PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Walton County School District is celebrating being tied for the No. 2 ranking out of 67 school districts in Florida.
“We are so proud; we have been an A school district since 2017,” said Holly Tew, the Deputy Superintendent of Walton County School District. “All of our schools are either an A or a B. We were one of only nine districts in the state of Florida that can say that.”
The school district says the success comes from the vision of leaders like Superintendent A. Russell Hughes.
“He has helped our schools and our teachers and our administrators focus on closing gaps, on really digging into our data and determining where we are leaving points on the table,” said Tew, “and what we need to be doing better for our students.”
That vision impacts each school, including West DeFuniak Elementary School.
“It’s a strong commitment from our teachers, our students, and our parents that leads to us maintaining that A,” said Darlene Paul, the principal of West DeFuniak Elementary School. “It begins at the beginning of school when the superintendent sets that vision for us for the year, and all of that trickles down to our vision, and then our teachers to the students.”
Walton High School Principal Brianna Leavins also attributes the success to her staff.
“Our staff is the best in the county,” said Leavins, “they work around the clock to make sure students know their potential, our staff knows who their students are, we build relationships better than anyone in the county, and those relationships turn into results.”
According to the Florida Department of Education, the average teacher salary in Walton County is more than $69,000. District leaders say that along with their successes are helping attract educators.
“Iron sharpens iron,” said Tew, “so when you are an elite district, and you are doing amazing, epic things, others are drawn to that success.”
Walton County leaders say they are not stopping at No. 2 and that they will keep chasing the top spot.
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