Press Release #4, April 23, 2025

Finalists Chosen for Monroe County Superintendent of Schools

At Tuesday’s School Board meeting, Board members chose four final candidates for the position of Superintendent of Schools. The four finalists will be visiting the Keys in person to conduct interviews with individual board members, public interviews with the entire board and a series of meet-and-greet events where community members from all areas of the Keys will have the opportunity to speak with them. Community members will also be given the opportunity to give their opinions about the finalists during the process.

The dates and locations for the meet and greets are:

• April 30th, 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo

• May 1st, 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Marathon High School

• May 2nd, 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Beachside Resort and Residences in Key West

• Public interviews will be held on May 1st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Marathon High School. 

The applications and resumes for all the finalists, as well as their answers to several written and video questions, are available on the School District’s website at www.keysschools.com/SuperSearch.

The four finalists are listed below in the order in which they applied: 

• Edward Tierney, Deputy Superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District. He cites his current school district’s A rating for the 2023-24 school year and an increase in graduation rates to exceed the state average as two major accomplishments among others. He has experience as a teacher, K-12 school principal, high school principal, Instructional Superintendent for the Central Region, and the District’s Chief of Staff. He holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. In his current position, he has been involved in all aspects of leadership in the district. He was also recognized as Principal of the year twice. Prior to his experience in the field of education, he was a decorated Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps serving in Rwanda, Somalia and in Operation Desert Storm.

• Laura Leitaert, Current Principal of Coral Shores High School. Leitaert, who grew up in Monroe County and graduated from the Monroe County School District, has worked for Monroe County Schools since 1994. She has earned the title “Principal of the Year” twice in her career as well as leading district efforts in strategic planning, school safety, collective bargaining and employee wellness. Under her leadership, Coral Shores High School was named as one of the nation’s top 8% of schools by U.S. News and World Report. She has held positions as teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal of Key Largo School and in her current position since 2021. She has a Masters Degree of Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. Leitaert has also been involved in many local community organizations including Rotary, Community Foundation of the Keys, United Way and the Chamber of Commerce  as well as sitting on numerous school district committees. 

• Amber Acevedo, current Deputy Superintendent of the Monroe County School District. Acevedo grew up in Monroe County, graduated from Monroe County Schools and has served in the Monroe County School District for 40 years, as a teacher, assistant principal, principal of Poinciana Elementary school and Key West High School, and in her current position since 2021. She cites her involvement at all levels and in all areas of the district as major strengths in her candidacy for the position, along with her extensive involvement and familiarity with the many aspects of the unique Florida Keys community. Acevedo has been Principal of the Year three times as well as Teacher of the Year. She was named Best Educator in the Keys in 2019 by the Florida Keys Weekly and is a graduate of Leadership Monroe and the Department of Education Leadership Academy in 2015. She has also been a member of numerous Monroe County civic and community organizations over the years including Rotary, United Way, Samuel’s House and Take Stock in Children. 

• Darren Burkett, Deputy Superintendent of the Collier County School District. Burkett has worked for Collier County Schools since 2009 as an assistant principal, high school principal, and Executive Director for School Leadership. He previously worked in Massachusetts schools, progressing from a position as a football and track coach into a paraprofessional position and then into teaching, eventually becoming an assistant principal. Burkett points out the similarities between Collier County and Monroe County in the areas of cost of living, employee retention and workforce housing. He was named Principal of the Year in 2020 and holds a certificate from the National Institute for School Leadership. In his current position, he has been involved in all aspects of the district from financial planning to community involvement, policy initiatives and collective bargaining. Burkett attended the National Institute of School Leadership in 2017, and has taken leadership courses from Harvard University. His community involvement includes Rotary, Leadership Collier, United Way of Collier and the Keys, and Florida Association of School Administrators.

Press Release #3, April 10, 2025

Board Chooses Superintendent Semi-finalists

At a Tuesday workshop and board meeting, School District Board members chose 11 semi-finalists from a field of 32 candidates. Florida School Board Association (FSBA) representatives in attendance said the number of people applying for the position was the most they have seen in their time helping Florida districts choose their superintendents.

Those eleven semi-finalists will now be asked to answer five questions - two written and three video answers - one question from each school board member. Finalists will be chosen, based on their answers, at the next school board meeting April 22nd at Coral Shores High School with a workshop beginning at 4 p.m. followed by a regular business meeting at 5 p.m. The public can view the semi-finalists’ names and applications for the position at www.keysschools.com/SuperSearch. Once they answer the five questions, those answers will also be available to the public on the website.  The public will be able to make comments on the website regarding the applicants presentations.

During the regular business meeting, Superintendent Theresa Axford and Charlene White, the Finance Executive Director, spoke to board members about proposed legislative changes at the state level which could result in a budget shortfall of up to $2.7 million for the district. Axford said the proposed changes to the state’s allocation of funds based on Full-Time Student enrollment (FTE) is a move by the state to allocate more funding for the school voucher program. Board member Dr. Sue Woltanski, who also sits on the board of the Greater Florida Consortium of School Board Members, spoke about proposed changes to incentive programs which pay schools for student achievement in advanced AP and DE classes. She also gave details about the various efforts around the state to contest the various proposed changes.

