By David Hoyt | Washington Examiner
Brevard Public Schools in Florida has undergone a radical transformation under the leadership of Megan Wright, the newest chairwoman of the school board. Wright was endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2022 and is a true driver of education reform. Since her election, Brevard has become a national model for change, spearheading significant, and sometimes controversial, new policies that already have created promising improvements in academic performance.
Wright unseated incumbent board Chairwoman Misty Belford in a hotly contested election that ushered in a new conservative majority and paved the way for her chairwomanship. With Wright as chairwoman, the district has launched multiple initiatives that are reshaping the educational landscape of Brevard County.
Once elected, Wright immediately set to work, putting parents back in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. The district passed a book review policy that grants parents oversight and control over their children’s access to books in school libraries.
While critics argue that this policy is tantamount to censorship and limits students’ exposure to divergent worldviews and systems of morality, supporters find that it gives parents a say in what young minds are exposed to, aligning educational content with their family’s values and beliefs. Indeed, these policies encourage greater parental involvement, which is a shared goal across the ideological spectrum.
When parental involvement wanes, student discipline often follows suit. As nascent “restorative justice” trends undermine discipline in other districts, order has been restored in Brevard schools over the past 18 months. Wright’s board passed a host of policies to increase student safety and learning while protecting teachers, bus drivers, and other staff. The results have been remarkable, with 99% of bus drivers stating they “felt confident in handling disciplinary events on the bus” and 86% indicating that “reporting incidents to supervisors was more streamlined and efficient.”
Unsurprisingly, Brevard’s improved disciplinary outcomes correlate to academic improvements, with the district on track for an A rating this school year, a distinction it has not received for many years.
Discipline and safety go hand in hand. Augmenting Wright’s discipline policies is a safety policy that allows trained staff to carry firearms in classrooms. This measure has sparked intense debate, but proponents have pointed out that arming trained staff is proven to deter threats. Similar programs in Ohio and Colorado have proven successful.
Wright’s commitment to student learning also led to the removal of the county’s interim superintendent, who was perceived as insufficiently focused on academic achievement. This decision underscores her resolve to hold educational leaders accountable and ensure that student achievement remains the district’s top priority. The new superintendent has already improved academic performance, with Brevard’s schools delivering better test scores and performance metrics.
One of the most innovative reforms of Wright’s tenure is the year-round schooling calendar, adopted for a portion of the district. Many parents support the change because it helps reduce learning loss during long breaks and aligns better with modern family and work schedules. Early indicators suggest this shift is positively affecting student retention and engagement, contributing to the overall improvement in academic performance.
Wright’s leadership has promoted transparency and community involvement in Brevard. She has actively engaged with parents, teachers, and other community members to solicit feedback and build consensus for reform. This civic-minded approach helps to disarm opponents and foster a sense of shared responsibility for the county’s educational success.
Wright’s tenure as chairwoman of the Brevard County school board marks a significant chapter in the county’s educational history. Her bold reforms, driven by a commitment to improving academic outcomes and enhancing school safety, are yielding tangible results. While the long-term impact of these changes remains to be seen, the early signs of academic improvement are very encouraging.
The Brevard County experience also has national implications. Because of Florida’s unusually large school districts, Brevard County is the 50th largest of America’s more than 12,500 school districts, placing it in the top 0.4%, by enrollment. Brevard serves 74,000 students, 32% more than Seattle Public Schools, for example.
Wright’s leadership is therefore a lesson to all Americans that positive education reform at the district level is possible. People can point to Brevard and demand similar performance from all schools.
Everyone is a stakeholder in the education system. Parents, educators, administrators, school board members, and even local taxpayers are directly affected by this system. Anyone who wants to see America’s grand experiment of representational democracy succeed for the generations to come should take note of what Brevard Public Schools and Megan Wright have accomplished for the students they serve.
David Hoyt is the executive director of school boards for Academic Excellence, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering school board members to reassert academic excellence in America’s schools.