Marco Dems Hear from County School Superintendent

Speaking to a packed house of over 70 members and guests at the DWCMarco March meeting at Mackle Park, Dr. Leslie Ricciardelli, Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools shared information and insights about what is happening at our local public schools, including what is going well and what she sees as current and future challenges for the schools, teachers, and most importantly, students.

Dr. Ricciardelli is a lifelong Collier County resident and is committed to working hard for all Collier County students to receive the education they need and deserve. 

As Superintendent, she is responsible for 64 schools, over 50,000 students, 6,900 employees, including 3,200 teachers, 255 bus routes, and 5.3 million meals served every year. She also shared that the Collier County School District is just one of 16 districts out of 75 with an “A” rating, which it has maintained since 2017, and that the district has a 93% graduation rate. 

She said that she and the School Board are fully aligned in achieving academic excellence and developing students’ intellectual capacity and confidence to become lifelong learners with strong moral character.

Dr. Ricciardelli described her belief that public schools make great communities, education builds economic strength, and real estate value depends on high-quality public education.

She expects accountability for student performance and that there should be appropriate discipline when students don’t follow the rules or act appropriately.

Dr. Ricciardelli also responded to several questions and comments raised by a very interested and engaged audience that included some former teachers.

DWCMarco continues to be actively involved in the Marco Island community. Each month, attendees at our meetings donate  a variety of foods requested by Our Daily Bread Food Pantry. DWCMarco members donated 207 pounds of cereal, peanut butter, rice, and canned meals at this month’s meeting.

The audience was encouraged to donate new or gently used costume jewelry and purses so that every Manatee Elementary School student can provide a Mother’s Day gift to their mother or other important women in their life. DWCMarco will collect Mother’s Day gift donations at its April meeting. If any member of the community is interested in donating, please contact DWCMarco at info@dwcmarco.org for a drop off location. 

DWCMarco encourages every Florida voter to register to Vote-by-Mail. Many Florida voters don’t know that, as a result of a law passed and signed by our governor in 2023, all Vote-by-Mail registrations are deleted every two years – after each Presidential election and again after each mid-term election. This means that every Florida voter who wants the option to Vote-by-Mail must register to Vote-by-Mail for the 2024 elections, even if they voted by mail for the 2022 election. 

The Collier County Supervisor of Elections, Melissa Blazier, strongly encourages every Collier County resident to register to Vote-by-Mail, even if they plan to vote in person. She describes it as “insurance” against something unexpected that prevents a voter from voting in person.

If you want to check if you’re registered to Vote-by-Mail for this year’s elections or to register to do so, you can call the Collier County Supervisor of Elections at 239-252-8683 or check on your voter information at CollierVotes.gov.

DWC Marco’s monthly meetings are open to members and guests. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, April 9 at 5:00 PM at Mackle Park Community Center. The April guest speaker is Deb Henry, who is running for Marco Island City Council. Deb will be formally announcing her campaign and sharing her vision for Marco Island. Bring your ideas as she plans to have an open dialogue with our members as to what is important to them and what they can expect from our local government. 

For more information about meetings, membership, or supporting our charitable efforts, go to dwcmarco.org or contact us at info@dwcmarco.org.