Smart Education

From student achievement to expansion in programs and capacity, our public school districts can be proud of their accomplishments. Throughout Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties, students of all ages benefit from the dedication to quality education combined with a diverse array of services that not only make the grade, but continue to make the grade higher year after year.

Sarasota County

The state of Florida has classified Sarasota as an "A" school district, with 91 percent of the county's public schools recognized as A or B schools. Sarasota area students consistently outperform their peers in the state and nation on formal assessments, including the rigorous college-placement tests. SAT scores are an average of 61 points higher than the state average and 29 points higher than the national average.

Academic achievements reach beyond the traditional high school subject areas as well. Students from Sarasota County Technical Institute last year earned first place in the National Skills USA Competition for the state, and took top honors nationally as well. The Sarasota County School Board was one of only two in the country to receive a prestigious award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National School Board Association for its outstanding support of arts education.

Specialized training and services are extensive and growing. The school district has added literacy and data coaches at every middle and high school, hired guidance counselors and expanded the driver's education program, summer school and dropout prevention programs.

Sarasota County schools spokeswoman Sheila Weiss points out that fiscal efficiency enabled the school district to achieve more by stretching taxpayer dollars. Two independent rating firms (Fitch and Moody) have rated Sarasota County public schools at the top of the state and nation for sound financial management. The school district also has the distinction of being one of only a few districts in the state to receive exemplary financial audits by the Florida Auditor General's office for the past several years.

Charter, private and faith-based education provides a varied educational climate that includes, among others, the arts-focused Julie Rohr Academy and Cardinal Mooney High School. Special needs students have three well-regarded options in the public school system: Pine View School for the Gifted addresses the needs of academically gifted students in grades two through 12, and Oak Park School and Oak Park South provide special education for students with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.

Major institutions of higher education thrive here. New College of Florida, the honors college of the state university system, continues to be recognized by Money and Time magazines as a superior college bargain, and this year was named the No. 1 value in public education in the country by the Princeton Review. Tampa-based University of South Florida serves 3,500 students at its Sarasota-Manatee branch. Manatee Community College has campuses in Bradenton and Venice. The private Ringling School of Art and Design attracts talented art students from all over the nation.

Two new medical schools are growing. The regional medical school campus of Tallahassee-based Florida State University now serves third-, fourth- and fifth-year medical students who gain their clinical training locally with hospitals and approximately 200 private physicians who serve as faculty. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, now into its third year at a high-tech campus in Lakewood Ranch, has an enrollment of 450.

Adults have access to continuing education at the public Sarasota County Technical Institute, the business-based Keiser College, the Eckerd Program for Experienced Learners, which is affiliated with St. Petersburg's Eckerd College, and the Ringling School of Art and Design Continuing Education division.

Manatee County

Manatee County is working hard to keep up with a huge increase in student population. The phenomenal growth spurt is being handled by the construction of three new elementary schools and one new middle school that are planned to open in fall 2007.

These projects, coupled with renovations and additions to existing facilities, total in excess of $400 million and will allow the district to keep up with the state's class-size amendment mandate and future growth. A new King Middle School, just completed to replace the former structure, opens this fall. A $55 million-plus Manatee Technical Institute campus will break ground this year near I-75 and S.R. 70. The award-winning school's enrollment has experienced exponential growth over the past five years, and the new campus will feature state-of-the-art facilities to deliver enhanced technical education for years to come.

Manatee County's 42,000 students and 6,200-member staff have embarked on a strategic plan called "EdVantage" which focuses on five key strategies to "inspire students to learn, dream and achieve." Developed by district and community leaders, the EdVantage long-range plan seeks to redefine the district's educational course to better meet the needs of the 21st-century learner.

Charlotte County

Hurricane Charley in 2004 destroyed or seriously damaged six of the older facilities in the Charlotte County school district. These are currently being rebuilt to meet new hurricane-proof construction standards, and some of the schools that escaped are also being hardened to meet stronger standards. The new schools will be completed within two years.

Meanwhile, Charlotte students weathered the storm with excellent FCAT scores. The school district ranked among the state's top 10, with A scores for eight of 10 elementary schools, all middle schools and high schools. The remaining schools earned B's.

The school district educates more than 17,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students. It also offers adult education, literacy training, citizenship and ESOL classes. A new medical training component is being added to the Charlotte County Technical Center in order to train nursing and dental assistants.