August 2024 - Dr. Ken Savage
It's hard to believe we are just a few days away from welcoming our students back for the 2024-25 school year. Our dedicated school administrators, teachers, and support staff have been working tirelessly to prepare for this big day. I hope they all had a restful and enjoyable summer, while celebrating the successes of the previous school year.
We have several accomplishments to celebrate:
- Stephen MiGinley, who won the Florida Teacher Leader Award, is now serving as an Assistant Principal.
- Kristin Stevens, our Assistant Principal of the Year at East Lee, was a finalist for the state award.
- A graduating senior from Gateway High School won the highest scholarship award in District history, receiving $330,000 to attend MIT.
- We had state champions in JROTC competitions and wrestling.
- Our official enrollment has topped 100,000 for the first time, and we opened two new schools.
While we celebrate these successes, we must also acknowledge our challenges. Our test scores have been declining year after year, dropping us from the number two spot in the top ten districts in Florida down to ninth place over the past 12 years. As Superintendent, it's my duty to address this downward trend and take action.
We are implementing significant changes, especially in our Academic Services division. We have introduced a new service delivery model that divides our District into four regions: North, South, East, and West. Each region will be overseen by newly appointed Regional Associate Superintendents, supported by teams to address areas such as Student Services, English Language Learning, Curriculum, our Operational areas, and more. This structure will enable us to be more responsive and supportive to the needs of our schools. We will work together as one, committed to student achievement, with clear communication, expectations, and responsibilities.
Looking ahead, we are excited about the opening of the new Franklin Park Elementary School, a beautiful campus fulfilling a promise made during the 2018 sales tax campaign. We are also unveiling some major upgrades to Riverdale High School and will begin the rebuild of Cypress Lake Middle School, also thanks to our community through our sales tax dollars.
For the first time in decades, we will have an elected superintendent come November. It’s going to be an exciting year for the School District of Lee County. We look forward to honoring our incredible staff members and celebrating the accolades, accomplishments, and awards our students achieve. We can't wait to see everyone on August 12th.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dr. Ken Savage
Superintendent of Schools