Ending the School Year Strong!
As we come to the end of the school year, it is my pleasure to update you on what has been happening at The School District of Lee County since my previous article.
Thank You
I would like to take a moment to thank our teachers, staff, and administrators for all their hard work and dedication to our students. To our seniors that are graduating, congratulations and best of luck! To the rest of our students, have a happy, healthy, and safe summer.
Superintendent
The School Board recently approved Dr. Ken Savage as our Superintendent. I want to thank Dr. Savage for his willingness to serve and look forward to continuing to move this District forward with a focus on student achievement.
Capital Plan
In January, we approved the District’s 10-Year Capital Plan which sets the path for growth in the District over the next 10 years. That includes the building of new schools such as the new Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K-8 School and the renovation of schools such as Cypress Lake Middle and Bayshore Elementary. We have entered Phase 1 (pre-planning) for a K-8 Innovation School in Fort Myers, a new middle school in Lehigh Acres, and a new high school in Cape Coral.
Legislative Success
After another strong year of championing our students and our schools, the Florida State Legislature has agreed to provide funds for Phase 2 of the Cape Coral Technical College Expansion, Safety and Security enhancements at schools, and for a Phase 1 Annex of Fort Myers Technical College which would be located in east Lee County. Furthermore, the education deregulation bills passed, which will help cut the red tape and allow our public schools to truly compete with other school choice options which, in turn, will contribute to increased student achievement. Thank you to our State Elected Officials for their support.
Middle School Proximity
The District has now followed up on our Elementary Proximity Plan with the Middle School Proximity plan which has been implemented for the 2024-25 school year. This proximity plan will help to improve bus and operational inefficiencies and provide families with closer community relationships with their school.
Career & Technical Education
There have been many great successes with our technical programs and technical schools. A new and exciting program at Fort Myers Technical College is the LPN-RN pathway. This program helps health care officials become Registered Nurses in two years instead of four years while saving students more than $50,000 in costs. It is the first technical college in our state to offer such a program and will help our area’s growing healthcare workforce needs.
Guest Teachers
The District’s partnership with Kelly Education Services for our Guest Teacher Program has been a success. Where fill rates across the district overall were under 60%, they have now increased to over 80% in our schools which truly helps lend support to our teachers and our schools.
Additional topics coming in front of the School Board include a review of the Student Code of Conduct including discipline, budget review and approval, the addition of a Board Auditor, and a continued focus on student achievement.
Wishing you all a wonderful and restful summer.
Respectfully submitted,
Sam Fisher
School Board Chair and Member, District 1
The content and any opinions expressed in this article are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the facts, opinions, and beliefs of the Lee County School Board or its affiliates.