August 12, 2024 - 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 is typically more likely to get published, broadcast, posted, and shared, and as much as we might not want to admit it, we hear, read, watch, and share these stories. Reporters 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 40,202 students in Marion County Public Schools and things ran amazingly well. However, some students were not registered. Some students never showed up. Some buses ran really 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?

• 40,202 students showed up for face-to-face learning – roughly 88% of the 45,873 we anticipate (same first-day attendance rate as last year).
• 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 31,806 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 on social media for how “organized” buses were on opening day. Fewer callers used the Transportation Hotline (352.671.7050); by 1:30 p.m., 934 calls were received, significantly lower than in past years.
• Exactly 87 seventh graders could not attend class because they showed up for school without state-required immunizations (the lowest number in 10 years).
• Stagger-start kindergarten allows one-third of kindergarten students to attend and adjust to their new classroom environment in a smaller setting. This provides additional one-on-one time for these young learners and their teachers. Today’s session brought 2,327 kindergarten students into new learning environments before all classes come together Thursday for the first time.
• Exactly 2,970 children and their parents benefitted from Marion Afterschool Programs (MAP), over 4% more than last year. At this time, most MAP sites are filled to capacity, and 489 students are on waiting lists.
• Our cafeteria workers served 10,855 breakfasts and 28,998 lunches in our school cafeterias – surpassing last year’s opening day by nearly 6%. There were healthy choices available (although more than a few doughnuts and cookies were eaten, too). About 68% of our students are eligible for free and reduced meals – more than two out of every three. 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 10.7 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 274 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 83 teaching positions open as of today.
• Schools were clean and grounds were presentable. Our maintenance workers and nearly 290 custodians spent the summer renovating buildings, reworking cafeterias, putting down new carpet, pulling up old floor wax, making sure windows were fixed, roofs were repaired, 3,800+ air conditioners were working properly, floors were swept, and, in general, getting schools ready for staff and students. MCPS includes 607 buildings and covers 7.1 million square feet of space on more than 1,600 acres so this is a daunting task completed with incredible effort. Crews received 771 work orders last week alone for things like mowing needs, last-minute repairs, and even a broken water main at one elementary school. Some of these crews spent this weekend assembling student desks and finishing up summertime deep cleans at several schools.
• Students at one elementary school are already in their fourth week of learning and have surpassed 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, these people handle thousands of jobs, and virtually every one of these jobs impacts students in some way.
• Our Payroll Department is delivering paychecks to 4,861 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 45,873 expected students, over 6,400 full- and part-time employees, 417 portable classrooms, and 51 schools does not happen by accident, and it won’t happen at all if someone doesn’t mind the switch.
• Even many carlines were freshly efficient on the first day of school – something parents and administrators rarely say!

I believe this will truly be another great 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 spoke with multiple media outlets, coordinated several media campus visits, took hundreds of photos, dealt 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.

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 fantastic 2024-2025 school year!

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