Pinellas presents annual report, strategic-plan highlights and new AI initiative for teachers
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Summary
District staff presented the 2024–25 annual report and updates on the 2023–26 strategic plan, highlighting student-achievement gains, dual-enrollment savings and the new Magic School AI tools and an AI Pathfinders cohort for staff training.
Pinellas County Schools presented its district annual report and highlights from the 2023–26 strategic plan at the Sept. 9 school board meeting and described several district initiatives, including adoption of an AI classroom tool and a staff cohort to study best practices.
Liana Ison, director of strategic planning and policy, reviewed key accomplishments the district listed in its annual report: a district grade of A; about 90% of schools earned an A or B; third-grade English language arts performance increased 12 percentage points over three years (outperforming the state by 10 points, per the presentation); 23,000 college courses taken through dual enrollment saved students and families about $14.5 million in tuition; and 25,000 volunteers contributed about 285,000 hours in 2024–25, which the district estimated as a $9.5 million value.
Ison also highlighted operational and policy changes: updated campus operations procedures to comply with new safety laws, a new cell-phone policy and a district “digital responsibility” initiative that includes age-appropriate lessons on cyberbullying, privacy and media literacy. The district said special education and other ESSA subgroups showed proficiency growth across state assessments.
On technology and artificial intelligence, the board watched a district video and staff described the district’s adoption of a tool the district identified as “Magic School,” paid for through the technology referendum. The presentation said the tool includes lesson planning, PD planning and “agents” to assist teachers. The district also announced an AI Pathfinders cohort that will select one staff member from each school (elementary through high school) for a year-long program of monthly training on responsible classroom AI use. The district said it has created an internal AI task force to develop guidelines and best practices for ethical AI use with students.
Why it matters: staff framed the AI work as a way to save teacher time and to support responsible student use, while the annual report figures show areas of academic growth that the district said will guide resource allocation during the next strategic-plan cycle.
Next steps: the board will begin a new strategic-plan process during the year, and the district said the annual report and a one-page PCS At a Glance summary are available on the district website.
