St Johns County School Board Info

Saint Johns County School District

District Facts and Figures 2008 - 2009

Mission

The St. Johns County School District will inspire in all students a passion for lifelong learning, creating educated and caring contributors to the world.

District

617 square miles
155,014 residents
91.4% white, 6.0% black, 2.6% Hispanic, Asian and other minority

Schools

17 Elementary Schools (K-5)
1 K-8 Schools (K-8)
7 Middle Schools (6-8)
7 High Schools (9-12)
1 Alternative Center (6-12)
3 Charter Schools (including a Vocational-Technical College)
3 Juvenile Justice Facilities

The St. Johns County School District is accredited as a quality school system by the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Class Size (Teacher - Student Ratio)
1:16.10 (PK-3)
1:18.86 (4-8)
1:21.25 (9-12)

A fleet of 208 school buses transports 16,000 students over 4.2 million miles every year, in addition to more than 2,900 field trips.

School cafeterias serve an estimated 48,500 breakfasts and lunches each week.

Approximately 17.2% of the district's students receive free or reduced-price meals each day.

Financial Facts

2007-2008 Operating Budget - $216 million

Annual Operating Fund Payroll - $177 million including salaries and benefits

All Income Sources - 62% local, 34% state and 4% federal

Expenditure per student - $7,102

Millage Rate - 7.721, the highest rate allowed by law

In top 17% of state in total school expenditures

In top 18% of state in percentage of budget spent on instruction

In bottom 18% of state in total district level expenditures

Capital Outlay Budget - $238.3 million

Five-Year Building Plan
• Two new elementary schools ("L" & "M")
• Two new K-8 schools (“HH” and “II")
• Additions and renovations to Julington Creek Elementary School
• Other school improvements including site improvements and district-wide recommendations
• Continued maintenance, remodeling and renovations at existing schools
• Planning for additional elementary, middle and high schools beyond the Five-Year Work Plan
• Purchase of equipment to support school-based educational programs
• Purchase of additional and replacement school buses
• Implementation of Class Size Amendment

Staff

The school district is the largest employer in the county, with 3,357 full-time employees.

1,860	Teachers
78	School-Based Administrators
47	District Administrators
1,372	Support Staff

Male - 24%
White - 86%

Female - 76%
Minority - 14%

124,497 employee in-service participation hours

Average teacher's annual salary is $47,341 ($65,331 with benefits)

Approximately 40% of all full-time teachers hold advanced degrees.

National Board Certified Teachers - 183

Awards

School Match - St. Johns County School District in top 14% of nation in "What Parents Want" in public schools

Expansion Management Magazine Blue Ribbon Award for Best-Educated Workforce

St. Johns County School District - overall grade of A six years in a row, one of only 10 school districts in the state

Fifth overall ranking out of 67 counties on FCAT

St. Johns County Schools - 16 A's, 8 B’s and 1 C

2007 School Recognition Award Program - 19 schools received $1,725,560

St. Johns County Teacher of the Year: Jeff Dodd, St. Augustine High School

School-Related Employee of the Year: Lisa Burney, Osceola Elementary School

Outstanding School Principal of the Year: Betsy Wierda, Cunningham Creek Elementary School

Outstanding Assistant Principal of the Year: Dawn Sapp, St. Augustine High School

Five Star School Awards - 14 schools for community involvement
Golden School Awards - 28 schools for parent volunteer programs
Silver School Awards (secondary schools only) – 5 schools

American Youth Character Awards - 30 high school seniors received $500 awards; 69 high school juniors honored for exemplifying the Six Pillars of Character

Character Counts! of St. Johns County
• Recipient of the Governor's Points of Light Award
• First Place Sunshine Medallion Award Winner from Sunshine State School Public Relations Association
• First school district in the state to implement

Pursuing Victory with Honor
American Youth Character Awards -26 high school seniors received $500 awards; 67 high school juniors honored for exemplifying the Six Pillars of Character

Pursuing Victory with Honor Awards given annually to outstanding high school athletes and coaches.

Learning Legacy Lifetime Achievement Awards
Robin Burchfield, President of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, and Tyrone Ramsey, Principal of St. Augustine High School and St. Johns Technical High School

Community Support

The St. Johns County Education Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit fund raising organization, provides support to the school district through sponsorship of various programs including the Teacher of the Year Celebration, Horizon Awards, Take Stock in Children, the Black Stallion Literacy Project, License for Learning and One for the Kids.

Business Partners in Education provide personnel and fiscal resources to the school district. There are currently 300 different business partners supporting St. Johns County schools and 8,540 volunteers who donated more than 244,658 hours during the 2007-2008 school year.

