The School District of Lee County is committed to transparency, communication, and addressing community questions and concerns.
Community Question: We have heard there is not a certified teacher in every classroom?
Answer: We do have a certified teacher in every classroom, however that does not mean we have zero vacancies. What we are excited to share is this is a historic time for our school district as we have gone from 575 instructional vacancies in April to 37 on the first day of school. 37 is less than 1% of our teacher workforce, and an 81% improvement from this time last year, when more than 200 instructional positions were vacant. We will not stop hiring until every position is filled.
What we promised is a certified teacher in every classroom, which is what we have accomplished. What is a certified teacher? An educator who has met the state’s specific requirements for teaching and holds a valid teaching certificate.
Community Question: We have heard we are using substitute teachers, therefore we do not have a certified teacher in every classroom.
Answer: We are utilizing guest teachers from Kelly Services to fill vacant positions until permanent teachers are hired. Previously, when we worked with Kelly Services, any of their staff could be assigned to cover a classroom. We have now enhanced this arrangement to require that all guest teachers hold current teaching certificates who fill a vacant position until permanently filled.
When teachers are sick, take personal time, or leaves we utilize the normal Kelly Services guest teacher arrangement that does not require a teacher to be certified for these temporary or unexpected reasons. The current teacher contract also allows for coverage through planning where current teachers can be paid to cover classrooms allowing another avenue for a certified teacher to be in a classroom.
Community Question: We have heard the teachers are not certified in the field they are teaching?
Answer: Our commitment is to have a certified teacher in every classroom. In limited situations representing less than 1% of our teacher workforce, school administration can temporarily reassign certified teachers under Article 5.05 of the Teachers Association of Lee County (TALC) contract. We believe having a certified educator teaching outside their primary certification area is preferable to having an uncertified individual in the classroom. This approach ensures our students receive instruction from qualified, certified teachers while we work to fill vacant positions permanently.
Additionally, some certified teachers who are assigned to teach outside their certification field for the duration of the school year have voluntarily agreed to do so through signed agreements. These educators are certified professionals who are actively working toward obtaining certification in their temporary teaching assignment area and are considered Out of Field. The appropriate notification requirements are currently being met.
Community Question: We have heard the school district is combining classes and have overcrowded classrooms with 25-40 students to achieve the certified teacher in every classroom?
Answer: We are in full compliance with Florida Statute 1003.03 regarding core classroom size requirements. As we reach the 10-day enrollment count today, August 22, 2025, this will provide us with more accurate data to share in the coming days. Some teacher’s rosters may initially appear to show larger class sizes, but this often occurs because students who were enrolled at a school have since transferred to a different school. This roster adjustments process is a common occurrence at the beginning of each school year as enrollment stabilizes. We have not combined classes to maintain certified teachers in every classroom. Our class sizes remain within legal limits while ensuring qualified, certified educators are teaching our students.
Community Concern: Our bus stops are unsafe.
Answer: We take every safety concern seriously and want to address this important issue.Every bus stop that is approved for use is safe and verified according to Florida Department of Education standards. Student safety is our top priority, and we are committed to working with families and our transportation team to ensure safe bus stop locations. If you have specific safety concerns about your child's bus stop location, to make it easier for you to share your concerns, we have created a dedicated form where you can report specific safety issues about bus stop locations and transportation concerns. This form allows us to quickly investigate and take appropriate action. We regularly review bus routes and stops, and we make adjustments when safety issues are identified. Your input helps us maintain the safest possible environment for all students during transportation. We encourage any parent or guardian with bus stop safety concerns to use our new form so we can address these situations promptly and effectively.
Community Question: We have heard you don’t have enough bus drivers and are overcrowding buses to cover routes?
Answer: We do have a bus driver assigned to every route, along with hiring substitute drivers to be available as backup coverage. We understand transportation concerns are important to our families and we are working diligently to ensure safe and reliable transportation for our students. We follow all state and federal regulations regarding bus capacity and safety standards. Our bus drivers are not permitted to transport students unless there is a seat available for every student on board. We do not overcrowd buses, each bus operates within its legal passenger limits. While students may occasionally move from their seats during transit, we are actively working with bus drivers and students to address seating compliance and ensure everyone remains safely seated.
Community Concern: Despite saying there is a bus driver for every route, we are still seeing buses arrive late.
Answer: We are happy to report that by switching to one tier for elementary school, our on-time arrival rate for elementary schools has increased 17% this year compared to last. However, we want every student to arrive on time and we take that promise seriously. We want to thank our parents, students, and community members for being patient with us as we address and correct concerns during the first two weeks of school. If your student is having issues with their route we encourage you to utilize our new transportation form for us to address your concerns.