JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board has taken the next step in its search for a new superintendent following the retirement of Dr. Diana Greene.
On Tuesday, board members voted unanimously to allow city attorneys to negotiate a contract with the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA) to administer the search.
The CEO of FSBA presented to the board last week and she laid out what the process will look like and the decisions the board will need to make along the way.
The FSBA is a non-profit headquartered in Tallahassee.
According to its website, the association’s mission is to “to increase student achievement through the development of effective school board leadership and advocacy for public education.”
It also conducts superintendent searches.
School board member April Carney said she’s heard good things about the group in talking with colleagues in other Florida counties.
“There was not one negative comment. Especially coming from Manatee and Brevard, they were extremely pleased with the results. They were extremely pleased with the process,” Carney said.
Board members also said settling on FSBA, rather than soliciting multiple possible options by putting out what’s known as an RFP, or a “request for proposal,” would save time.
“The RFP is cumbersome and takes time and will extend the process,” board member Lori Hershey said.
Hershey said FSBA didn’t have the capacity to take on Duval County’s last search for a school superintendent.
“The reason I think sometimes boards tend to go with their state association is because they’re most familiar with what is impacting their state at that time,” Hershey said.
And there is a lot going on in Florida right now.
Last week, the CEO of the Florida School Boards Association said fewer out-of-state candidates are applying for superintendent jobs in Florida due to recent controversies and salaries are going up.
Despite FSBA’s focus on Florida school boards, the search for a new superintendent will be national.