JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board hopes to have a permanent superintendent in place by January after the early retirement of Dr. Diana Greene in July. Dr. Dana Kriznar is currently serving as interim superintendent.
But before school board members move forward in their search for a superintendent to lead the district, they want to hear from the community.
The district is holding six community forums over the next two weeks to talk about how the search for the next superintendent is going and the responses they’ve received to a survey that community members have been asked to participate in.
DCPS wants the public to feel included in the search, but this process will move fast, as a new leader is expected to be chosen before the end of the year.
The first community forum was Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Baldwin. Participants at the forums are being asked several questions, including what they see as the strengths and challenges in the district and what qualifications they want in the next superintendent.
During the hearing, four participants gave feedback varying from concern for underprivileged students to how the new leader will improve bus routes for students. They said they want a person with good written and oral communication skills, an inspirational leader, apolitical, student-driven, team-oriented, with a local connection, and who accepts teacher input.
Gregory Sampson, a retired teacher, said he felt heard during the forum and will wait to see what happens next.
“I am going to have faith in this school board right now,” Sampson said. “I’m not going to prejudge them. They are committed to doing the best job they can and finding the best superintendent for Duval County.”
Another retired teacher told News4JAX that she hopes the next superintendent will be similar to Dr. Greene.
“We’ve made some bad mistakes in the past, but I loved our past superintendent. I thought she did an excellent job,” Vera Standifer said. “So if we can get someone of the same caliber or even better, I think we will do a great job.”
The forum lasted about an hour to 90 minutes, and community members were not given a limit on their answers to the questions from school officials. The facilitators want to hear from the public because these answers will be presented to the next superintendent.
Another forum was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Westside High School.
Over the next two weeks, the meetings are scheduled for the following dates, times and locations:
Thursday
- Atlantic Coast High School media center -- 6 p.m.
Aug. 29
- Raines High School media center -- 6 p.m.
Aug. 31
- Fletcher High School media center -- 11 a.m.
- Sandalwood High School media center -- 6 p.m.
If you can’t attend a meeting in person, you can do so virtually, but you must register first. To register, go to https://dcps.duvalschools.org/search and choose the date you would like to participate online.
Board members will attend the forums to greet and thank people for engaging.
The school board wants community members to share their opinions on what they’re looking for in the district’s next superintendent.
The eight-question survey that’s now available online includes ways Duval County Public Schools can hire and retain what it considers “highly effective” educators.
SURVEY: Click here to share your thoughts with DCPS
It also asks about transparency when it comes to what the district is doing with the half-cent sales tax, ways the district can provide support to struggling students and how to establish a culture that leads to a student developing academically, socially and emotionally.
It ends by asking community members to list the district’s biggest strengths and the most significant challenges it is facing.
None of the questions ask about a superintendent candidate’s education, background or experience.
School Board Chair Dr. Kelly Coker has said that what the community wants to see in the next Duval County schools superintendent is vital to the search.
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The board is hoping to get survey responses from across the community.
Coker said they’re going to use that feedback when they advertise the position in a national search.
After hearing from the public about what they want in a superintendent, the plan is to post the job in mid-September and identify semi-finalists about a month later.
Here’s a look at the process:
- Oct. 18: Semifinalists will be selected
- Nov. 16-17: More interviews with 3-4 finalists
- Nov. 21: New superintendent selected
“We’re staying on this timeline,” Coker said. “The only thing that could interfere with it is [if] the caliber of candidate isn’t what we’re looking for. But at this point, that’s the timeline, and we’re hopeful we’re going to draw really strong applicants.”