From the St. Augustine Record
By MARCIA LANE
marcia.lane@staugustine.com
That's the most students ever to attend county schools.
"We're likely to see somewhere between 3 and 4 percent growth," said Tim Forson, associate superintendent for operations. "That's the kind of upswing we began seeing three or four years ago."
District school officials are predicting between 800 and 900 new students will show up. That exceeds earlier predictions by a couple of hundred.
Most of the growth is from people moving into the county, school officials say.
"I think it's a combination of people beginning to move into some of the homes available, and we're starting to see a slight turnaround move in the real estate market with new construction," Superintendent Joe Joyner said.
The growth is mainly in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the county.
"It's still in the area we've seen in the past, the northwest. But we're also seeing some in the northeast. Some of those areas are starting to develop -- Durbin Creek, Aberdeen and Nocatee are starting to see families move in," Forson said.
The St. Johns County school district has ranked first in the state for three years running and that reputation is a draw for people with children.
Growth continues
St. Johns will be one of only a handful of school districts facing growth in Florida. Since the economic downturn began, districts across the state have watched enrollment figures either stay steady or drop as fewer people moved to Florida and more left.
Joyner said those moving into St. Johns County this year have come from all over.
Because Duval County has experienced problems with several low-performing schools, some expected to see more Duval students applying, especially now that the state is allowing students to freely move from one district to another if they have been attending D or F schools.
But officials don't think that will be the case. Joyner recently talked with Duval Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals, who told him he believes students in his county are moving within their county to find other schools.
Each year at least a few students are found who live in Duval but attend schools in St. Johns.
Some transfers are coming from Putnam County this year using the new "opportunity scholarship" law, officials say.
But "by and large, we don't have a ton of out-of-county kids. Mostly it's people who move in and buy," Forson said.
Getting ready
On Friday morning R.B. Hunt Elementary School was welcoming students to orientation. Streets were lined on both sides at the school with vehicles as students and parents gathered in the cafetorium. PTO and school club representatives lined the room, giving out information and advice. Students and parents headed for classrooms to meet teachers and find out what to expect.
It was a scene repeated throughout the district's 33 schools.
Behind the scenes, administrators and district officials worked on preliminary student counts, making sure enough teachers and classrooms are available.
"In several areas we had more registrations than expected, so we had to respond with more teachers," Joyner said. "It looks like we got even more students than expected, but we're ready for them. We've got all the portables set up; everything is good to go. We can't wait for the kids to show up."
About two-thirds of the schools have relocatable classrooms this year. The district has been trying to build additions in order to eliminate the relocatables, but student numbers keep growing. Next year, a new elementary school will open in the Palencia area.
New teachers
With the new students will come new teachers -- between 100 and 150 of them. Some are hired to handle the increased student populations, others to replace teachers who have retired or have left.
"It does mean our principals and HR department are very busy as we look to fill vacancies and new growth slots," Forson said.
Included in those hires are associate teachers, a concept the district came up with last year in order to meet the class-size amendment and stay within budget.
Associate teachers have degrees and practical experience but work under a lead teacher who must oversee all paperwork. The concept lets a classroom have higher numbers than allowed under the amendment but still provide quality education.
Joyner said the associate teacher program has "exceeded expectations."
"It's gone much better than expected, really," he said. "Kids are getting as good or better instruction."
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