MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

✅ ON THE BALLOT ✅ Did you know?! Homeowners with a homestead exemption on last year's property tax bill (and continued for this year's bill) will see a DECREASE in school property taxes this year, even though property values have increased! This fact remains true even when factoring in the renewal of the "up to" one half-mill on August 23. View examples: https://bit.ly/3c6fx0q. 🗳Early voting is underway! Learn more about voting in Martin County: https://www.martinvotes.gov/. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD🍎 The Martin County School Board Members would like to welcome students, families and staff back to the Martin County School District for the 2022-2023 school year. 👀 Take a few minutes to watch this video as each school board member highlights what educators and staff can look forward to for the upcoming school year: -New math materials made by teachers and for teachers, keeping simplicity in mind -High teacher salaries and increased substitute pay -Expansion of mental health support -Opening of two brand-new elementary schools (Palm City Elementary School & Jensen Beach Elementary School) -Prioritizing and constantly improving school safety We hope every student and staff member has a wonderful school year full of learning and growth! https://youtu.be/4NwmwkczH0M #ALLINMartin #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

✅ ON THE BALLOT: MILLAGE REFERENDUM RENEWAL✅ The Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors has endorsed the renewal of the millage referendum. The Martin County School District's need for a millage rate increase referendum comes down to the way schools are funded in Florida. At the state level, the Florida legislature determines the maximum amount of total K-12 spending in the state. The legislature sets statewide millage rates for local property taxes, along with the portion of local taxes each district must collect. Many residents are surprised to learn that due to our higher property values, Martin County does not receive as much state funding as other school districts. The state's funding formula attempts to create a level playing field for all of Florida's students, whether or not they reside in a county with high property tax values. The state allocates funds to local districts based on enrollment. A millage referendum is the only way a school district can secure additional funding for operational needs (salaries, academic initiatives, safety personnel) that cannot be covered using the funds allocated by the state. The existing millage referendum, which was generously approved by Martin County voters in 2018, provided an additional revenue of $47 million to fund key operational programs and services. One hundred percent (100%) of funds generated by the existing millage have stayed in Martin County. 🗳Early voting is underway! Visit martinvotes.gov to learn more. Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎ON THE AGENDA🍎 Today's School Board meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. View the agenda: https://bit.ly/3SIJa8w Watch the livestream: https://youtu.be/eQ_mvs-3XYw #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

Rise and shine with our Doodle for Google CHAMPION on your mind! Visit Google.com today and check out the featured art to see for yourself! 💻 🎨 🏆 Thanks in part to our generous Martin County community members, who went #ALLINMartin👊 with their voting, Martin County High School senior Sophie Araque-Liu has been named the winner of Google’s annual student art competition. Sophie has earned a $30,000 college scholarship for herself and $50,000 for the establishment or improvement of a tech lab at MCHS! Read more: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/doodle-for-google-winner-cares-for-herself-by-not-going-it-alone/ #MCSDTheRippleEffect #PublicSchoolProud

✅ ON THE BALLOT: ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY✅ The Martin County School District's Millage Oversight Committee has carefully monitored the spending of millage funds for the past four years to ensure complete alignment with what was promised to voters in 2018. Ms. Jessica Ville, a Martin County parent and taxpayer, serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee. She spoke in favor of renewing the millage during the Martin County School Board meeting on July 19, 2022. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/PIhJZ5GHlqg 🗳Early voting is underway now through August 20. Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

💻 FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY💻 Don't forget, families! You may complete your child's emergency card and your #BacktoSchool parental consent forms electronically in the FOCUS Parent Portal. Click here to access the FOCUS Parent Portal: https://martin.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/ If you do not currently have access to the FOCUS Parent Portal, click here to view instructions for claiming your account: https://martin.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/auth/ 📲Have questions about accessing FOCUS? Contact the data entry registrar at your child's school. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🌞 RISE & SHINE🌞 We're #ALLINMartin👊 and ready for our first full week of learning! See you soon, students! #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

🍎MONDAY MORNINGS WITH MILLAY🍎 Tune in to the WSTU 1450 AM Morning Show at 8 tomorrow! Superintendent John D. Millay will discuss the excitement felt throughout the District at the start of the new school year. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

💜Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care💜 Port Salerno Elementary School staff took a different approach when it came to preparing for the new school year. Teachers went on a field trip throughout the Golden Gate and Port Salerno communities to see where their students come from and what kind of resources are available after kids leave their class. Administration set up this field trip in hopes to give their staff a new perspective and create stronger connections with their students. Some of the stops along the tour include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County--Port Salerno site, the Lamar Howard Park Cassidy Center (managed by Martin County Parks and Recreation) and Elev8hope. WATCH: https://youtu.be/xQgtOlgAYpU #ALLINMartin #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

