In 1976, a young school teacher from Philadelphia arrived in Key West, where she had accepted a job teaching English at a Catholic school then known as Mary Immaculate High School (today’s Basilica School).
Theresa “Terri” Axford spent seven years teaching there and was promoted to principal before the Archdiocese of Miami closed the high school in 1986. At that time, Bookie Henriquez, then-superintendent of the county school district, hired Axford to teach English at Key West High School, launching what would become a 38-year career with the Monroe County School District.
That career will end July 31, when Axford retires, having served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, district administrator and finally as superintendent. She will pass the reins to incoming superintendent Ed Tierney. Axford was appointed to the district’s top job in 2020, just in time for COVID to upend everything the world had previously known.
“When I took over as superintendent, students were just starting to return to school, with high school kids attending every other day, because we didn’t have the capacity to spread them out as required,” Axford recalled when speaking with the Keys Weekly on July 7. “After the governor issued his mandate that schools reopen for in-person teaching, there was so much fear and ambiguity among students, parents and teachers. So I created a countywide back-to-school task force to navigate all the challenges and questions.”
After dealing for two years with spikes in infections, contact tracing, canceled sports seasons, the maelstrom over masks and constantly evolving variants of the virus, Axford was finally able to return the school district to normal over the past three years, and managed several accomplishments that she views as capstones to her career.
“I’m most proud of having been able to move forward with creating teacher and employee housing on our Trumbo Road property in Key West,” she said, adding that the school board recently signed an agreement with Vestcor developers to build 150 housing units on the property that currently houses the district’s administrative headquarters, which will be moving into the school district-owned Bruce Hall building on United Street once it is renovated.
Axford two years ago secured $2 million in state funding for the phased plan to renovate Bruce Hall, move the administrative headquarters and make room for new housing for teachers. At this year’s legislative session, Axford and the Keys’ elected officials in Tallahassee helped secure an additional $3.5 million “that will allow all the pieces to fall into place.”
Axford also oversaw a 29% increase in starting teacher salaries since she started as superintendent in 2020, raising the beginning salary from $48,000 to $62,100, which has helped alleviate the Keys’ annual teacher shortages.
“Theresa Axford has been more than a colleague — she’s been a mentor, a trailblazer and a fierce advocate for what’s right in education,” deputy superintendent Amber Acevedo said of her longtime colleague. “Her leadership has shaped the heart of this district, and her legacy will continue to inspire us as we build on the foundation she so thoughtfully laid.”
Under Axford’s leadership, the school district has more than doubled its fund balance, or rainy day savings for hurricanes and other emergencies, from $7.5 million in 2020 to $16 million this year.
“The lack of housing and lower salaries in 2023 really hit me hard,” Axford recalled. “We had to start school that year with more than 30 openings still unfilled.”
The long-awaited employee housing should help prevent such shortages for decades to come.
Axford said she is also proud to have increased the school district’s partnerships with local arts organizations to expose 6,000 or 9,000 total students to artistic field trips and cultural opportunities, and though she’s retiring, Theresa Axford isn’t going anywhere.
“I live in Key West; I’m staying in Key West and will continue to be involved in local education efforts.”
Teaching, leading and guiding the Florida Keys’ young people has been her passion since 1976, and some things never change.
