JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools is seeking input from the community about how to improve its schools. The district is holding seven meetings this month to hear ideas and suggestions from parents and others.
School Board Chairman Warren Jones said the feedback is important as the district develops its strategic plan for the next few years.
“As the old saying goes, the more eyes and ears you have on the problem, the easier it is to find a solution," Jones said. “We want to have input from as many people as possible.”
Jones said the input could vary from what subjects the district should focus on to how it can improve its graduation rate and reduce the number of turnaround schools.
Duval County earned a B grade last year, according to the Florida Department of Education. It was 1 percentage point shy of earning an A.
“We have a number of very supportive stakeholders throughout the district who support the district and can help us become an A school district, which we plan to do this coming year,” Jones said. “Our graduation rate is the highest it’s been but I think our goal should be (a) 90% graduation rate.”
The first community meeting was Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Raines High School. Face coverings and social distancing were required.
“We presented our statistics on where we are, the many challenges we face as a school district," Jones said. “And we got input from parents and other attendees.”
It was the first of several in-person and virtual meetings scheduled over the next four weeks. Some are in person and some are virtual.
Click here a complete schedule and to register for any of the sessions.