Monroe County schools are seeing improved graduation rates, more opportunities for career education and the possibility that marching bands and dance teams will get the credit they deserve. These were some of the items highlighted at the Jan. 27 Monroe County School Board meeting.
Leslie Holmes, coordinator of Career and Technical Education for the district, reported on new opportunities for career technical education and certification. According to Holmes, CTE is a “Fusion of academics and hands-on learning.”
Each of the three high schools offers a variety of courses in areas such as engineering, automotive, medical lab, digital video technology, cosmetology and fashion. Culinary, cosmetology and digital video are offered at all three schools. Construction is only available at Coral Shores. Key West and Marathon high schools each offer courses in fashion. The courses given at each school depend on the teachers and space available. The school district is working with the College of the Florida Keys to expand opportunities for education in hospitality, education, medical assistant and nursing.
New CTE areas include an AI-driven training program for 911 dispatchers at Key West High School. Marathon has a new cosmetology and fashion program. The Upper Keys will see a new Pathways to Engineering program available in the middle schools and at Coral Shores next year.
Each high school has a curriculum showcase designed to make students aware of the CTE programs available at each school. The schools do student interest surveys to see what students want. The results from the survey brought cosmetology back into the curriculum.
In the elementary schools, a new Digital Tool Certification will join other certification programs with cash achievement awards provided by the Golden Fleece Foundation. That foundation, an initiative of John Padget, recognized 639 certifications in the 2025-26 school year.
Sarah E. Adams, director of instructional resources and advancement, discussed the district’s search for an English language arts curriculum program for grades K-5. The district has two different products under review. Anyone in the community interested in the evaluation can open an account on a service called EdCredible, at edcredible.com, to see the process and results.
Superintendent Ed Tierney reported on the improvement in the district’s graduation rates in different demographic areas. The overall graduation rate hit 91.9% in the 2024-25 school year with a 16.7% gain in English language learners graduating.
Also, the board held a video conference with lobbyist Kate DeLoach in Tallahassee. DeLoach reported on bills working their way through the legislature. One draft bill would provide state funding for both breakfast and lunch for qualifying students. Of particular interest is a draft bill giving physical education credit to members of high school marching bands.
Board member Dr. Sue Woltanski emphasized the value of adding dance teams into the bill. She pointed out that high school dance teams practice for at least eight hours a week, work at summer camps, attend all games, get a varsity letter but don’t get the physical education credit received by athletic team members.
