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Bay County schools close to "A" district after year of gains, superintendent says
Summary
Superintendent McQueen and board members highlighted improved school grades and targeted teacher bonuses as factors in gains that left the district two points short of an overall A; officials praised individual school improvements and credited investment in teachers at struggling schools.
Superintendent McQueen told the Bay County School Board on July 8 that the district is two points short of earning an overall A rating from the state, and he credited recent improvements to targeted investments and leadership changes.
The superintendent said the district has 14 A schools, 11 B schools and 13 C schools with no D or F schools this year. "We're 2 points away from becoming an A school district," McQueen said, adding that schools including Oscar Patterson moved from an F to a B and Cedar Grove improved from a D to a C.
Board members said the progress began with a board decision to pay retention bonuses for teachers in the district's most at-risk schools. Board member Moore recalled that the board voted unanimously to fund bonuses for master teachers at seven schools; five of those moved out of turnaround status after one year and remained supported for a second year. "You get what you pay for in some respects," Moore said, describing how money directed to schools and teachers produced measurable results.
A member of the public and staff attendees also praised district staff and principals in the meeting. McQueen and several board members singled out principals and faculty at A Crawford Moseley, Bay High, Cherry Street and others for progress toward the district goal to "put the A back in Bay." McQueen said the district was close "in a long, long time" to overall A status and thanked staff across transportation, support services and administration for their roles.
Board discussion emphasized people-focused investments. In remarks during the meeting, a speaker identified as Alexis urged the board to invest in "people power" rather than solely programmatic resources, arguing that student outcomes depend on teacher-student interaction.
No specific new policy or budget item was adopted during the discussion portion of the meeting related to school grades; the remarks were presented as updates and celebration of recent performance improvements.
Board members and the superintendent said they will continue to track results and return to targeted investments and supports for schools that need them.
