CEO Message

FADSS 2026 Fall Leadership Conference

Bill Montford



"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

— Mark Twain

It seems like only yesterday that school started back, but already October is fast approaching and with it the Fall conference. The conference theme is “Budgeting for Success”, and we are looking forward to having many district CFOs attend. Much of our time in both presentations and discussions will be focused on school budgets and finances, and our Wednesday afternoon round tables will commence with a short presentation before we break into size-like groupings that will be led by some of our most experienced CFOs. On Thursday afternoon there is time set aside for CFOs to meet together and to synthesize what came out of the roundtable discussions; we look forward to hearing their takeaways on Friday morning. 

As well as hearing about what’s new and upcoming for the next legislative session, we are delighted that the new Florida Commissioner of Education Henry Mack will be joining us along with our good friend Senior Chancellor Paul Burns.

Superintendent of Pasco County John Legg will provide valuable information on how his district is approaching the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, and we have several concurrent sessions addressing athletics, innovative school building use, as well as consolidation planning and community outreach. Friday morning will also see an update of phase 2 of our statewide marketing campaign that continues to reinforce the message that Florida’s Future Is Powered by Public Schools!

As always, conference will provide plenty of time for networking, both with peers and our business partners. We will have two opportunities to visit with our business partners as well as engage with them during the President’s Reception on Thursday evening. We are changing things up a little for the reception this time and hope it will provide a more relaxed and convivial event for all. We look forward to receiving feedback on the changes. 

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando, but if you have any questions before then regarding conference programming, please contact Katrina Figgett; or for logistics issues Kim Chapman.

Beyond conferences and statutory trainings, FADSS offers the opportunity to take part in specialized educational experiences. One of these is a program built with Eckerd College called Developing Superior Teams. Last week, six superintendents, Scott Hebert (Citrus), Gina Geiger (Gilchrist), Ray Pinder (Hernando), Dylan Tedders (Okeechobee), Jonathan Prince (St. Lucie) and Logan Brown (Sumter), along with top members of their administration, met for two and a half days to work on their team dynamics for the benefit of their districts.



The time commitment for this program extends well beyond the time at Eckerd as there are 3 major assessments that need to be completed before attendance. However, all attendees provided feedback that this was time well spent and are looking forward to holding each other accountable for improved ways of work so they can better serve their faculty and students.

September 24 Webinar | Beyond the Vacancy: Why Districts Can't Recruit Their Way to Workforce Stability

Teacher recruitment and retention is one of the most pressing challenges facing Florida districts. "Beyond the Vacancy: Why Districts Can't Recruit Their Way to Workforce Stability" is a free webinar from Impact Florida that shares practical strategies drawn from deep work with Florida school districts.

The webinar highlights measurable results, including Lee County's increase in teacher retention from 83% to 93.1% across roughly 6,000 teachers and Pasco County's finding that 91% of teachers who participated in a new mid-year orientation returned the following year, compared with a 75% districtwide new-teacher retention rate.

This is the first of a seven-part series designed for superintendents, district leaders, and HR teams. Superintendents are encouraged to attend and share the series with their teams.

Thursday, September 24, 2026, 10–11 a.m. ET.

Click here to register

SUNSPRA is proud to announce nominations are now open for their three prestigious Fall Awards recognizing excellence in educational leadership, school communications, and advocacy for public education. Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Florida's Outstanding Superintendent Communicator Award

This prestigious award honors a current Florida Superintendent who demonstrates exceptional leadership in school public relations and communications, both within the district and throughout the broader community.

Florida's School Communicator of the Year Award

The highest honor a school communicator can receive at the state level, this award recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions from active, front-line school communication professionals working full-time in school districts or education service agencies. Florida's School Communicator of the Year advances to national recognition and competition through NSPRA.

Margie Davidson Leading Light Award

Established by SUNSPRA in 2003, the Margie Davidson Leading Light Award recognizes the "shining lights" in our communities who champion and support K-12 public education.

These three awards will be presented at the FSBA/FADSS 81st Annual Joint Conference on (Thursday) December 3, 2026.

Learn more and submit a nomination here: SunSPRA - Awards Home

ICYMI

Harvard Graduate School of Education Launches The Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader

Building the capacity of superintendents to steward the future of public education with civic imagination, democratic purpose, and political skill, the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader (ISCL) is designed to strengthen superintendents’ civic leadership through executive learning, research-based tools, and field-building partnerships aimed at advancing the future of public education.

ISCL serves as a hub for field-building and partnership. By partnering with colleges and universities, professional associations, and state and local leadership, the initiative connects and amplifies efforts across the country to:

• Shape the frameworks that guide superintendent preparation nationwide
• Elevate civic leadership as a core competency of effective superintendents
• Strengthen the education leadership pipeline
• Support stable, values‑aligned leadership in communities over time

Learn more HERE