City Manager's Annual Report 2017 | A Year In Review | Page 24

24 |
5.
PARTNERSHIPS
WITH SCHOOLS
A key component to the idea of a high
quality of life for many residents is the
availability and access to excellent
educational opportunities. The City
Council has established “Quality
Education for All Residents” as one of
its key strategic goals. Thanks to the
hard work of St. Lucie Public Schools,
teachers, students, parents, mentors
and support organizations, there was
much to celebrate in 2017. Those
include being the second highest
ranking school district on the Treasure
Coast, where 76 percent of schools
are rated A and B, up from 42 percent
in 2016, which also included no failing
schools.
In 2017, The City Council formally
recognized these accomplishments
by passing a resolution, The City is
seeking to engage in new partnerships
to further this goal, supporting the
development of a sustainable trade
and technical workforce and providing
greater outreach to St. Lucie Public
Schools.
The Council also agreed to enter the
Bloomberg Philanthropies 2017 Mayors
Challenge, in which winning cities could
receive up to $5 million to implement
ideas. After a brainstorming session
with key community groups -- including
St. Lucie Public Schools, the Children’s
Services Council of St. Lucie County,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie,
Indian River and Okeechobee counties
and Indian River State College – the City
submitted an idea to help families and
youth who are disconnected from the
resources that support their pathway to
success. The idea, called “Connected
Port St. Lucie,” is to equip parents,
students and community members
Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E
to support youth along this pathway
through supportive neighborhood and
school-based engagement. That could
include: Guided Pathways to Success
from Cradle to Career Mobile App
and resource navigators deployed in
partnership with the Children’s Services
Council of St. Lucie, the City’s NICE
program and area schools to provide
resource outreach and training and to
partner on home visits. Winning cities
will be announced in early 2018.
Another way the City is working to
support education is by stepping up
efforts by the Police Department to
work with schools on truancy. PSLPD
has been meeting with school officials
to train officers on truancy-related
laws and policies, allowing school
resource officers to serve on truancy
committees, develop action plans and
allowing parks officers and City staff to
accompany school social workers to
homes, when needed.
OUTDOOR AREAS AT BAYSHORE ELEMENTARY OPEN TO PUBLIC
In 2017, the City of Port St. Lucie
and St. Lucie Public Schools also
partnered to provide additional
open-space fields, sports courts
and playground areas for residents
to enjoy in the evenings, holidays
and the weekends.
Certain outdoor areas at Bayshore
Elementary School are now open
for public use on school days
from 6 p.m. to sunset, and non-
school days from 8 a.m. to sunset.
The areas that are included in
this pilot program are: outdoor
basketball courts, multi-purpose
fields featuring soccer goals
and baseball backstop and the
playground near the basketball
courts.
...