AUGUST 11, 2025 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC, Director of Public Relations

352.671.7734 w ◊ 352.840.3265 c

[email protected]

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The following is adapted for Marion County Public Schools with NSPRA permission from David Luther, retired Public Relations Officer for Jefferson City Public Schools in Missouri.

We humans often have a bad habit. We sometimes focus on the negative things in our lives and fail to recognize the positives. Media and social media do not help much in this regard. Bad news and misinformation are typically more likely to get published, broadcasted, and shared, and as much as we might not want to admit it, we hear, read, watch, and share these stories. Reporters and editors will sometimes use the terms “soft” or “fluff” for positive stories. That’s a shame, because some of these stories are the most remarkable.

Today was the first day of the traditional school year for 40,461 students in Marion County Public Schools and things ran amazingly well. Other descriptors included “smooth, “calm,” and “exciting.” However, some students were not registered. Others never showed up. Some buses ran considerably late. Some students had medical conditions requiring immediate attention. Carlines were crowded, and traffic crawled in some areas. No doubt almost every student, parent and teacher had something go wrong.  But what about the other side of the story?  What went right?

• 40,461 students showed up for face-to-face learning – roughly 88% of the 46,195we anticipate, and 259 more than last year’s opening day.
• 21,000+ students had a safe bus ride to and from school. Most of our buses showed up on time or within the first few minutes of class. Those riding the bus enjoyed dependable service with a smile. Our 250 buses cover an average of 31,763 miles every day. Our district is a big one – 1,650 square miles, larger than the state of Rhode Island. Our bus drivers, aides, and Transportation folks do tremendous work. Before day’s end, Transportation workers even gained support and appreciation for how organized buses were on opening day. Families called the Transportation Hotline (352.671.7050) 1,271 times as of 3:45 p.m., more than in recent years.
•  Despite multiple immunization opportunities and reminders as recent as last week, 171 seventh graders could not attend class because they showed up for school without state-required immunizations (more than double last year’s 84).
• Stagger-start kindergarten allows one-third of kindergarten students to attend and adjust to their new classroom environment in a smaller setting. This providesadditional one-on-one time for these young learners and their teachers. Today’s session brought 2,405 kindergarten students into new learning environments before all classes come together Thursday for the first time.
• Exactly 2,634 children and their parents benefited from Marion Afterschool Programs (MAP). At this time, all 42 MAP sites are filled to capacity, and approximately 400 students are on waiting lists.
•  Our 400+ cafeteria workers served 11,363 breakfasts and 28,945 lunches today in our school cafeterias – 40,308 total meals, higher than last year. All 56 serving sites provided healthy food choices (although more than a few super doughnuts and cookies were eaten, too). About 60% of our students are eligible for free and reduced meals. For some students, these were the best meals of their day. For some students, these were the only meals of their day. Our Food Service workers are amazing! Last year, they served 9.8 million meals to students!
• Over 3,500 teachers, principals and other instructional and support staff greeted students, helped them find their classes, began the teaching process and in general did an exceptional job. This includes more than 530 teachers brand new to Marion County Public Schools. This did not happen by accident. Most teachers and school personnel spent much of their summer preparing for the new school year so things started right. And we still have 68 teaching positions open as of today.
• Schools were clean and grounds were presentable. Our maintenance and technical service workers and nearly 290 custodians spent the summer relocating and installing 34 portable classrooms complete with electricity, plumbing, sidewalks, and ramps. They also cleaned and serviced every cooling tower and chiller in the district (for air conditioning purposes), installed 117 interactive flat-screen monitors and accompanying electricity, and trimmed, edged, and mowed over 1,600 acres of school grounds. They fertilized and aerated all athletic fields and deep cleaned over 7.1 million square feet of property in 607 buildings including waxing floors and cleaning or replacing carpets. As well, they cleaned and maintained over 3,800 HVAC units and 37 emergency generators. Crews completed 1,269 work orders for things like mulch, utility issues, mowing needs, last-minute repairs, and even broken water mains at three schools. Some of these same crews spent this weekend putting finishing touches on two brand new schools that opened their doors for the first time today to hundreds of students and staff members.
• Students at one elementary school are already in their fourth week of learning and reached 93% attendance on several days. This school operates on a modified calendar commonly referred to as year-round and requires parent/family support to succeed.
• Secretaries, receptionists, and other office staff greeted students, and we all know as the year goes along, they handle thousands of jobs, and virtually every one of these jobs impacts students in some way.
• Our Payroll Department is delivering paychecks to 4,540 teachers, non-instructional staff, administrators, Transportation, Food Service, and district support personnel this first week of school.
• District administrators, principals and School Board members spent much of their time making sure the district remained focused on doing what is right for students and helping every student succeed.
• The coordination of 46,195 expected students, nearly 6,700 full- and part-time employees, 417 portable classrooms, and 53 schools does not happen by accident, and it won’t happen at all if someone doesn’t mind the switch.
• Even many car lines were freshly efficient on the first day of school – something parents and administrators rarely say!

I believe this will truly be fantastic year for MCPS.  Look, I’m a Public Relations guy, so I know people will say, “Well, he’s paid to put a positive take on everything.” True confession: my day was stressful, too. I drove 114 miles and visited nearly a dozen schools, spoke with multiple media outlets, coordinated several media campus visits, took hundreds of pictures, spoke with curious parents and others, and participated in a late-afternoon wrap-up meeting before sharing the day’s success with more than 75 local media reps.

Here’s what I discovered once again: this is a wonderful community in which we live, and despite what school grades are, what Tallahassee says, and what happens in the world around us, we have great schools, great teachers and great students! Are there problems? Absolutely. Are they insurmountable? Absolutely not! (Though some are tougher to solve than others.) The main thing we must do is keep our eyes on the target, and for MCPS this means always doing what is right -- for students. Every minute of learning matters now more than ever. Thanks to our employees, students, and community, we are truly One Team, One Mission!

Please share your own “what went right” perspective with others from time to time. When teachers and other staff do a great job -- tell them (this goes for all of us: parents, families, colleagues, bosses, etc.). When your kids experience success -- celebrate!  When you see something that needs to be improved – tell those involved and be part of the solution, not the problem.

Here’s to a wonderful 2025-2026 school year!

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