Sarasota County Superintendent Terry Connor marked his first 100 days in office by releasing a Transition Report on the state of the schools. Meanwhile, the state released annual grades for schools and districts, showing Sarasota County schools maintaining or improving their grades from last year.

The update on the nuts and bolts of the district came while various controversies and personal scandals dominate School Board meetings. But the superintendent’s report stresses the state of schools remains in good shape in the A-rated school district.

“The findings of the Transition Report are both enlightening and inspiring,” Connor said in an announcement. “They underscore our district's strengths, such as our dedicated staff and a strong sense of community, while identifying areas where we can grow and improve. This balance is crucial, as it ensures that our approach to education remains grounded in our successes and ambitious in addressing our challenges.”

The report said commits to a collecting data on progress and assessing the alignment of strategic plan initiatives.

It also has a section devoted to deliverables in the future, which touches on union negotiations that best incentivize great teachers working in the “most fragile schools,” establish better protocols for handling constituent inquiries and disseminating information to the public. The report also makes note in several parts of a desire for students to receive a personalized education approach preparing them for the modern world.

“The Sarasota County School District stands on the cusp of transformative growth, buoyed by the commitment of our educators; the engagement of our parents/families; the enthusiasm of our students; and the invaluable input from our community,” the report’s conclusion reads. “The lessons we have learned are now the seeds of a strategic plan that will blossom into initiatives that will foster academic achievement, real world skill development, and the holistic growth of our students.”

The report came out the same week the state released school grades. Sarasota High School had an incomplete grade. But all other schools in the district maintained or improved on grades from last year.

The lowest graded school in the county remained Suncoast School for Innovative Studies, which had a D, as it did in 2022. But 18 of the districts 25 elementary schools received A grades, up from 10 last year; that includes the newly opened Dreamers Academy. Five of the districts middle schools have A grades, compared to four last year. Three of the six high schools in the county maintained their A grades.