First day of school

‘Great’ first day of school, says Superintendent; student numbers are up

Students and teachers at Crawfordville Elementary on the first day of school, Thursday, Aug. 11, an early release day.

By WILLIAM SNOWDEN Editor

The first day of school for Wakulla Public School students was a “great opening,” said Superintendent of Schools Bobby Pearce.

He said it was definitely a much better opening compared to the past two school years, which were marred by Covid issues.

No major problems reported and it looks like the district is growing, Pearce reported.

On the first day of school, Wakulla had 4,476 students, an increase of 170 from last year.

Those numbers were continuing to increase at school sites: for example, Shadeville Elementary reported 583 students on the first day, 608 on Friday, and then 624 students on Monday.

Pearce called the increases “manageable growth.”

There is the nation-wide teacher shortage and Wakulla is no exception: on the first day of school, Wakulla had a shortage of 25 teachers. By Monday, the number was down to 21.

“People just aren’t applying,” Pearce said. He noted there are openings for two teaching positions at Riversprings, but no applicants have submitted.