Parents and Educators are Transforming Public Education in Indian River County.

Testing assessments released. The School District celebrates academic gains in 2024-2025 as it realigns for the future.

In a late Wednesday announcement, the newly named Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, Dr. Kyra Schafte, informed the community that the School District of Indian River County (SDIRC) is outperforming the State in every assessed subject area. Math, Science, Civics, US History, Biology and English Language Arts (ELA), including the all important 3rd grade reading level scores, are above state averages for the first time. The Superintendent, Dr. Moore, commented on the glowing report. He said, “Our students are achieving at a level that reflects the power of a strong instructional foundation, dedicated educators, and a community committed to excellence.”

Indian River County parents have been at the forefront of advocating for their rights that demonstrate that commitment to excellence. Since COVID, many parents have taken a special interest in the School District. Indian River County has the fastest growing performance rate in Florida. The accountability to the community spearheaded by Dr. Moore has led to SDIRC being an ‘A’ rated school district 2 years in a row.

Leading the advocacy since 2021 is Moms for Liberty. “It really started in 2020 with COVID school shutdowns and unconstitutional medical mandates and protocols like the mask mandates,” says, Jennifer Pippin, the only chairperson Moms for Liberty - Indian River has ever had. She added, “During COVID, parents got to see behind the curtain how parental rights were being ignored, what kids were learning and the lack of discipline in our schools. They became proactive in holding their districts accountable.”

The accountability to parents and collaboration with all stakeholders has produced results. According to Dr. Schafte’s statement, every subject area has seen an increase in grade performance. When Dr. Moore arrived, the overall district ranking was 31st. In the 8 assessed subject areas, rankings ranged from 31 to 46 in the state. Today, 6 out of those 8 are in the top 10 with the lowest ranking category at 13. The district reports 95% of the schools are an ‘A’ or ‘B’ graded school.

And, what about those 3rd graders? For the 2024-25 academic year, their reading proficiency has improved to 69% which is 12 points above the state average. While these rankings are only government schools, the performance over the last three years has remained consistent since COVID. In 22-23, SDIRC broke the top 10 in 3rd grade reading rankings. SDIRC moved up 24 spaces to 7th in the state. However, the assess score of 60% of students reading at grade level was the same percentage the district scored in 2018-2019, when it ranked 31st in Florida. SDIRC stayed the same as Florida districts went down (See article).

Staying ahead of the curve.

In 2021, the District began to have hearings on choosing its new ELA curriculum. Moms for Liberty notes that parents advocated for the current ELA curriculum, Amplify. Pressing the school board, parents shared at the time how the preferred choice of a board majority, HMH, was filled with woke agenda writing. Amplify had fewer issues, but, it was the only state recognized curriculum to use the Science of Reading instructional method which parents wanted. The advocacy of parents had won, convincing the school board. The following year, the Science of Reading method was mandated by the Florida Department of Education for every county for English Language Arts curriculum. Thanks to the Moms, Indian River was one of 2 districts in the state already qualified.

Members of Moms for Liberty also joined the Code of Conduct committee meetings to strengthen discipline. The parents got strict cell phone and zero bullying policies placed in the code of conduct. On discipline committees, parents removed restorative just polices while creating clear rules that applied equally for all students.

About the successes, Jennifer Pippin states, “Through our advocacy, Moms for Liberty – Indian River helped drive real change—leading to two consecutive ‘A’ ratings for our district. By putting academics first and ensuring parent voices were heard, we are proving that student success begins with family and community partnership.”

Dr. Moore arrived in December 2019 from Miami-Dade to be the next superintendent. Known as an “innovator,” who can transform schools, he didn’t quite hit the ground running because of the COVID emergency. However, while schools were closed in Florida, it allowed him with his team to lay the foundational plan for what SDIRC has become today. With Dr. Moore, the CFO, Donald Fagan, turned around the school budget, restoring the district’s credit rating. Furthermore, the budget became aligned with the Strategic Plan. Reached by The Sunshine Journal, board member, Jackie Rosario commented, “I had been advocating to align our budget with our Strategic Plan as far back as 2018. When Dr. Moore was hired, the district heeded my advice by aligning both as it should be. The Strategic Plan drives our budget, not the other way around.“

With the plan driving the funding, Dr. Moore’s team invested heavily in monitoring the performance of educators and students with data. The School District calls it “Wired to Learn Fast” where the data shares performance of students and classrooms in real time. It shows where teachers may need professional development, or a student needing encouragement through focused instruction. In her announcement, Dr. Schafte says, “It’s a commitment to being responsive, agile and relentless in the pursuit of student success.”

Dr. Moore also saw an opening to really expand opportunities for students. As he shared as a guest of the State Board of Education on June 4th, school choice became a priority. Dr. Moore said, “Shortly after I arrived to Indian River, I asked the board to reconsider our boundaries by eliminating them. We are a complete, 100% choice district. One in 4 of our students are in a school of choice.”

In the 2025-2026 school year, choice now includes an opportunity for parents to send their kids to Classical School at Pelican Island. It is the second of its kind in the Florida public school system. In the school choice era, Dr. Moore is aiming beyond the acknowledgment of his peers. As the leader of SDIRC, Dr. Moore received the honor of Superintendent of the Year and was a runner-up for National Superintendent of the Year.

Board member Rosario is very encouraged by these results. She said, “The latest assessment results are a testament to the collective dedication of the entire SDIRC community, where students’ work, teachers’ expertise, and unwavering support from staff, families, and community partners combined to create remarkable gains. This sweeping success underscores that excellence in SDIRC is more than a goal. It is a lived experience of high expectations, relentless effort, and shared vision. I am extremely proud and celebrate alongside the SDIRC family. ”

However, the proof of the success of SDIRC will be the increase in future enrollment numbers.

BREAKING: School Enrollment Declines to Below 14,000 in Spite of Indian River Receiving an ‘A’ District Recognition.

To that end, Dr. Moore has streamlined his executive team to eliminate administrative bloat. The School Board unanimously approved the strategic realignment plan. Dr. Moore directed an internal review as to how the District will be positioned to meet its strategic priorities of being Connected to the Community, Fueled by innovation and Driven by Leadership. The District reports the plan will save over $1.2 million annually. “This realignment reflects our commitment to building a modern, responsive organization that supports every school and department in driving results for students,” said Superintendent Dr. Moore. “It allows us to reduce inefficiencies, eliminate redundancy, and reposition our leadership infrastructure to meet today’s challenges with greater clarity and agility.”