Putnam County Superintendent of Schools Rick Surrency is seeking re-election this year. He defeated challenger Paul Adamczyk in the Republican primary in August. There is a write-in candidate who qualified for the general election, so the primary was only open to Republican voters in the county.
News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
Rick Surrency
Occupation: Superintendent of Putnam County School District
Age: 67
Family: My wife Penny and I have 6 children and 10 grandchildren.
Education: Bachelors Degree- University of Florida, History, 1980
Masters Degree- Nova Southeastern University, Administration/Supervision, 1985
Doctorate Degree- Nova Southeastern University, Educational Leadership, 1992
Political experience: Elected Superintendent, Putnam County School District in 2016 and 2020.
Running for a 3rd term in 2024.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Student and staff safety: I plan to continue best practices of hardening schools, following safety protocols, and implementing our first in the state guardian program. Our guardian program was implemented in 2018 along with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to provide highly trained armed school personnel to work alongside uniformed school resource officers to protect students and staff from an armed intruder.
2. Teacher Recruitment and Retention: We will continue to aggressively recruit prospective teachers from universities. We offer a very competitive salary and a nationally recognized Novice Teacher Mentor program to support 0-3 year teachers in all aspects of their profession. Our novice teacher retention rates have improved from 65% to 93% in the past 5 years. We also have a Grow Your Own program to provide the opportunity for teaching assistants to earn their teaching credentials while working in the schools.
3. Continued improvement in student outcomes: Our teaching and learning department provides quarterly professional development for all district teachers in highly effective instructional practices. Teachers are supported by side by side coaching and continual collaboration with fellow teachers. Students are regularly assessed in the state standards and provided with additional supports to reach grade level proficiency.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I have 46 years of experience in the field of education. Twenty-two years as a school based leader and 8 years as the superintendent. I have extensive classroom experience and know what teachers must have to be effective. My opponent has 0 years of experience in public education.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would hope to remembered as the superintendent who did the following for Putnam County:
1. Increased graduation rates from 54.9% in 2015 to 92.5% in 2021, the largest increase in the state during that period of time. We are still above the state average in 2023.
2. Removed 11 of our 18 schools off the state turnaround list. There are currently no schools in our district in state turnaround.
3. Developed a systematic K-12 STEM plan to provide career pathways for jobs of the future. Our district was just designated as the first school district in the nation to be accredited as a STEM school district.
4. Developed a 10 year Revitalization Plan to build 9 new schools over the next 10 years. With the combination of state facility funding and the passage of a $300 million bond issue in 2022, our students will attend state of the art schools that are made to the highest safety standards. We currently have 3 schools under construction.
5. Developed high level instructional leaders in the school district. In 2020, one of our principals was named the Florida State Principal of the Year, In 2024, one of our assistant principals was named the Florida State Assistant Principal of the Year, In 2023, I was named the Florida State Superintendent of the Year.
Campaign website: www.superintendentsurrency.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
A write-in candidate, Pat Wilson, also qualified for the race. A line for a write-in candidate will be on the general election ballot, though Wilson’s name will not appear.