Bowden: Benefits of teaching in Sarasota County
Sarasota County Schools is proud of its teachers, school leaders and support staff, who do an amazing job every day of educating and inspiring our students.
Recently, I read an article that ranks Florida as the fifth-worst state to be a teacher, according to the financial group WalletHub. I strongly disagree with that statement.
In Sarasota County, now is the perfect time to be a teacher in our school district. The state of Florida is ranked fourth in the nation for K-12 student achievement, according to the highly reputable Education Week 2018 Quality Counts survey.
In addition, Sarasota County is the third-ranked school district behind St. John and Lafayette counties, which are tied for first, based on school grades and academic success. This is important as it means the standards, practices and high-quality education provided by our teachers are working and our students are thriving under the care and instruction of our teachers and school leaders.
Core areas of focus, including math and science, improved greatly this past school year and our reading and comprehension scores held steady. In addition, accelerated coursework continues to show growth in test scores and student success throughout the school district.
For the 2017-18 school year, Sarasota County Schools increased its overall rating by 37 points based on the 11 factors used by the Florida Department of Education to assess school districts. Among those factors: student achievement, learning gains, high school graduation rates and standardized test scores.
Furthermore, the Sarasota County school district is one of only two districts to maintain an “A” grade since grading began in 2004 — that’s a phenomenal feat when you consider the rigorous standards for both students and educators imposed by the state in recent years.
Together, we’re achieving milestones not seen in Sarasota County Schools and I am incredibly proud of our teachers, school leaders and staff, whose dedication to our students is essential to student success. And our success isn’t internal; it takes a lot of engagement, dedication and commitment from community leaders and partners, who continue to invest in our students to help us achieve the outcomes we’ve experienced this last year.
In addition to community partners, I am pleased that our collaboration with the Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association yielded a 3.25 percent to 4.25 percent salary increase for our teachers based on performance each year for the last two years, resulting in an average teacher salary in Sarasota County of $54,000. This outcome is a perfect example of both teams coming together to advance opportunity for school district personnel while maintaining the best interest of our students.
For me, it’s wonderful to recognize teachers, school leaders and staff for a job well done and it’s incredibly rewarding to see how student outcomes correlate to success throughout the school district.
WalletHub is a financial services company that is not in the business of teaching children. If you want to see what learning and success really look like, visit one of our schools or spend time with teachers to understand their challenges and accomplishments. The real proof of accomplishment comes from student success and the rewarding experiences students have while attending schools in Sarasota County.
I am especially proud of our teachers and the positive, long-lasting impact they make on our students every day, and I look forward to celebrating what really matters — the strong academic success of all our students and the personal and professional opportunities that result for our students.
Dr. Todd Bowden is superintendent of the Sarasota County School District.
https://www.heraldtribune.com/opinion/20181008/bowden-benefits-of-teaching-in-sarasota-county
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