The Florida Policy Institute (FPI) recently published their 2023 Child Well-Being Index that measured and ranked all 67 Florida counties by the same criteria, and Hendry County was dead last in the overall child well-being domain and the education domain based on public information collected relating to local education, health, family and community, economic well-being, and childcare affordability data.  

The FPI report can be viewed in its entirety at:  https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/9e/87/3f96fea94d29ae56779f9b4847ff/65a01a072004370c44561c49-tables-final-cwbi2023-with-statewide-data.pdf.

The report released by FPI comes on the heels of being told, after several months of public requests, that District staff are too busy to report on the goals outlined in the $25,000 board approved strategic plan. The report is also in stark contrast to social media celebrations of cherry-picked local data that when presented in board meetings, discussion is shut down when I ask for clarification about how those outcomes compare to state averages.  

Florida has experienced explosive population and economic growth over the past few years and has been a magnet for individuals and employers across the nation looking to make the Sunshine State their home and headquarters. The FPI’s Child Well-Being Index is a prime example of the information that people seeking to relocate to one of Florida’s 67 counties are using to guide their business investments. Economic growth and opportunity will always follow the data and FPI’s report is a prime, albeit brutal, reminder that it’s Hendry County versus the 66 other counties in Florida and outcomes matter.

The views and opinions expressed in the article are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of other members of the Hendry County School Board.