Lee interim superintendent shares key updates ahead of new school year

The News-Press sat down with Lee County Schools Superintendent Kenneth Savage to discuss new programs, goals and initiatives parents and students should expect for the upcoming school year.

The first day of classes for Lee County schools is Monday, Aug. 12.

More: Florida first day of school 2024 coming fast. 9 things you should know

Savage has served as interim superintendent since April when former superintendent Christopher Bernier resigned.

This is his second time serving as superintendent during a transitionary period for the district. While the seat is up for election this year, Savage is not running. Lee County voters can decide the next superintendent in the November general election.

Elections: Who is running for superintendent of Lee County schools in the 2024 election? What we know

What new programs and initiatives can students and parents expect this school year?

New regional structure

In June, the school board decided to divide the county into four regions, each led by a designated leader picked by Savage.

The new regional structure aims to provide enhanced support to schools and group schools with similar needs, allowing for more tailored support in academics, operations and parent-student services. The district believes this approach will result in quicker responses to school needs.

Cherise Trent ― one of four regional associate superintendents ― joined the discussion with Savage. She oversees schools in the north region of the county. Trent said she will manage 21 schools, ranging from Edison Park and Fort Myers High School to Alva, including some in North Fort Myers and the Dunbar area.

Safety

The school district is rolling out several new safety initiatives for the upcoming year, with a focus on enhancing both physical security measures and fostering a culture of safety.

Key additions include safe zones in classrooms that provide an extra layer of protection for students, as well as the district's open gate system, now operational across all schools, to further secure campuses. School resource officers will also continue to maintain safety daily.

Savage shared the district's plans to pilot vape detection systems in some schools to address the growing concern over the impact of vaping on students.

Beyond physical measures, the district emphasizes the importance of cultivating a culture of safety. This approach includes ensuring that every person on campus — students, staff, and administrators — recognizes his or her role in maintaining a secure environment, Savage explained.

"The quality relationships that we build in those environments is really what helps keep those most horrific tragedies from occurring," Savage said. "Our first and most important line of defense is the quality of the relationships that we build for our students, with each other, with our teachers and their students."

How is the district preparing for significant student growth amid staffing shortages?

While many districts nationwide are dealing with declining enrollment and staff reductions, Lee County is facing the opposite problem — growing student numbers paired with staffing shortages.

Lee County's rapid growth is projected to push the district's enrollment past 100,000 students, adding to the challenge of managing this influx.

The district is expanding and rebuilding several schools to accommodate growth:

• Bayshore Elementary will extend to K-8, adding about 300 seats by 2026

• Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary will rebuild and expand to K-8, increasing capacity to 1,620 seats by 2026

• Bonita Springs Elementary is undergoing a renovation set for completion by 2027

• Cypress Lake Middle will be rebuilt, as promised during the half-cent sales tax campaign in 2018, with estimated completion in 2027

• Growth is concentrated in Lehigh Acres, prompting early-stage planning for eight new schools that will add thousands of seats over the next decade

The district's Capital Plan remains flexible to adapt to shifting needs and growth patterns, district spokesperson Robert Spicker wrote in an email.

“It's not just the physical buildings that we have to stay on top of and build, but actually having teachers to have inside those buildings is a challenge that we really need our community support on,” Savage said.

This time last year, Lee County had 211 teacher vacancies, Savage said. They've since reduced those vacancies to 170.

The district is calling on the community for support, encouraging retired teachers, career changers and anyone interested in teaching to step forward.

In addition to direct hires, the district is also partnering with Kelly Services to fill substitute teaching positions. This partnership, introduced last year, aims to address some of the staffing gaps by offering competitive compensation to attract candidates.

How is the district addressing staff retention to keep pace with growing student numbers?

The district partnered with a third-party research firm to analyze why some staff stay while others leave, aiming for more candid feedback on staff retention.

"Before we even talk about recruitment, it really is about retention," Savage said. "Having a strategy where they're really analyzing that and looking at the root causes of what's working, what isn't is a huge value."

The district also rolled out a new tool called “Thought Exchange” that quickly collects feedback from teachers, support staff, parents and students. By using artificial intelligence, it analyzes responses by theme, helping the district identify and tackle issues more effectively.

More: Back to school: seven Lee County schools are getting new principals. Here's who they are

How will the district keep schools inclusive and balance educational standards with parental input?

Savage noted that one in four students from schools in the East zone are a second-language learner. The district’s restructuring model will allow students to receive specialized support to address these unique needs, he said. Other zones may focus on different challenges, such as students with exceptionalities or varying performance levels across elementary, middle and high school grades.

In terms of parental involvement, the district emphasizes the importance of partnership.

“I think it starts with kind of honoring the differences of our roles,” Savage said. “Their job as a parent is to advocate but also to understand, and I think that for us, it's about elevating real understanding so that we're speaking a common language, that we really are focusing on the real issues that families actually have and that they're really concerned about.”

Data shows most families don't have concerns about materials in the district’s school libraries and classrooms, he said. While most parents are satisfied with how their concerns are addressed, Savage said, the district continuously reviews and adjusts instructional resources to ensure age-appropriateness. Parents concerned about specific materials can also restrict access for their children.

How will the district improve student performance and low test scores?

Despite improvement in FAST test scores, Lee County students still trail behind state averages in math and language arts.

More: FAST Assessments: How Lee County students tested

For the past two years, Lee County has ranked among lower performing districts in the state, Savage explained.

“The good news is there's a lot of opportunity to improve upon that,” he said.

The district aims to identify and scale up "pockets of excellence" ― classrooms or grade levels where students show exceptional progress. The district will analyze and determine factors contributing to these successful learning environments and replicate them across the district.

“As we find these individual schools and teachers and classrooms and grade levels that are doing so well in our system, we have the opportunity to shine a light on it and elevate that so that everyone is part of it,” Savage said.

Regional superintendents will focus on understanding and spreading successful strategies to drive improvement.

“We just try to determine what's going to be best and really target that all the way down to the individual student to provide each student with what he or she needs,” Trent said.

How is AI being used in classrooms, and how is the district ensuring it’s used responsibly?

Savage highlighted a presentation during a school board meeting July 30 by Leandro de Castro, a FGCU professor and data science and AI researcher. Savage encouraged reviewing the presentation for a detailed look at AI's potential in classrooms.

Students can use AI as an educational tool while still understanding its limitations, he said. Tools like ChatGPT can boost learning by encouraging thoughtful questions.

“It can supplement, not replace, but supplement whatever a teacher is doing,” he said.

It can aid teachers by quickly analyzing large volumes of data that would otherwise take weeks, he said. While AI is still evolving, Savage said its current use focuses on improving efficiency rather than replacing human input.

What are the top priorities and goals for Lee County's school district this year?

As Lee County prepares for the transition to an elected superintendent, current Superintendent Savage said he’s focused on laying the groundwork for this change. His main priority is to identify and address major issues to ensure a smooth transition for the incoming leader.

“My job is to kind of ready this organization to be ready for such a transition that is coming,” he said. “The next superintendent who the community elects is going to really be able to set the vision.”

He also highlighted a pressing challenge: the impact of social media and mental health issues on students and staff. Savage noted that while social media should connect people, it often leads to increased feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Trent chimed in and emphasized the goal of improving student performance and meeting the needs of schools. Despite disruptions like COVID-19 and hurricanes, she said she’s optimistic about the new school year and plans to support staff in addressing challenges and improving both student well-being and academics.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Lee Schools superintendent shares what to expect this year