swimming lessons. Woltanski advocated for the life-saving program to expand throughout the district’s schools and grade levels – upon their first evaluation before lessons, she said, only 16% of the students could save themselves after jumping into the water.
To close the meeting, the board unanimously approved its 2023-24 instructional materials budget of $2.14 million, $1.04 million in budgeted costs for a contract with Virco, Inc. to replace classroom furniture at Marathon High School, and a $4.02 million contract with ABM Industry Groups for custodial services.
