Superintendent’s Corner Column

April 2008 Mark of Excellence

By Dr. Richard A. DiPatri, Superintendent

As we enter the final stretch of this school year, it is an excellent time to reflect upon the achievements and accomplishments that our district has enjoyed in 2007-2008. Working together, we continue to surpass expectations and set new benchmarks in student achievement and district development.

This past fall, we entered the third year of our Seven Year Facility Improvement Plan, with 60 school-specific facility improvement projects approved and either successfully completed or in progress. The total budget for these completed or in progress projects has been established at $508,347,905. Three new schools with 4,306 new students stations and 188 new classrooms, nine total high school upgrades and 17 school additions with 4,901 new student stations and 171 new classrooms and 16 school specific renewal projects had been completed or were in progress.

The total cost of the plan has been estimated at more than $870 million. Planning and scheduling for future facility improvement projects will be greatly influenced by the availability of funding, membership growth or decline and the utilization of existing capacity.

Increased student achievement has been the cornerstone of our success this year. The district learned that since 2002, outstanding progress has been made in narrowing the achievement gap among various subgroups of the student population. Meanwhile, three district schools were named 2007 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools. Port Malabar Elementary School, Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School of the Arts, and Suntree Elementary School are three of 287 schools in the United States and only 13 public schools in Florida to win this honor. This means BPS is “First in Florida” in the number of 2007 Blue Ribbon Schools.

In November, we were notified that Florida Department of Education had awarded 10 Brevard schools the prestigious Music Demonstration School (MDS) title for 2008-2011, listing them among the best schools in the state for music instruction. Brevard now has a total of 23 of the 31 Music Demonstration Schools statewide and all five honorable mention sites, leading the state in this program.

Last fall, the state also confirmed that BPS high school students are much more likely than their counterparts in other public schools to stay in school and earn a diploma. According to data collected by the Florida Department of Education, BPS is first in the state with its 2006-07 graduation rate of 92.1 percent. The district also has the third lowest drop out rate in the state. Brevard’s students are staying in school as evidenced by the 2006-07 drop out rate of 0.9 percent while the 2006-07 state drop out rate is 3.3 percent. Since 2000, the BPS drop out rate has improved by 1.1 percent. The district had the lowest drop out rate in the state in 2004 and its rate has consistently ranked in the lowest three since 2003.

Our teachers continue to excel in professional development. Among the top 10 districts in the nation for the number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), Brevard ranked third in the percentage of NBCTs. Meanwhile, for the sixth year in a row, Brevard County had the highest percentage of NBCTs among the 10 largest districts in Florida. According to National Board data, BPS ranks 10th nationally in the number of NBCTs.

As state revenues decrease and the district faces financial cuts in coming months, we will continue our commitment to this high level of achievement and improvement. In fact, we have aspirations to lead this district from “First in Florida” to national prominence. Together, we must economize where we can while remaining focused on our mission “to serve every student with excellence as the standard.”