By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
Melissa Byrd is more than just a member of the Orange County School Board—she’s a tireless advocate who has turned her passion for education into a mission to create lasting change. From championing an end to the unfair treatment of female students in dress code issues to fighting for the early construction and opening of the first K-8 school in District 7 (Kelly Park School) to relieve the overcrowded Wolf Lake Schools, Byrd’s work is deeply rooted in her belief that every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, no matter their circumstances. Her hands-on approach and unwavering commitment to her community have made her a standout leader in the ever-evolving landscape of public education.
I reached out to Byrd earlier this summer, just after she won a third term on the Orange County School Board as an unopposed candidate for District 7. We discussed a range of subjects that impact Apopka students and their families in a three-part series entitled "A Conversation with Melissa Byrd."
In part three, we discussed teacher salaries, education budgets, and the effect charter, home, and private schools have on public schools.
In 2024, the National Education Association ranked Florida 50th in average teacher salaries. That's rather alarming in a state many believe has the number one economy in the nation. What would you like to see the Florida Legislature do to overcome this statistic and the education budget in general?
I would like to see the state value public education in a way that shows in the budget. I would like to see them make substantial investments in education beyond just beginning teacher education.
Raising the beginning teacher salary was a good start but when beginning teachers are making the same as 10-year veterans, that is a problem. There are significant staff shortages not only in instructional positions but in all staff positions because we can not offer competitive salaries or even just salaries that allow for a livable wage in our expensive communities.
Something has to change as fewer and fewer students are entering the teaching profession each year. Public education is vital to society as a whole to ensure that all of our children are receiving the education they need to become productive citizens. If we don’t invest in it, we are literally not investing in our own future. When society is better educated or trained for the workforce, all other areas of society improve like crime rates, and even improved health.
I believe we can change our current path but it is going to take our state leaders to commit to placing education funding at the top of the priority list.
Should charter, home, and private schools be getting state money at the expense of public schools?
This is a difficult question because we know that parents want choice in education and I believe they should have that choice. With that being said, I believe that public tax dollar use should be transparent and accountable to the taxpayers.
The problem with taking public tax dollars and allowing it to be used at private- for-profit schools is that there is no oversight. The same goes for home schools. There is no way to know what is being taught or how it is being used. Private schools are not held accountable to the state or the public to ensure they are teaching state standards (what the state has decided our children should be learning), that there are certified teachers teaching the children or that all students are being served. In fact, private schools can exclude any student they want, unlike public schools that are required to teach all children that walk through their doors.
Accountability is another big missing piece for taxpayers. Public schools are required to test students each year to show the taxpayers that their tax dollars are working as they should. That kids are learning. There is no such way for the taxpayers to know that with the money that is going to private schools.
Another issue is that you can not compare them equally. Private schools are getting the same amount of money per student that public schools get with vouchers yet public schools are required to provide services like transportation, exceptional education services, mental health services, food and nutrition services and many others. It’s really quite amazing when you consider that and that our public schools also turn out students that are just as competitive and have such high college acceptance rates or that in most cases our public schools offer many more programs and opportunities than many private schools.
Charter schools are a little different because they are considered public schools in that they are held to many of the same standards that traditional public schools are held to and are still under the pervue of the Florida Department of Education though not governed by the local school board. They have to follow the state education laws and the same accountability standards.
Charter schools in our district have for the most part been great partners and have assisted in addressing very nuanced educational needs for many of our students like some students with special needs or students who need a smaller and more individualized educational approach.
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We at The Apopka Voice thank Melissa Byrd for spending some time talking to us about Orange County Public Schools, particularly the ones in Apopka.
To read Part One, go here.
To read Part Two, go here.
