Good Afternoon, Sunland
It’s Tuesday! Hope y’all are doing well. I want to start by giving a big shoutout to Jess, who just became a People Pass member.
She left the kindest note, and I’m going to drop the screenshot right below so you can see it for yourself.
This kind of support means everything. If you want to help keep this newsletter going and growing, you can become a People Pass member right here: buymeacoffee.com/sunland/membership.
I appreciate you all. Thank you so very much.
Ja’Min Devon
🍋 The Main Squeeze: How SLPS really got that A
Last week I posted a video and story about how St. Lucie County Public Schools became an A-rated district for the first time ever. Most people showed love. Rightfully so.
But I kept seeing this idea pop up that the only reason we got an A is because teachers are just passing kids or being lenient in the classroom. So I took it a step further. I attended and rewatched the full July 8 board meeting and looked into exactly how school and district grades are calculated in Florida. Here’s what I found.
📊 How district grades actually work: Florida’s grading system is made up of 12 separate areas called cells. Each one is tied to state testing, learning gains, acceleration, or graduation rate. The day-to-day classroom stuff doesn’t really factor into the district grade except for graduation.
To get an A, a district needs at least 762 out of 1200 points. St. Lucie scored 777. That’s 65 percent. The graduation rate makes up just 8 percent of the overall grade. Everything else is test data and benchmarks.
So no, a teacher giving you a 70 instead of a 68 is not the reason the district got an A.
🚀 How we pulled it off: This wasn’t a fluke. St. Lucie County outpaced the state in every single accountable area this year.
We improved 44 points across the board. The state improved by 16.
Reading went up 43 points
Math jumped 35
Algebra proficiency rose 5 percent
Geometry went up 7
Graduation rate hit 94 percent
Middle school and college acceleration both climbed
No D or F schools in the entire district
Ten years ago, 36 percent of our schools were rated D or F. Today, 80 percent are A or B.
💬 Why it matters: This isn’t about spinning numbers. It’s about long-term growth.
More students are reading better, graduating faster, and earning college credit earlier.
This took work. From the kids. From the teachers. From the schools.
📣 Watch or weigh in
🥳 What’s Happening: 5 Out of Town Events
Wed Jul 16
🤝 Business2Business Expo – IRSC Wolf Tech Center (Port Salerno) – Network with 70-plus vendors, from IT pros to CPAs, plus hosted bar & giveaways. | 5 – 8 PM | Free | Details
Thu Jul 17
🎰 Vegas Nights – Riverside Theatre (Vero) – Casino-style tables raise funds for youth tuition; 18 + to play. | 5 : 30 – 8 : 30 PM | Free entry | Details
Fri Jul 18
🎸 Riptide Live in The Loop – Riverside Theatre – High-energy cover band, lawn-chair seating, full bar & food trucks. | 5 : 30 – 9 PM | Free | Details
Sat Jul 19
🎸 Riptide Encore – Same spot, new set – Keep the weekend rolling with more classic-rock hits under the oaks. | 5 : 30 – 9 PM | Free | Details
Sun Jul 20
🎬 Hollywood Gems Film Series – Norton Museum of Art (WPB) – Big-screen classics celebrating silver-screen style & jewelry design. | 2 – 4 PM | $10 museum admission | Details
If you have an event, send it to me here
🤩 People Pass: What your support means!
From school coverage to better tools like play.sunlandnews.com, every upgrade you see is made possible by readers who pitch in. Thank you to everyone who already has. This is what the People Pass makes possible. Want to support it too?
🧾 Last Drop: Barnes, City Report, & Florida Citrus Decline
📚 Barnes & Noble Gets the Spotlight
TC Palm just did a deeper dive on the new store coming to St. Lucie West. Catch up here
📊 New City Manager Report
The July update is out with notes on city projects, public safety, and more. See the report
🌳 Environmental Stewardship Awards Open
Know someone greening their block? PSL is recognizing environmental efforts with awards, tree plantings, and citywide shoutouts. Nominate now
🍊 Florida’s Citrus Crisis
Oranges are drying up. A new investigation shows how citrus greening changed the state’s farming future. Explore the data (Requires Subscription)
🏆 Florida Ranks 3rd for Business
CNBC just named Florida one of the best states for business in 2025. See the full list
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