On Wednesday, Nov. 19, St. Mary’s County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michael J. Martirano, addressed the public at his State of the Schools luncheon held at the J.T. Daugherty Center in Lexington Park.

During the festive luncheon, Martirano reported that St. Mary’s public schools had surpassed major milestones and that he was very proud of the accomplishments, hard work and dedication of the students, staff, and parents that helped make the progress possible.

Martirano, in his fourth year as superintendent, held a one-on-one interview with TheBAYNET.com prior to the luncheon and stated, “Our motto, ‘Work Hard and Be Nice’ is more than just a cute phrase. It is part of our mission to refocus the school system, transitioning it from a good system to a great system.”

The enthusiastic superintendent went on to say that the Work Hard part of the motto referenced the renewed focus on academic achievement for all students. “Be Nice refers to treating each other with honor and respect. This is for students, teachers and staff alike.”

This year, SMCPS achieved an unheard of milestone in that every school in the county met or exceeded the "No Child Left Behind" Average Yearly Progress requirements. “We are one of only a few counties in Maryland that achieved AYP,” exclaimed Martirano. “Our rate of graduation for high school seniors is well up into the 93 percent range and our test scores are going up,” said Martirano. “We are making headway and will continue to strive toward more progress and success.”

Martirano expressed his desire to continue the hard work. “We have much more to do,” he said. “The accomplishments are good, but we have so much more to achieve.”

When he first took charge of the school system, Martirano put together a mission statement for SMCPS which he called, Charting a Course to Excellence. “We needed to refocus our vision and goals so that we could fulfill the promise in every child,” said the superintendent. The mission he put together divided the school system goals into a metrics of priorities.

There are four board of education goals – Increased Student Achievement, Supportive Partnerships, Safe and Orderly School Environment and Effective and Efficient use of resources. From the board level, Martirano created what he called Five Bridge to Excellence Goals – Student Achievement, English Language Learners, Highly Qualified Teachers, Safe Learning Environments and Attendance and Graduation.

The mission was then broken into a fifteen point plan of priorities for every school, student, staffer and parent. The fifteen point plan includes a structured metrics of goals designed to increase student achievement while eliminating achievement gaps. At the same time the mission calls for an alignment of curriculum and instruction and to increase attendance by students leading to increased graduation rates across the county.

“We have come so very far in a short period of time and I want to make sure that credit is given where credit is due,” said Martirano. “Our best days are yet to come. We have some of the finest teachers and staff that I have had the pleasure of working with in my 26 years in education.”

It is clear that Martirano sees every student as his own. “I have 17,000 children,” smiled the superintendent. “With the fine staff, teachers and growing support of the community and parents, there is no limit to what we may achieve in the future.”

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