superintendent's message

It is with great honor and humility that I have accepted the position of Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools. As you may know, I began my career here 31 years ago teaching mathematics at John Gorrie Junior High School. Through the various administrative positions I have held, I have had the pleasure of working with extremely dedicated teachers, principals and support staff who care deeply about students being prepared for the challenges they will face. The impact of a global, knowledge-based economy, along with a more fractured family and community support system makes our work more important now than ever before. As I have often said, “To be the best city in America we have to have the best schools in America.” While we have the largest responsibility in preparing students, we can not do it alone. We need an army of volunteers to mentor students who lack family support and guidance, in addition to assistance from businesses, non-profits and philanthropic benefactors.

Over the next several months, we will be giving presentations on our School Board-adopted Core Beliefs and Theory of Action. These contain our long-term goals and our strategies to achieve them. Our School Board is focused on the right thing; the academic achievement of every student. I have outlined six main goals for the next 2-3 years:

1. Increase Academic Achievement for All Students
   Increase overall achievement for all students while moving significantly toward eliminating the achievement gap of racial and ethnic groups and students from low income families.
    

2. Significantly Increase the Graduation Rate
   Increase the percentage of students graduating ready for post-secondary education and work.
    

3. Employ the Best Teachers and Principals
   Hire, develop, support and retain the best teachers and principals in the nation for all schools.
    

4. Establish Safe, Secure and Respectful Schools
   Establish safe schools where all individuals are respected, valued and feel secure.
    

5. Engage Family and Community Support
   Energize families, community, civic and business leaders and corporations to engage in the success of education.
    

6. Deliver High Quality Support for Schools
   Continually enhance school performance through delivery of high quality District management, operational support, and customer service.

While these are not new priorities, I think they will help us focus our efforts on the most important tasks ahead. We have created a number of new initiatives and programs over the last several years, many of which will remain. However, I commit to having a higher level of communication and listening to you, our community.

I am convinced that by working together we can make significant progress toward our goals and truly create the Best Schools in America. Community support is essential, and I look forward to our continued partnership. 

Sincerely,