LEE COUNTY, Fla. — With a new superintendent for this school year in Lee County Schools, the District is also getting a new role - as Dr. Jennifer Cupid-McCoy steps into her first school year as Deputy Superintendent.
Dr. Cupid-McCoy will supervise numerous aspects including school improvement, student achievement and accountability for outcomes. Michael Ramirez will also join the district as the superintendent's chief of staff - the first Hispanic man in that position.
District leaders call it the "most diverse it has ever been" due to changing demographics and more people moving to Southwest Florida.
Lee County NAACP President James Muwakkil tells Fox 4 that it's his hope to work with Dr. Cupid-McCoy and Mr. Ramirez on issues that are critical for Black and Hispanic students.
“Alternatives to suspensions, we should see an improvement to that. The school to prison pipeline, where students are arrested and a lot of time wind up in prison, we should see a decline in those numbers," says Muwakkil.
"We have to make sure that we view the field so that we can find people who are representative of our diverse community and also have the qualifications and competency to do the job," adds Mary Fischer, Vice Chair of the Lee County School Board.
Dr. Cupid-McCoy and Mr. Ramirez were officially appointed to their new positions on August 1st.