Students

Elementary
Middle School
High School
Alternative School
Pre K-12 - Total

12,495
6,433
8,365
221
27,514

3.9% increase over last year

Ethnicity
White - 83%
Black - 8%
Hispanic - 4%
Asian, Indian and Other - 5%

Student body represents 117 different countries speaking 59 different languages

4,919 exceptional education students (mentally, physically, emotionally handicapped, learning disabled and gifted)

Test Scores

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (SSS) compared to other districts in the state:

Grade 3 - Third in reading and second in math
Grade 4 - Second in both reading and math
Grade 5 - Third in reading and fifth in math
Grade 6 - First in reading and third in math
Grade 7 - First in reading and fourth in math
Grade 8 - Second in reading and third in math
Grade 9 - Second in both reading and math
Grade 10 - Fifth in both reading and math

Grade 11 Science - Third in the state
Grade 8 Science - Fourth in the state
Grade 5 Science - Seventh in the state

Reading Gains – fourth in the state
Math Gains – tied for second in the state

FCAT Writing
• Fourth Grade - seventh in the state
• Eighth Grade - tied for eighth in the state
• Tenth Grade - second in the state

FCAT Science - Grade 11 third highest in the state, Grade 8 third highest and Grade 5 fourth highest

FCAT Norm-Referenced Test – students scored in top four in every category and in top 20% nationally

Stanford Achievement Test - Grades 1 and 2 scored above 70th percentile in all areas

SAT - 1542, above state average of 1472 and national average of 1511; 12% increase in number of test takers
ACT - 21.8, above both state average of 19.9 and national average of 21.2; 29% increase in number of test takers
AP Exams - 15% increase in number of test takers; 32% increase in number of exams taken
• 57% increase in number of exams taken by African-Americans
• 45% increase in number of exams taken by Hispanics

Readiness for College – 68.5% of St. Johns County graduates ready in all three areas tested (math, reading, and writing) compared to state average of 59.4%
Dropout Rate - 1.8%, less than state average of 3.3%.
Graduation Rate - 78.3%, higher than state average of 72.4%
2008 National Merit Semifinalists - 14 seniors placed in top 1% on PSAT
National Merit Commended Students - 22 students placed in top 5% on PSAT
Class of 2008 Scholarships - over $12 million
Florida Bright Future Scholar's Fund - over $8.5 million

Instruction

• Based on the Sunshine State Standards and best instructional practice
• Offered using flexible time, location and methods as stated in the district's Strategic Plan
• Supported by professional development with emphasis on reading across the curriculum
• Differentiated to meet student needs
• Technology used as a tool to enhance learning at all levels K-12
• St. Johns County Virtual School provides flexible scheduling for both standard and advanced academic and elective classes
• Head Start, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, and programs for Exceptional Education pre-schoolers at several elementary schools

All high schools offer Programs of Study which include career academies, acceleration academies and ROTC programs.

School Calendar

View our calendar for the 2008-2009 school year.

Career Academies

Academy of Environmental and Urban Planning - Creekside High School
Academy of Emerging Technology - CHS
Academy of Design and Building Construction - Bartram Trail High School
Vystar Academy of Business and Finance - BTHS
Communications Academy - Nease High School
Stellar Academy of Engineering - NHS
Academy of Architectural and Building Sciences - Pedro Menendez High School
Vystar Academy of Business - PMHS
Flagler Hospital Academy of Medical and Health Careers - PMHS
Academy of Biotechnology and Medical Research – Ponte Vedra High School
Academy of International Business and Marketing – PVHS
St. Johns County Aerospace Academy - St. Augustine High School
St. Johns County Center for the Arts - SAHS
St. Johns County Academy of Future Teachers - SAHS
Academy of Criminal Justice - St. Johns Technical High School
First Coast Technical College at St. Johns Technical High School - SJTHS

Acceleration Academies

Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) SAHS

International Baccalaureate (IB) Program - NHS

The Advanced Scholars Program is offered at BTHS and PMHS

Advanced Placement courses are offered through the College Board and Dual Enrollment courses through Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Flagler College and St. Johns River Community College.

ROTC Programs

Air Force ROTC - BTHS
Army ROTC - SAHS
Navy ROTC - NHS

First Coast Technical College - a charter secondary, postsecondary, vocational school; adult and community education center

Administration

Dr. Joseph G. Joyner, Superintendent of Schools

School Board

District 1 - Mrs. Beverly Slough
District 2 - Mr. Tommy Allen, Vice Chairman
District 3 - Mr. Bill Mignon
District 4 - Mr. Bill Fehling
District 5 - Mrs. Carla Wright, Chairman

School Board meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday at the School Board Administration Center.

Workshops are held at 8:30 a.m. on the first and fourth Tuesday of the month as needed.

Contact Us

For additional information contact:

Margie Davidson
Director of Community Relations
St. Johns County School District
40 Orange Street
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
Phone: (904) 819-7504

The St. Johns County School District is an equal opportunity employer.

www.stjohns.k12.fl.us