JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County’s new superintendent officially stepped into his role on Monday morning.
With a $320,000 salary, Dr. Christopher Bernier is now the fifth highest-paid superintendent in the state, but that salary comes with several major issues he will need to address right out of the gate.
Specifically, a $1.4 billion budget gap that comes with the possibility of closing nearly 30 schools.
“We have to focus on our financial condition,” Bernier said after he got the job. “We have to focus on our school situation and making sure that we make the best-informed decision with the community’s input regarding how we proceed forward. And we have to do something about our enrollment, we really have to really look at why our students are leaving, and how we can get them back and how we can keep from losing them in the first place.”
MORE: Parents continue to voice opposition to Master Facility Plan that could close nearly 30 DCPS schools
INTERACTIVE MAP: Duval County School Board’s proposal to close & realign schools
The district just wrapped up a series of community meetings to discuss the master facilities plan.
Those meetings, along with an online survey, were a chance for families to express their thoughts on the possibility of closing dozens of schools amid a decline in enrollment and the gap in the budget.
In addition to potentially closing some schools, the district hopes consolidation will allow for nearly $1 billion in improvements.
Going forward, smaller focus groups representing the 11 high school feeder patterns and magnet schools will explore the impact of the various options on the table.
There’s no timeline set for when any decisions will be made.
Another challenge facing the district is allegations of abuse at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts that first surfaced last year resulting in a longtime teacher sentenced to a decade in prison and a proposed $1.45 million settlement with three former students.
On Thursday, the outgoing superintendent released a plan to protect students from sexual misconduct by district employees– the board will consider it in the coming months.
RELATED: Former Douglas Anderson student, advocate questions district’s new proposed student safety plan
The district also hired an outside firm to investigate which cost at least $30,000.
Amid the controversy at DA, the previous superintendent, Dr. Diana Greene, retired two years early in a decision the board chair at the time said was mutual. Dr. Greene received severance and sick leave payout totaling close to $135,000.
Then, the board spent $35,000 on a contract with consultants to find her replacement and after a disappointing pool of applicants, the search was restarted earlier this year and Dr. Bernier came out on top.
The reaction to the hiring of Dr. Bernier has been mixed.
He was most recently superintendent of Lee County Schools. Critics pointed to a whistleblower complaint by an employee there who alleged bullying and racial profiling. The school board dismissed the allegations, saying it did its due diligence in hiring him.
RELATED: School board chair stands behind Duval superintendent selection despite community criticisms
Dr. Bernier will be sworn in during a Tuesday ceremony and there’s currently nothing on the school board’s agenda directly linked to the master facilities plan.