School District of Indian River County

Setting the Educational Standard

A Journey of Transformation and Empowerment

Located on Florida’s gorgeous treasure coast, amidst pristine beaches, and bountiful citrus groves, the School District of Indian River County (SDIRC) has been experiencing a transformation, setting a new standard for educational excellence and community engagement.

When Superintendent Dr. David K. Moore arrived in the district in January of 2020, he admits to inheriting a system grappling with low academic performance and fractured community trust. At that time, SDIRC was ranked 38th out of 67 districts in Florida and was facing significant hurdles in achieving its educational goals.

“This is a beautiful place to live, a great community. It has a feeling that is just not comparable, as you look at other counties across the state of Florida,” depicts Dr. Moore. “It just didn’t make any sense why this wasn’t one of the top 10 districts or even higher in the state. So, over the last four years, we have been creating a nonnegotiable education system that the community can respect and trust. We have been extremely busy promoting the idea that we will act in the best interest of kids, and we will make decisions that ensure that we move the district forward.”

An Accelerated Opportunity

When COVID arrived in 2020, it became an unexpected catalyst for the shift SDIRC was desperately in need of. This pivotal time enabled the district to formulate and get approval for a strategic plan, streamline operations, overhaul outdated instructional systems, and refocus on student-centric approaches. Dr. Moore elaborates, “When you have a pandemic, where you go from a traditional schooling environment to every student being at home, the reaction to that is 100%, a change in adult behaviors and organizational thinking. We were able to leverage that and make change the norm for the next year and a half. We came out of the pandemic of the most improved school district in the state of Florida.”

Career and Technical Programs

Central to these efforts was the establishment of what Moore describes as “a non-negotiable commitment to student success.”  Part of this included boosting the profile and impact of career technical education (CTE) in the area. “We first looked at the programs that were in the school and ensured that every one of those was aligned to the state standard, which is that when you finish one of these programs, there is a market for a job,” Moore elaborates. The district expanded the welding and nursing programs and revitalized a dormant culinary program to support the local hospitality industry.

Community engagement was a cornerstone of this strategy, and the district reached out to non-profit organizations, and local business leaders to showcase the college’s programs. “We have a portion of our county that is extremely wealthy,” Moore relays, “A lot of CEOs of major organizations retire here. So, it was providing funding opportunities to align those resources.”

From there, the district worked to strengthen its partnerships with entities such as Piper Airlines, which is the largest private employer in the community. “They build airplanes from scratch, here in Indian River County. We are reestablishing a relationship with them, to ensure that we are preparing their mechanics, welders, and metal machine operators,” Moore conveys. Through the CTE program, SDIRC has also established strong partnerships with local hospitals, retirement homes, car dealerships, and other businesses that support student internships and training.

Teacher Retention and Support

Chief of Staff, Dr. Christina Jacobs, highlights the district’s strategic efforts to retain teachers, which she says resulted in a 95% retention rate for the 2022-2023 school year. “We have not experienced the severity of teacher shortage that maybe other districts have,” she acknowledges.

“However, we’ve invested a lot of work and strategy into ensuring that when we do recruit teachers into our system we can retain them. We have a teacher mentorship program in which our new teachers are paired with a mentor and receive ongoing support that’s tailored specifically to their needs.” Additionally, an in-house alternative certification program assists educators in obtaining their credentials, with the support of teacher mentees.

SDIRC has also placed a strong emphasis on celebrating teacher achievements.

“Teaching is a complex job, and we know that it’s important not only to support them but to recognize them for their accomplishments,” Dr. Jacobs asserts, adding that labor negotiations have successfully elevated the average starting salary from $48,358 to $55,892, surpassing the state average.

Kelly Baysura, Assistant Superintendent, details the district’s continued investment in improving classroom instruction and educator satisfaction. She expands, “Teaching is an isolated act you go in, you close your door, and you are alone. We increased teacher quality by adding efficiencies through the collaborative planning model, where once a week, our teachers come together to collaborate on that work. So, there’s a support system that’s built right in.”

Financial Restructuring

Dr. Moore discusses the financial strategies that have guided the district out of financial crisis, sharing that at one point SDIRC was spending $1.37 for every dollar received from the state. “Not only was the district academically bankrupt, but it was fiscally on the verge of bankruptcy as well,” he illustrates. “One of the things that we are proudest about is the creation of a very strategic plan to right-size the budget.”

This involved creating a school-based model to allocate teachers based on student numbers and reducing district-level positions while protecting school site staff. The district has also sought out new revenue sources through aggressive grant writing, adding $4 million to the budget in the first year alone, as well as establishing a foundation that will act as a direct support organization, raising funds to support SDIRC’s strategic plan.

Engaging the Community

On the subject of marketing and community engagement, Cristen Maddux, Public Information Officer, maintains, “We have a lot of things to be incredibly proud of. It is very easy to highlight the good things that are going on here and with our staff and our students.” The district’s approach goes beyond traditional branding and marketing efforts, instead focusing on building genuine relationships and being visibly present in the community. “Through the partnerships that we’ve built, and the participation that we’ve had around our area, we’ve made a brand for ourselves,” she explains. “It’s more than just having a logo and putting something out online, it’s having our staff members out there in support and service of the community.”

When it comes to social media, Dr. Moore comments, “We do a pretty good job in doing that work,” further stressing that in-person relationship building is key for the district. “We’re in all places at all times, not only to be seen but to have face time with individuals. That just goes 1000 times faster than a tweet on social media.”

Investing in Curriculum and the Arts

SDIRC has seen improvements in English Language Arts and mathematics, which Moore attributes to a significant investment in updated curriculums. Remarkably, the district’s ranking in ELA for third grade soared from 31st to 5th in the state, largely due to the Amplify program. In mathematics, the use of the Savaas curriculum propelled the district from 56th to 3rd place in middle school acceleration. Along with these, Dr. Moore points out the importance of supplemental curriculum tools such as i-Ready and Curriculum Associates.

Baysura emphasizes the district’s commitment to arts and sports, pointing to events like the All-County Music Festival. “It is as if you go to a professional show, where you have multiple music instructors, or band directors or orchestra instructors that have come together, and put on this dynamic performance,” she characterizes. “We have arts across the system, though, that are extremely high level, high-quality level performances.”  In addition to performance, the Superintendent’s Art Gallery exemplifies student achievement, showcasing visual arts from pre-K to 12th grade.

“Every elementary school has an art teacher, a PE teacher, a music teacher, where most schools throughout the state of Florida are sharing and combining,” underscores Dr. Moore. The district’s support for extracurricular activities makes certain that financial barriers do not prevent student participation in sports, with significant community investment in both athletics and performing arts. “This is a system that embraces a comprehensive education,” he says. “There are well over 200 kids in the bands, the cheerleaders look like an army. We have a full array of sports for both boys and girls.”

Setting the Standard for Educational Excellence

As SDIRC continues to evolve from a position of challenge to one of remarkable achievement, Dr. Moore notes, “All of our success to this point has laid the foundation for our future improvement.”

Reflecting on what comes next, he says, “We will be transforming what public education looks like, leading with choice, and aligning the desires of our community. We have leveraged ourselves to engage in the conversation, to show to the rest of the state and the nation, what public education should look like.”

AT A GLANCE

School District of Indian River County

What: A School District Undergoing a Major Transformation

Where: Indian River County, Florida

Website: www.indianriverschools.org