In addition to supporting a concept plan to revamp the Coral Shores ballfield, Monroe County school board members approved a final design plan for upgrades to Key West’s Rex Weech baseball complex during a June 24 meeting at Coral Shores High School.
School district officials also discussed teacher and staff employment for the 2025-26 school year.
The additions and upgrades to the Rex Weech baseball complex on Glynn Archer Drive in Key West have been in the planning and development process for more than a year. In March 2024, the school board members were surprised by a price tag of more than $4 million for a new concession area with restrooms, a new entrance to the complex and a raised plaza area. The plan also includes a weight training area and a baseball museum.
Since last year, the community, school district staff and board members contributed to the planning of facility upgrades. At the June 24 meeting, Pat Lefere, the school district’s director of operations and planning, received approval from the board for a final design with an estimated cost of $4,880,372. With county commissioners’ approval, the county Tourist Development Council will provide $500,000 in bricks and mortar funding for this project.
School board members also supported an initial concept for an improved Coral Shores baseball facility at Founders Park in Islamorada. After public comment and discussion, the board approved a conceptual plan with an initial cost estimate of over $6.1 million.
Harry Russell, executive director of personnel support, provided a report on school district staffing. June and July are the months for interviewing and hiring teachers and staff for the upcoming school year. However, the school principals already hired a significant number of people during the February early recruitment drive.
As of mid-June, the district had openings for 28 teachers, eight paraprofessionals, six athletic coaches, one administrative assistant and two food service workers. Key West High School has the greatest need. Thirty-two new teachers have been hired for KWHS and about 31 are needed. The district typically employs about 650 teachers.
Russell reported the district will have about 100 new teachers; the district typically retains about 85% of its teachers. The biggest drawback, according to Russell, is the cost of housing. Nationally, the number of people seeking teacher positions has declined and there is competition from charter schools with interesting and unique curriculum plans.
Outgoing Superintendent Theresa Axford reported that the district is the first in the state to be designated as a Suicide Prevention Certified District. Daliana Goins, district coordinator, worked with staff members in every school to provide training and materials.
During the May board meeting, member Sue Woltanski asked for a report on the effectiveness of special instructional materials used in the schools. During the June 24 meeting, Sarah Adams, director of instructional materials and AVID, showed how some of the learning aids and software contributed to scores in the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST).
FAST uses frequent short assessments to track student progress as the group of students moves from year-to-year. She described some programs that were canceled and some that, according to the statistics, helped the group of students to improve in specific areas. She said the district has plans for a highly-adaptive artificial intelligence program from Khan Academy, called Khanmigo, with support from the University of Florida.
