Board Priorities

The School Board established priorities in April to increase academic achievement and the graduation rate, improve employee morale, communications, and address the discipline of students. Below are some of the focus areas and the progress to date:

Increase Academic Achievement

Enhanced and increased professional development in core subject areas to reflect the new Common Core State standards. Principals, district staff and some teachers were trained over the summer. Added program option for middle school intensive reading. All teachers are supporting literacy improvements across all subject areas. Eligibility requirements for grade recovery were enhanced to include students completing a minimum of 75 percent of class assignments for the nine weeks, students taking advantage of learning recovery options, and participation by a parent or guardian in a required parent/teacher conference to review expectations. Modified the Superintendent evaluation systems so outcomes on the Strategic Plan are more directly tied to the overall evaluation, similar to the new teacher and principal evaluation systems. Created a Principal Evaluation System for 2012/2013 that does not include discipline numbers, however 50 percent of the evaluation is based on student performance data.

Board Priorities
Employee Morale Over the past few months, district staff has been working with Duval Teachers United to address concerns regarding teacher workload. Meeting and planning time, assessments and duplication of requirements are all topics currently being discussed. The district is in the process of finalizing the list of reductions for work requirements for teachers. This information will be provided as soon as it is complete. Discipline Language was included in the 2012/2013 Student Code of Conduct adding disciplinary actions, including immediate removal for students who direct obscene, profane, or offensive language or gestures to a school district employee. Continue using the Climate and FAME surveys to identify schools needing improvement in implementing Foundations and CHAMPS. Communications/Community Engagement Ensuring our employees and community understand the district vision, mission and priorities continues to be a goal of the School Board. Several internal and external meetings have been held over the last several months to gain input into the Superintendent selection process. The district will soon launch a tool for all employees to provide improvement suggestions and feedback anonymously. A pocket guide is being developed to assist the community with fast facts regarding our school district and budget facts.