“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
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Columbia County Schools Superintendent Lex Carswell
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You have nearly 40 years’ experience as an educator including classroom teacher, coach, principal, administrator, deputy superintendent and now serving your second term as the elected superintendent of Columbia County. Of all the positions you have held in public education which has been the most rewarding and why?
Working directly with students as a teacher and coach has always been the most rewarding part of my career. This is why we do what we do. As a leader now, I try to instill in others that we must passionately and consistently help students become their best selves. No matter if it's in the classroom or on the field/court, creating our best future means inspiring and educating our students to success. Throughout my career, I have always striven to show others the right path, prayerfully leading to their best possible outcomes.
You served seven and a half years as a deputy superintendent under three different superintendents. What was the defining moment (point of realization) when you decided to run for superintendent, recognizing that you could best serve your community in that role?
I think my role as superintendent just evolved into the next chapter for me. I believe completely that God has a plan for us all; and this was His plan for me. I learned so much from each of the three leaders that I worked with. Everyday I reflect on their teaching as I try to make the best decisions for our students and community.
What is an innovative/impactful initiative in your school district that you are most proud of during your tenure as a superintendent?
The most recent initiative that we’ve developed to help our high school students navigate through high school and be prepared for University, College , or the workforce is called the Compass Initiative. It’s an online guidance counselor portal that students and parents can view 24 hours a day. It helps students/parents with choosing what classes to take, what tests to sign up for, and what scholarships are available. It is divided into four cohorts corresponding with grades 9 - 12. This year it is divided into the Class of 2023, the Class of 2024, the Class of 2025 and, finally, the Class of 2026. We have had over 2,500 people utilize the Compass Initiative at some point in the last 8 months. We have been asked to present this initiative at the National Career and Technical Education conference in Atlanta in October.
What do you feel is the most challenging barrier at this time in meeting the educational needs of students in your district?
I believe the most challenging barrier at this time is trying to overcome the COVID set-back. When students went home March 2020 we were laser-focused on high academic achievement. Though many returned the following August, some opted for a virtual platform and we had a lot of absences. It was difficult to maintain the high level of instruction we had set for all students when they were all in the classroom. We made huge strides this past year, and I look forward to continuing to build on rigorous instruction and targeted interventions to increase our academic achievement.
What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing public education as a whole?
The choices that are available to parents and students are problematic for us. It is hard to develop a budget and/or plan for the future when you don't know from year to year, or even week to week, how many students you will have. I support choice education, but we have created a state-funded environment that if parents/students don’t like anything we do they can choose to go elsewhere, with some options having little to no accountability.
If you had the ability to change one thing in the realm of public education – what would that be?
I would create an educational platform where there is the same level of accountability for every school that receives state funds.
Outside of being a superintendent, what is something that your colleagues may not know about you that you would like to share.
I am a devout Christian and family man. I love Jesus and I love my family! I can't wait to spend more time with both. I love my job, but these two things fuel me and drive me to be a better person.
Individual you admire most for their positive impact on public education:
Senator Bill Montford. He hired me at Swift Creek Middle School as an AP in the 1990’s, and he has been a guiding force for both me and public education in Florida for decades. I have always admired his willingness to lead both at the district and state level, and his ability make policy decisions that have made public education better for all. He is the absolute epitome of “Public Education” and what it represents.
If you had to choose an animal that you feel is most representative of you, what animal would that be and why?
I would choose a Labrador Retriever. They work hard, they’re loyal, they’re family-oriented, and they have fun at all they do.
Any additional comments & thoughts you would like to share?
Go Noles!
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Favorite quote:
“Feed the positive dog,” is my favorite quote by Jon Gordan. Simply put…we can feed the positive dog or the negative dog. The one we feed is the one that will grow. I’m choosing to feed the positive dog.
Book you are currently or recently finished reading:
I just recently re-read Jon Gordon’s book, The Energy Bus. This is such a great book about positive leadership and what to avoid when trying to lead in a positive way.
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Joint Message from FADSS President & FADSS CEO |
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As each Florida school district prepares to kick-off the 2022 – 2023 school year, it is important to remember that we are all in this together. As a district school superintendent, the most valued resource and trusted sounding board you have are your colleagues. We must continue to lean on one another as we navigate the ongoing challenges side-by-side and hand-in-hand.
