OCTOBER 8 SCHOOL BOARD FOLLOW UP

School Board bids farewell to long-time member, Andy Griffiths

Long-time School Board member Andy Griffiths attended his last board meeting Tuesday night after serving the district and his community for the past 32 years. Board members all spoke about his dedication to Monroe County Schools over those three decades. He was recognized with a Golden Great Educational Moments (GEM) award for his service.

Board members also recognized the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West with a Community GEM award for the many years of partnership between the Sector and the School District; of particular note is the close relationship the Sector has with Sigsbee School. That partnership between the Coast Guard and Sigsbee was recognized nationally in July with the Pete Taylor  Partnership of Excellence Award from the Military Child Education Coalition.

Board members voted unanimously to dedicate the Horace O’Bryant gymnasium athletic court in memory of Dexter Butler, a dedicated educator and native Key Wester who died in a tragic accident in March. Family members and friends of Butler attended the meeting to speak about his commitment to educating the children of the Keys. Several board members also spoke about his service and how important it is to recognize him in memoriam.

Finance Executive Director Charlene White spoke to the board about the school district’s new 5-year contract with Florida Blue Cross Blue Shield to administer the district’s health insurance. She told them she was able to negotiate some monetary concessions with the company, including bringing the cost per employee down from $54 to $51 for two years, after which the cost will go to $52.50 for the remaining 3 years. The company will also increase the amount they provide for wellness services from $50,000 to $75,000 per year with an additional $100,000 to be paid in 2024 which can be additionally applied to wellness efforts over the contract period. The district will also receive $25,000 in 2025 and another $25,000 in 2027 to use in auditing and fine-tuning aspects of the plan including how the district’s health insurance is used and how the prescription drug coverage works.

Patrick Lefere, the Director of Operations and Planning for the district gave a short report about the Florida Safe Schools Assessment, which he said was completed successfully. He said he’d given a more complete report to the board in a closed session due to the sensitivity of the issues involved in securing schools and keeping students and faculties safe. Board Chair Dr. Sue Woltanski remarked that she’d attended a Florida School Board Association Board of Directors meeting recently during which some members of the board discussed the difficulty their districts were having complying with the Safe Schools initiative. She said she is impressed with how well Monroe County has handled this difficult issue.

Superintendent Axford gave her report to the board, speaking about how well-funded by the Golden Fleece Foundation and its founder John Padge, our IT Premier Pathway is.  She said she recently visited Sugarloaf School where she saw sixth graders at the school learning spreadsheets and web site design. The Golden Fleece Foundation has signed a contract for this school year in the amount of $300,000, most of which will go directly to students who earn industry certificates in various areas of Information Technology. Last school year the district awarded 1,620 industry certificates.

Axford told the board she recently met with State Senator Anna Maria Rodriguez and State Representative Jim Mooney, both of whom visited the Keys to speak to her about the affordable housing project at Trumbo Point. In order for that project to be completed, funding must be found to renovate the historic Bruce Hall on United Street in Key West so the district administrative headquarters can be moved out of Trumbo Point. Superintendent Axford has been working tirelessly, lobbying the state to assist with the funding needed to renovate the historic building. During her meeting with the state legislators, they set a target figure of $14,000,000 as the request to the State Legislature for this project. The district is also pursuing other avenues to supplement this funding, including writing grants.

Superintendent Axford also told the board that Horace O’Bryant School, Sugarloaf School and Key West High School have submitted applications for the prestigious designation as  Purple Star Schools of Distinction which recognizes a school’s support of military families. The program is administered by individual states; the State of Florida currently has 197 such schools. In Monroe County, Sigsbee Charter School and The Basilica School of Saint Mary Star of the Sea have earned the distinction.

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