Superintendent's Message: Commitment to Success
To
parents, students, teachers, principals, staff
and citizens of Duval County:
As we end the 2009 year and begin a
new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the
great things that are happening in Duval County Public
Schools.
There are many successes to be
proud of as we move toward our goal of becoming the best
large urban district in the United States. We are making
academic gains and our graduation rate has risen more
than 7 percentage points in the last 10 years.
Duval County has increased the number of schools
receiving a school grade of an A or B to 101, which is
more than two-thirds of the schools that receive grades,
compared to 85 last year. These gains in achievement can
be attributed to the hard work of our students,
teachers, principals, district support staff and
community partners.
Our School Board members and I are
committed to the success of every student and plan to
build on the high level of support provided by our
community of families, businesses, and community and
faith-based organizations. Student achievement has
improved and the number of students completing a
rigorous academic curriculum has increased. However, we
will not be satisfied until all of our students graduate
ready for work and post-secondary education. Our goal is
to build sustainable growth over time in order to ensure
all students receive a high quality education as we
continue our commitment to eliminate the achievement
gap.
We also faced many challenges
during the past year with the budget shortfall, and we
are not out of the woods yet. This budget situation is a
multiple year problem. Our district has reduced spending
for this coming year by changing high school and middle
school schedules, reducing transportation costs and
cutting 140 district positions, resulting in more than
$36 million in savings.
We are committed to success, and it
is our intent to make clear and measurable progress
every year toward our long-term objectives. Through the
commitment of our students, the dedication of our
teachers and the support of the community, we strongly
believe that together we will be successful.
Thank you for your continued
support. I hope that you all have a happy and prosperous
new year.
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Ed Pratt-Dannals
Superintendent
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