INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Indian River County public schools are seeing across-the-board academic improvement, even as the district moves forward with job cuts and leadership changes.
Superintendent Dr. David Moore told WPTV that the elimination of 15 district positions, which will save $1.7 million, is part of a larger plan to strengthen education in the county.
WATCH BELOW: School superintendent calls job cuts 'strategic'
"These cuts aren't a setback — they're strategic," Moore said. "It's about making sure every student, no matter where they live, has access to high-quality education."
For parents like Zoro Mer, who has children at the elementary, middle and high school levels, the rising test scores are reassuring.
"It gives me confidence in our public school system," Mer said. "Education is super important in our family. For us, college isn't an option for any of our kids."
The data backs up that confidence.
Spring 2025 state assessments show significant gains in multiple subject areas:
• English/Language Arts (Grades 3–10): Up 5 percentage points
• Math (Grades 3–8): Up 6 percentage points
• Civics: Up 10 percentage points — well above the state's average growth
Moore credits the district's "singular focus" on student success.
"We've spent a lot of work to make sure teachers have everything they need to provide quality instruction," Moore said.
Still, the district's changes are raising questions in the community. In addition to staff reductions, several principals will be moving to new schools — a decision that initially gave Mer pause.
"Yeah, at first it did worry me with all of these principals moving around," he admitted.
However, he said those concerns faded once he saw how decisions were being made.
"They're making decisions that are best for the students, not necessarily best for the bottom line, and I’ve seen that firsthand," Mer said.
Moore said the cost-cutting moves are designed to free up funds that will be reinvested directly into classrooms.
"Saving dollars is one thing," Moore said, "but it's to reinvest those dollars to ensure we have quality education for every student, regardless of where they live in the county."
The superintendent said the district is aiming to be a model for the entire state.
