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St. Lucie plans phased classrooms‑to‑careers and expanded acceleration for younger students
Summary
Superintendent John Prince proposed a phased rollout of classrooms‑to‑careers to introduce workforce exposure in elementary and middle school and described large growth in acceleration enrollments that Prince said helps create first‑generation college students.
Dr. John Prince, superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools, told the board he plans a phased expansion of the district’s classrooms‑to‑careers initiative, moving workforce awareness and exploration into elementary and middle schools and expanding experiential opportunities at the eighth‑grade level.
Prince described the proposal as a multi‑year effort to build awareness, exploration and experience — awareness in elementary grades, exploration in middle grades and workplace experience in high school. He said staff visited districts in other states to study models and cited a 10‑year example in Kentucky; St. Lucie’s implementation will be phased over several years. The superintendent said the aim is to work with local businesses so schools can align coursework with local labor needs and “bring industry into St. Lucie Public Schools.”
On academic acceleration, Prince said the district has grown acceleration enrollments from about 2,600 students in 2014–15 to 8,833 this year. He said accelerating elementary students into more advanced coursework produces downstream effects — middle‑school students taking high‑school courses and high‑school students taking college courses — and highlighted gains for Black and Hispanic students that he said are producing first‑generation college students. Prince called accelerated enrollment “a philosophy” of the district and said staff will continue to add schools where feasible.
Prince also tied acceleration and workforce goals to college‑and‑career metrics: he said more seniors now graduate with industry certifications, college credit or AP/IB scores and that those outcomes are part of the district’s higher‑education and workforce strategy.
Prince said detailed plans for classrooms‑to‑careers and acceleration supports will be shared with the board as phased proposals; the superintendent emphasized business partnerships and graded rollout rather than immediate wholesale changes.
