MIDDLEBURG – One of the standing procedures of the SafetyNet Alliance meetings is for everyone to introduce themselves and give a brief description of the service they provide.

Since SafetyNet is an alliance of stakeholders who work to improve communication and efficiency in finding solutions for county issues, when it came to School District Superintendent David Broskie’s turn, everyone in the room started clapping before he finished saying his name.

The ovation grew louder when he said, “Superintendent of the greatest school district in the state of Florida.”

Broskie was the guest speaker at the Aug. 21 monthly meeting. While most already knew the district had an impressive academic record, few realized what it takes for students to reach their goals.

“Our theme this year is impact, to have impact on students,” Broskie said. “If you look at it, it's kind of like a drop of water coming down. When that drop hits the water, it causes a ripple effect. I call it a tsunami of goodness, OK. Everyone in this room is part of that tsunami coming over. And quite frankly, we can't do it without you."

Broskie reminded the community leaders that there are more than 5,000 employees in the school district. School buses travel approximately 3.2 million miles per year, equivalent to 129 trips around the world. He also said the district serves 5.6 million meals a year and air conditions 6.7 million square feet of space.

But more importantly, the numbers achieved in the classroom are impressive.

“Last year, we were an ‘A’ rated school district, and 93% of our schools are an ‘A’ or ’B,’” Broskie said. “We're first in the state of Florida in civics. We take great pride in supporting law enforcement, our military, and our civic institutions, and in being good citizens. Those are kind of bedrock, the very foundation of who we are as a community. The school system must reflect the community we serve, and we are proud to be third overall in the state.

“So if you take 67 counties and you line them up from the highest achieving to the lowest achieving, Clay County, third in social studies, fourth in U.S. history, fourth in ELA, which, in the old days you would call reading or English language arts, fifth in eighth grade math, seventh overall in science, 10th in ELA, 10th in math overall. So, we're in the Top 10 of all school districts statewide.”

Broskie said the biggest challenge is managing growth and building on academic success.

“We try to be nimble, because fiscally, the amount of money that you have is never enough, right? Anybody would say that,” he said. “Let's just take Oakleaf Junior High to show you kind of the flexibility and nimbleness that you need to have. Oakleaf Junior High, when it opened, it was K-8. then it went 6-through-8, then it went 7-through-8. Now it's going back to 6 through 8. So, we're going to address it in each community of growth.”

Instead of building two new schools in fast-growing areas, the district added buildings at Oakleaf and Lake Asbury Junior highs to add sixth-grade classes. That adjustment costs less than building a single school.

“As growth happens, we’re going to do the fiscally responsible thing,” he said.

Which earned a final round of applause.