Special Letter from the Superintendent
As we come to the close of the 2009/2010 school year, I would like to thank you for your commitment to your students' education and to Duval County Public Schools. I would also like to thank the teachers, faculty and staff who make Duval County Public Schools a success.
As you know, over the past few years we have faced many challenges with the
budget shortfall. We have already had to cut more than $150 million from our budget over the past four years, and there will be additional cuts next year with the loss of federal stimulus money. I assure you that we will continue to be prudent in spending in order to ensure our students continue to receive a high quality education.
Despite our budget being significantly cut each year, we continue to make academic gains, including seeing our graduation rate increase more than 7 percentage points in the last 10 years. Last year, 45 of our schools increased their school grades by at least one letter grade over the previous year. The progress over the last 10 years is even more encouraging, as the number of “A” and “B” schools has increased more than 500%, with 102 of our 166 schools receiving an "A" or "B" last year.
While we still await the final decision on school grades from the State Department of Education, it appears that the hard work of our teachers, principals, support staff and the community has paid off, with a significant number of our schools potentially improving their letter grades.
Our Strategic Plan has been in place for nearly two years now, and we will be reviewing and updating our goals this upcoming year in order to ensure we meet our vision of providing students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in post-secondary education and/or the workforce. We are committed to success, and it is our intent to make clear and measurable progress every year toward our long-term objectives.
We are continuing to work with the community to match
business partners,
volunteers and
mentors with our schools and students. By joining this effort and helping a school, businesses and community members make a real difference in the quality of education provided to our students.
I hope that you have a great summer! Thanks again for all that you do, and for your continued support of Duval County Public Schools.
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Ed
Pratt-Dannals
Superintendent |
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