JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The St. Johns County School Board Auditorium hosted a small but engaged crowd Wednesday night as community members gathered to discuss the search for a new superintendent.
Christina Upchurch, chief of community relations for the school district, was among those present and shared her thoughts on the discussion.
“I think the qualities and characteristics that were provided here tonight very much emulate those of our current superintendent, Mr. Forson,” Upchurch said. “And just bringing that into the future, we’re not broken, and we just want to get better and better for children and students in our county.”
The group outlined the strengths, critical needs, and challenges facing the district that the next superintendent will need to address. They also discussed the personal qualities, professional experience, and skills the board should seek in a candidate.
Multiple parents made a point to share their input on what they want the school board to consider at a second meeting at Valley Ridge Academy. Angelica Worsham is a parent with three kids in the school district. She’s concerned that the quality of education isn’t what it once was.
“My children started at Lakeside Academy this year, and already next year, we’re in portables. Daughter’s at beachside has been open, the third year. If they’re already in portables, there’s 33 vacancies at beachside. Those kids are being taught by substitutes, out of field teachers,” Worsham said.
Andrea Messina, CEO of the Florida School Boards Association, which is assisting with the search, noted that multiple focus groups and community sessions have been conducted, with all feedback posted online.
“Certainly, everyone recognizes the challenges of growth,” Messina said. “There’s pretty clear consensus around a consensus builder, someone who can work with other municipalities and agencies and external community groups, someone who respects teachers, is student-focused, the kinds of things you would expect in a district with as high achievement as we have here.”
While change is inevitable, Upchurch expressed confidence in the district’s ability to manage it.
“I think we’ve had great leadership. We have great administrators throughout our system, we have great teachers, we have great district leadership,” she said. “That is all going to help the new superintendent when he or she comes on board to be successful in this new position, and to help us just keep growing and doing the best that we can for kids.”
At the end of the month, the school board will hold a workshop to discuss community input, approve a job description, and begin recruiting candidates.
Messina emphasized the desirability of St. Johns County for aspiring superintendents.
“You’ve got some real history here. You’ve got some successes with student achievement. You’ve got a well-managed district financially, you do have growth, but this is a very desirable district,” she said. “We’re really looking forward to a robust pool of applicants, and we’re honored to be working with the board and the community in this process.”
Worsham hopes the board will pick a superintendent who is honest and has integrity.
“Meeting the needs of parents, especially parents who have special needs, like I do, that’s first and foremost,” Worsham explained. “And you know, treating the teachers, you know, equitably, paying what they deserve, because they are going above and beyond what they should be and you know they’re not being compensated.”
If you missed the meetings on Wednesday you can fill out a survey online until Friday evening.
View the survey here: survey.alchemer.com
You can also get updates on the superintendent search on the school district website.