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 two, we discuss her third term, future plans, and the Orange Technical Center - Apopka Campus.
Congratulations on winning your third term unopposed. What do you think that says that no one ran against you?
Well, my hope is that it means my community is pleased with the work I have done in my first five years on the board. I have certainly enjoyed my time serving on the board and have worked really hard at ensuring our teachers, students, families, and schools had the support they needed each and every day.
Given the adversarial nature of school board races in the last few years, were you anticipating an opponent?
Yes, I fully expected to have an opponent, as it is very unusual not to. In fact, it has only happened once in the past 10 years in Orange County school board races.
How is the Orange Technical Center - Apopka Campus doing?
Great! Since the school is new, we started out slow to see what the response would be, and it has exceeded expectations. We are currently offering English classes for Spanish speakers and GED classes a few nights a week, and the community is full of eager members who are happy to have this great resource in their community.
Reflecting on your past six years, could you share some of your most significant accomplishments and your vision for the next four years?
Obviously, growth management and ensuring we are prepared for growth have been among the biggest accomplishments.
I am also very proud of the increased educational opportunities in our area, which was one of the things I ran on in 2018. For example, I’m particularly proud of the Wekiva Culinary Magnet and all it has accomplished in the three years it has been a magnet program, not just the state and national awards it has won, but the vast amounts of scholarship money students in the program have received to continue their culinary education.
I am very proud of the Orange Technical College campus in Apopka that we were able to open last year. This project was in the works for close to a decade and hit many roadblocks along the way, so I was extremely happy to see it through last year and help bring this opportunity to the community. I’m a firm believer in helping families and adults around our kids so they can help our kids be successful.
I am also very proud of my work with the HOPE CommUnity Center where I helped bring OCPS into the center for enrollment events to assist immigrant and migrant families get their students registered for school.
The Read Around the City program that I partnered with Re-Imagine Communities has been wildly successful over the past few years. This past year, it expanded to all of District 7, resulting in the community reading over 2 million minutes.
I have always ensured that teachers get the resources they need by funding training, educational trips, and over $70,000 in teacher grants for classroom supplies.
I am extremely excited about what the future holds for our schools. I believe we are at a place where we will see many good changes in how we educate our students in the coming years. We are about to embark on the redesign of our strategic plan, which includes a study we just completed on a “portrait of a graduate.”
There have been many discussions about what we want the future of education to look like in Orange County. Since the pandemic, students and families have wanted more options and choices, and we want to give them choices that will keep them engaged, get them excited about school again, and, most importantly, ensure they are as prepared as possible for the workforce or college when they leave our schools.
I believe we will see more flexibility in high school scheduling options, more early exposure to career options in the younger years, more hands-on learning, and more school/work experience opportunities.
We are also looking at more programs that help the whole child by incorporating help for families. For example, the Superintendent has been exploring the work of the Harlem Zone, a project in the New York neighborhood that has adopted a “cradle to college” mantra and created a program that supports children and families in various ways to ensure that they have resources, education, and mentorship to ensure success beyond just the K-12 experience.
Personally, I’m very excited about many projects that I am working on, specifically in our community, that will provide more opportunities for our families, our teachers, and our students.
More on those to come!
In Conversations with Melissa Byrd—Part Three, we discuss teacher salaries, education budgets, and the effect charter, home, and private schools have on public schools.
