Edwin Ferguson, Palm Beach County School Board member for District 7, presented his annual city-specific education report to the Delray Beach City Commission on Oct. 14, emphasizing early‑childhood readiness, district test results and proposed career‑technical expansions.

Ferguson said county kindergarten‑readiness is about 45% this year and Delray Beach citywide is about 40%. “If they start ahead, they’re gonna stay ahead,” he told the commission when describing the relationship between kindergarten readiness and later third‑grade English language arts scores.

He singled out Pine Grove Elementary as an outlier: kindergarten readiness there is low (he cited roughly 21% for Pine Grove), yet the school has made “dramatic” gains in third‑grade math and other measures since new leadership arrived. Ferguson credited the principal and staff for raising math performance into the mid‑60s in some assessments despite the low early‑learning baseline.

Other highlights Ferguson cited: districtwide third‑grade ELA around the high‑50s, math district averages near 60%, and variable performance on high‑school course assessments such as geometry and biology. He said reading comprehension underpins many test outcomes and urged family and community involvement in early literacy (reading aloud, flashcards, Dolch sight words) to improve long‑term results.

Ferguson also pressed for career and technical education (CTE) expansion and called for stronger alignment between Village Academy and an adjacent adult‑education/technical training center so students can earn certifications and be workforce‑ready at 17–18 years old. He recommended the commission ask for presentations from technical providers and local nonprofits; commissioners responded by asking the school board and interested program providers to make presentations to the commission.

The report prompted commission discussion about dual‑language supports, Special Education (ESE) center expansion and the potential for charter or conversion‑type alternatives; Commissioner Cassell said she intends to arrange a site tour of South Tech Academy. The commission and Ferguson agreed to revive regular city–district communications under the 2015 interlocal agreement.