🍎FIRST DAY RECAP🍎 Icebreakers, campus guides, setting goals and lots of emotions...there's a little bit of everything on the first day of school. This year is the year of the #MCSDRippleEffect. It's the opportunity we each have daily to go #ALLINMartin👊 within the Martin County School District and make a difference in the lives of our students. It could be as small (and adorable) as South Fork High School football players guiding Crystal Lake Elementary School kindergartners to their classroom, or as big as helping every child reach their educational goals this year. Let's make the 2022-2023 school year amazing together! Watch the video: https://youtu.be/MqtXxz4PPZo #ALLINMartin👊 PublicSchoolProud

✅ON THE BALLOT✅ The TCPalm Editorial Board has recommended that Martin County voters approve the millage referendum renewal on their ballots this month: "In a perfect world, there would be a better way for Florida school districts to adequately fund their operations without seeking voter approval every four years. Unfortunately, though, the state's formula for funding schools sets limits on how much districts can spend on their own without these types of referendums. If approved by the voters, the bulk of the money raised through the millage levy would supplement compensation for teachers and school support staff members. Smaller amounts would fund school resource officers and mental health counseling programs. Recruiting and retaining teachers is an issue in Martin County and elsewhere. School districts are using whatever methods they can, including millage referendums, to keep their classrooms staffed by qualified workers. If voters approve this referendum, it will essentially keep in place a funding structure comparable to the one voters approved four years ago. If the referendum is rejected, it might force the Martin County School Board to take actions that would effectively reduce take-home pay for teachers and support staff. It could also result in cutbacks to school safety and mental health programs at a time when school shootings, bullying, and other problems are all too frequent. A "yes" vote is recommended to provide a short-term solution to address these issues." Read via TCPalm: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/2022/08/10/tcpalm-recommendations-martin-school-tax-st-lucie-tax-abatements/10240082002/ Get answers to frequently asked questions about the millage renewal here: https://www.martinschools.org/page/referendum ✅Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎🍼BEGININNG WITH THE END IN MIND🍼🍎 Talk about a cuteness overload! 💕 Warfield Elementary School welcomed its first "Future Warrior" of the 2022-2023 school year today! This handsome little guy's big sisters are enrolled in 3rd and 4th grades at the school. Are you or someone you know the parent of an infant who will one day be a student in the Martin County School District? Visit the school nearest your home to pick up your own Future Graduate t-shirt! 🎓🎓 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

📸 FIRST DAY VIBES📸 The Martin County School District's #FirstDayofSchool was filled with excitement, anticipation, positivity and happiness! Our faculty, staff and administrators are looking forward to an outstanding year filled with new opportunities to educate all students for success. Please continue sharing your photos with us using #MCSDTheRippleEffect. 🍎📚🍎📚 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

💧 THE RIPPLE EFFECT💧 📸We love seeing all of your #FirstDayofSchool photos, families!📸 Please continue to tag us in your memories on social media using #MCSDTheRippleEffect. The Ripple Effect is the opportunity we each have daily to go #ALLINMartin👊 and make a difference in the lives of our students. We love seeing our community get into the spirit with us! 💕💕

🍎FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL READY🍎 It's the first day back to school for many students, teachers and staff, and it's also a brand new start for more than 100 Martin County School District employees! Although these educators might be in a new career, educational role or school building, our Professional Development team made sure they were ready to begin the year on the right foot and with a lot of support. Our annual three-day New Educator Orientation is a great way for new staff to learn the in's and out's of the Martin County School District and what it means to be #ALLINMartin👊! Check out some of the new faces you'll see around the district 👀 👀 https://youtu.be/ZLehM_DoEJg

🍎 WELCOME BACK, STUDENTS! 🍎 We are #ALLINMartin👊 and ready for a fantastic 2022-2023 school year! #FirstDayofSchool #PublicSchoolProud

✅ON THE BALLOT✅ Q: If Martin County property values are increasing, why is there a need for an additional millage? A: Although home and property values may be rapidly rising at the moment, the Florida legislature sets K-12 statewide millage rates for local property taxes, along with a funding formula aimed at creating equitable school funding throughout the state. The established funding for each student is a set dollar amount in every Florida county. The state also caps school districts’ spending to create a level playing field statewide. In other words, Florida’s school funding formula is not directly tied to a community’s property values. The MCSD School Board is also committed to only using revenue that is absolutely necessary to continue funding programs and services for students. If the Board finds that it does not need the full ½-mill provided through the proposed referendum, it will not assess and collect the full half-mill. The collection "up to" the half-mill that is already in place will be determined using the annual Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice. Get answers to frequently asked questions about the millage renewal here: https://www.martinschools.org/page/referendum ✅Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎 #BACKTOSCHOOL COUNTDOWN🍎 The first day of the 2022-2023 school year is TOMORROW! Be sure to have your child go to bed on time tonight so they will be ready for learning in the morning. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎 EDUCATING ALL STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS🍎 Superintendent John D. Millay spoke with Matt Lincoln of CBS 12 News about the Martin County School District's preparations for the new school year. Click below to hear more from Dr. Millay. https://cbs12.com/news/local/one-on-one-with-martin-county-superintendent-dr-john-millay #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud