Monroe County schools are reverting to an old, effective tool in phonics programs, said Heidi Roberts, literacy coordinator for the district.
During a Nov. 18 school board meeting at Coral Shores High School, Roberts described a program called Old School Phonics with New School Impacts. Working with the University of Florida Literacy Institute, the school district is using a structured system to teach phonics in kindergarten through second grade.
“Reading is a learned skill, not a natural one,” she said. “We are teaching 4-year-olds how to read and spell.”
Reading intervention teachers in the district can use the same system in higher grades with students who have reading challenges. Roberts showed videos of young learners sounding out words of four or more syllables. The report included positive testimonials from teachers and students.
Each lesson includes eight activity steps and each instructional activity is delivered over two school days for 30 minutes per day.
The University of Florida program is funded by a donation from the author James Patterson, a longtime resident of Palm Beach. He is known for his support of children’s literacy programs.
Roberts talked about the “pendulum” of education swinging back toward more traditional methods of teaching students how to read. School board member John Dick said he wishes that other areas of the curriculum would go back to the old ways.
More information on early learning came from Sandi Bisceglia of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe. After reduced state funding in 2025, the coalition is coming back as one of the top legislative priorities for 2026.
There are 38 early learning centers supported by the coalition in the county. Although they take care of young children all day long, the focus in these centers is on learning, not just babysitting. Each center follows a sophisticated curriculum, receives professional support and must pass evaluations and inspections.
More than 1,000 children from ages 1 through 4 are in programs throughout the Keys. Pre-kindergarten programs significantly improve the odds of success in school and high school graduation. More information is at www.elcmdm.org.
Schools Superintendent Ed Tierney told the board that the state auditor general delivered a clean financial audit for the district. The auditor general was specifically asked to examine the accounts of the school lunch programs across the district and reported no discrepancies in those programs. Board member Mindy Conn said it is difficult to keep down the cost of food to the students and families while the costs to the district continue to rise.
The newly approved salary schedule will provide raises for district employees starting on Dec 15..
Tierney delivered his promised 90-day report to the board. He praised the Keys communities and their support for education. He has been busy talking to “more teachers than I can count” along with staff, community and government leaders, and parents. Looking for areas of improvement, Tierney said the district falls below Florida’s average graduation rate, especially among English-language learners and students with disabilities.
Patrick Lefere, executive director of operations and planning, provided an update on the Reynolds School renovation after receiving comments during a special community meeting. Plans have been changed to improve the façade and make it blend in better with the Key West neighborhood. New design changes added more brick and less stucco. The grounds will have more of a Key West look with different materials and vegetation. The project is ready to start the development of the final construction documents with a planning budget of $11 million.
Conn again called for an overview of the planned three-part move of staff and resources in Key West that includes Reynolds School, Bruce Hall and an administrative building. Tierney suggested a workshop where more details are available and everyone has a voice.
The board approved an allocation for additional design services for the Founders Park baseball field. Coordination with the Village of Islamorada continues, but plans for the renovation of the building on the first-base line have not started. That work won’t happen on the same timeline as the rest of the project.
The board rotated its officers and assignments and elected Dick as chairman. This is his fifth time serving as board chair over a 20-year career on the school board. He does not plan to stand for reelection. Darren Horan will serve a second term as vice chair.
