Pinellas County Schools welcomed about 85,000 students back to classrooms Monday morning. When asked to describe the 2025-26 year with one word, Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said, “Excitement.”

Hendrick explained that “success begets more success,” and he plans to capitalize on momentum. The school district recently earned its second consecutive “A” grade from the state despite never reaching that benchmark until 2024.

Staffing is no longer an issue and employees will see new raises. The district is also celebrating reopening Gulf Beaches Elementary for the first time since Hurricane Helene decimated the school nearly 11 months ago.

“I think it’s important that people in the community, whether they have children in our schools or not, know that their school district is among the very best in the state,” Hendrick told the Catalyst. “We had 90% of our schools earn an A or a B, and that was unthinkable five years ago.”

Hendrick said a focus on early literacy “continues to pay off.” Teachers and students are “doing better every day.”

Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg earned its first B grade in a decade. “I think Lakewood is finally getting into some of that untapped potential, and I think you’ll see continued improvement,” Hendrick said.

“There’s such a community spirit at that school, and how do you capitalize on that – not only athletically but also in the classroom,” he added. “And I think that’s what Principal (Conneisha) Garcia has been able to do.”

Hendrick noted that Helene inundated Gulf Beaches Elementary in St. Pete Beach with about three feet of water last September. Those students spent nearly the entire school year at Disston Academy in Gulfport.

However, the storm-displaced students and educators still earned another A grade. “In fact, they went up dramatically from the year before,” Hendrick said.

The storms forced district officials to move roughly 1,400 students at Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 to three separate schools. One was Walsingham Elementary in Largo, which shared a cafeteria with the adjacent Southern Oak Elementary School.

Madeira Beach Fundamental reopened after spring break, and district officials have combined the latter two schools into the new Walsingham Oak K-8. “What do you do when you have declining enrollment?” Hendrick said. “You find different ways to save money and trim around the ages.”

“The K-8 model is a very popular one, because there are less transitions from middle school,” he continued. “This will be our third one. Maybe over time we may look at some more, but this particular campus was really easy to do.”

Hendrick said the district has “very few” employment vacancies, including among support staff and bus drivers. Educators will receive a minimum $4,000 raise this year. Support staff will earn an additional $3,000, thanks to a voter-approved referendum.

Property taxes fund schools, and the state sets millage rates. Hendrick said about 80% of the district’s budget stems from those revenues, compared to 25% or 30% in rural areas. “The state pitches in the rest.”

While Hendrick welcomes debate over funding sources, he believes “local control has to still be there.” He noted that local lawmakers share his concerns.

Hendrick said Pinellas is home to about 20 different taxing agencies, including fire districts and the Juvenile Welfare Board. He called it “almost comical” to hear residents complain about schools affecting property taxes, “because the only place that doesn’t set millage rates is us.”

The superintendent cited middle school mathematics and high school acceleration – the number of students who graduate with college credits or technical certifications – as areas for improvement. However, the most significant challenge is declining enrollment.

Hendrick said the issue is unrelated to students leaving the district for private schools. The area’s soaring living costs and declining birth rates are behind the dramatic decrease in new enrollees.

“We’ve been graduating 7,000 students, and we have like 5,500 kindergarten students,” Hendrick explained. “Then look at housing costs – 25-year-old parents with two kids are not moving to St. Pete.

“School enrollment in general is declining across the nation because of birth rates, but it’s particularly pronounced in places that are completely built out, like we are.”

Hendrick encourages parents to engage with schools and discern ways to enhance their child’s experience. He suggested attending various back-to-school events, securing a spot in extracurricular activities and chaperoning field trips.

Hendrick said the district’s academic success has coincided with a focus on ensuring schools remain fun. He noted that children will have “plenty of worries” throughout the rest of their lives.

“Let’s let school be a place that’s fun and not something that is so stressful,” Hendrick said.

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St. Pete Catalyst journalist Mark Parker authored this report. Republished with permission. 

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