FAST Scores
About 10 years ago - upon moving to the Treasure Coast - I made sure to purchase a home in Martin County because, among other reasons, was the 'A' rating of its schools. No, not because I had school-aged children at that time but instead because homes where schools are highly rated retain their property values. Check property values in lower rated school districts to see for oneself.
Sadly, this is no longer the case. Just announced by the state this week: Martin School District retained the 'B' rating it has earned for a few years now. The State of Florida began a new testing protocol in 2022 school year. The results were announced this week. It seems to an onlooker like me, that the results were generally much improved over the former FSA to the new FAST across the state.
That is up to the parents/taxpayers, citizens, etc. to confirm. Professional educators do know that under-privileged children are more costly to teach - oftentimes requiring support services for learning disabilities, the autism spectrum, deaf, hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired. etc. There exist federal laws as to student/teacher/paraprofessional ratio. Sometimes the ratio is 6/1/2 (6 students/1 teacher/2 paras) depending upon the severity of the disability. Obviously spending more money and requiring some of the teachers to hold additional certifications drives up education taxes.
As we prepare for affordable/attainable housing in Martin County, these facts must be kept in the forefront of planning. The pre-school children who have enjoyed local trips (library, parks, beaches), books of his/her own, puzzles, bikes, family vacations, other hobbies naturally will do better than those who have not experienced as much as middle-upper category children do - through no fault of their own. Sometimes “Hard to Teach” is the lay term for these children.
Let's reward their efforts and keep on encouraging all our students to improve!
Audrey Taggart
Hobe Sound
This is an editoral from one of our members and not the official position of the Martin County Republican Executive Committee.