Operations and Planning Executive Director Pat Lefere reported to the board about the ongoing plans for construction of the concession stand, museum and training facilities at the new Rex Weech Baseball Field complex in Key West. He said the design development phase is complete and the project will now move into the construction design phase. The architect of the project, Bill Horn, addressed the board about the timeline for the construction. He said much of the initial construction should be done prior to the 2026 baseball season with the concession stand phase continuing to move forward during the period of time games are being played. He pointed out that most games are played in the evenings, so work could continue during daytime hours without disrupting the season.

During the recognition part of the meeting, the board honored Keys to be the Change, a non-profit organization that develops programs, education,  awareness and opportunities that empower children, youth and adults to improve health, wellness and skills for success in life and school. The organization’s members received a Community Great Educational Moments (GEM) award for all they do for Keys students. Deputy Superintendent Amber Acevedo said the program touches the lives of over 500 students every year in the district.

Also recognized with GEM awards were community members Chip and Crystal Hendricks for their efforts to help a student at HOB school who lost family members in a fire; and students Taylor Tomlinson and Colin Palomino,  who both won state level awards for their entries in the State STEM Fair in Lakeland.

Donna Tedesco, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Coordinator, addressed the board, telling them the Monroe County School District has become the first district on the East Coast of the United States to achieve year one recognition from NOAA  as an Ocean Guardian School District. To achieve this special recognition, students at three lower Keys schools - Poinciana School, Key West High School and Sugarloaf School - installed Rainwater Filtration Gardens at their schools; these gardens are designed to filter rainwater runoff using a natural filtration system and native plants.  In addition, the Cognia accrediting agency has awarded the district with a STEM Accreditation as well as their Academic Accreditation. Cognia is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally

Press Release #2, February 26, 2025

Board Members vote on Salary and Qualifications for New Superintendent

At the board's workshop held February 25th in Islamorada, the Florida School Board Association discussed with School Board members the minimum and/or preferred qualifications, qualities and characteristics for the new Superintendent as identified in community forums held throughout the Keys February 11th - 13th and from results of a Community Survey conducted over the last few weeks. Board members gave input on specific wording to be used in the advertisement for the position as well as the salary range for the position and the length of the contract. 

During the regular business meeting, they voted on and approved the language for the advertisement as well as the qualities and qualifications discussed during the workshop. The salary range was set at between $175,000 and $225,000 with a three year contract for the position. Advertisement for the position will begin March 3rd. Results from the survey and the forums as well as from a student focus group are available on the school district website at www.keysschools.com/SuperSearch.

During the meeting, the district recognized Coral Shores High School student Nathaniel Sugarman, who was chosen to represent the district as its Sunshine State Scholar. Sugarman has achieved perfect scores in his AP courses as well as a perfect score on his PSAT test. In addition to these impressive achievements, he spends his summers attending STEM courses at prestigious colleges and universities; he is also president of the Alpha Theta math club, sits on the student council, as well as participating on the school cross country team and playing lacrosse. 

The district also recognized a large group of nominees from Coral Shores High School for the Miami Herald Silver Knight Award. The purpose of this award program is to recognize outstanding students who have not only maintained good grades but have also unselfishly applied their special knowledge and talents to contribute significant service to their schools and communities. They go on to compete with students from other districts for scholarship opportunities.

Two students from Coral Shores High School gave a presentation to board members about “A day in the life of a Coral Shores High School Student”. The presentation gave survey responses on a variety of topics including how students get to and from school, the amount of homework they have, their after school commitments, school club involvement, sleep and stress levels, free time and overall workload. 

The board voted to approve the 2025-2026 school year calendar and tentative calendar for 2026-2027 as presented at the board meeting held February 11th.

Press Release #1, January 29, 2025

School District Seeks Community Input in Superintendent Search

The Monroe County School District is seeking community input to assist in the search for a new Superintendent of Schools. Current Superintendent Theresa Axford will retire at the end of this school year. The school board, with assistance from the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA), has begun a nationwide search for a new Superintendent. The FSBA, with extensive experience in similar searches across Florida, will assist throughout the process in the Keys.

During a School Board meeting on Tuesday, board members emphasized the importance of finding an exemplary replacement who fits well with the diverse community of the Florida Keys. They stressed that the entire process will be conducted county-wide, ensuring candidates become familiar with the county and allowing citizens from all areas to participate.

The first step in choosing a replacement is conducting a survey to gather citizens' input on what qualities are important in a superintendent. The survey is now live, and everyone is encouraged to participate. You can find the survey link and more information about the search process on the district’s website at: www.keysschools.com/SuperSearch.

Following the survey, Citizen Input sessions will be held on the following dates:

• February 11th, 6 p.m. at Coral Shores High School

• February 12th, 6 p.m. at Marathon High School

• February 13th, 6 p.m. at Key West High School

In addition to the survey and community meetings, the search timeline includes determining salary and educational requirements, finalizing a job description, advertising the position, and conducting interviews and public meet-and-greets with candidates. The process will culminate with the final decision in early May. The new superintendent will begin work on July 1, prior to the start of the 2025-26 school year.