JEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Last week, we told you about how the Gadsden County School District has improved several school grades, based on the state's annual report card.
Now we're taking a look at Jefferson County, and how the state's first charter-run district has done in its inaugural year.
"We get here at 6:30 in the morning, and we stop working at midnight every day," said Cory Oliver, the principal of Jefferson County's K-12: A Somerset School.
You could say there's a hunger to do better in Jefferson County.
A historic change in education, bringing in a charter company to run the county's only public school.
"This has never been done before," said Oliver. "So, building that trust within the community -- it takes time."
Superintendent Marianne Arbulu wasn't available for an interview, but she told us in January the uncertainly leading up to that transition factored into the state's second-lowest graduation rate.
"We lost momentum and impetus in the classroom, and I have to assume that accounted for some of the loss of student gains and ability for students to get the credits," said Arbulu.
In its first year as a charter school, Jefferson County K-12: A Somerset School has improved scores.
The elementary and middle schools went from D's to C's. The high school earned a B. Principal Cory Oliver said the students were determined to improve.
"They were willing to put in the work for us, and that was a big part of them earning that B," said Oliver. "If we can get that across the board, there's no stopping these kids."
Oliver said there's even more expectation now to keep improving. The school district has a five-year contract with Somerset, and the principal said students and staff are ready to bring grades up year after year.
"Our children... they deserve it. They should be in a school that's an A school," said Oliver. "Our community deserves it, and so, we're just going to keep rolling this energy, and we're going to work twice as hard next year as we did this year."
The principal said Jefferson County ranked first in the state in combined learning gains.