Regardless of district size or makeup, every superintendent is facing similar challenges. Safety and security concerns, staff shortages in all areas, student and employee mental health and wellness, transportation, class size requirements, and the list goes on. Yet we must always remember that strength lies in our commonality and camaraderie.
There is no doubt that the shift in the education landscape created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact the normal delivery of public education services. Though there remains pockets of chaos and challenges at every turn, it is the commonality of these challenges that strengthen the bonds among district school superintendents and school districts.
Likewise, there is also a multitude of successes and triumphs that each of us can immediately recall and share; and it is these successes that we must continue to focus on.
Public schools are, and continue to be, the cornerstone of every community. The global pandemic established that public education is more critical for students than ever before. Like the true professionals they are, teachers in classrooms across this state have continued to step up to meet unique and extraordinary challenges, while being expected to do more than just instruct their students. Along with school leaders and administrators, they were amongst those suffering the most stress during the pandemic. Still, the greatest resource in terms of improving student outcomes is, and will continue to be, educators working together for the common good of children and their community.
As public educators, we have faced numerous crises in the past – hurricanes, recessions, and abundant social challenges – and we have prevailed. Likewise, we will do the same in overcoming the current trials and tribulations before us.
We are all in this together and will continue to navigate the current challenges side-by-side and hand-in-hand. Why? Because taking care of students has always been the first priority of public education and educators – and it is the right thing to do.
Yours in Education,
Bill Husfelt and Bill Montford
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Santa Rosa County School District Utilizes
Broadcast Classrooms to Increase Educational Access
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Have you ever wanted your student to have an opportunity to participate in a course that wasn’t offered at their school? In Santa Rosa County District Schools (SRCDS), we are bringing educational opportunities to students by way of Broadcast Classrooms.
A broadcast classroom is a classroom where live instruction for students is provided. These classrooms allow students and teachers to be online at the same time. Instruction occurs at the same time for multiple school sites. “We are using technology to put our best teachers in classrooms where they aren’t physically located,” says Michael Thorpe, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
Santa Rosa is currently in phase three of a four phase process in implementing and expanding educational opportunities using the broadcast classroom model. The broadcast classroom model is different from the virtual model. “In a virtual classroom, students may get one live lesson per week, but in a broadcast classroom, students get a live lesson every single day,” says Thorpe.
Phase one began with classes being broadcast from Locklin Technical College to one high school and two middle schools. Now fully into phase three, educational opportunities are being provided to students using the broadcast model from seven schools into nine schools. Academic opportunities being offered include:
- Cyber Security Foundations
- Cyber Security Systems Essentials
- Computer Network Technician
- Agriculture Exploration
- Chemistry I Honors
- Advance Placement Computer Science
- Dual-Enrollment English
- Dual-Enrollment College Algebra/Statistics
- Geometry Honors
Chemistry broadcast classroom teacher, Destiny Sidener, said, “Our job as educators is to connect with students. Broadcasting classes give us this amazing opportunity to connect, while providing content that would otherwise be unavailable to those students.”
SRCDS Superintendent Dr. Karen Barber, agrees. “Santa Rosa County District Schools’ mission is to Love, educate, and prepare ALL students for graduation and a successful future. Broadcast technology enables us to reach ALL our students and provide them with rigorous and personalized learning opportunities, regardless of their school location.”
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A broadcast classroom is a classroom where live instruction for students is provided. These classrooms allow students and teachers to be online at the same time. Instruction occurs at the same time for multiple school sites.
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Rulemaking Update from the State Board of Education
By Brian Moore, FADSS General Counsel
The State Board of Education (SBE) will be meeting on August 17, 2022, in Pensacola. There are almost 20 new, amended, or repealed rules on the agenda for consideration, many of which are in response to new laws enacted for the 2022-23 school year. These include updates to the School Safety Requirements and Monitoring rule, a new rule addressing the appointment of a special magistrate in response to complaints raised under HB 1557, and certification for military veterans. The agenda for the SBE meeting can be accessed here, and it includes links to the proposed rule language and any material supporting the proposed changes.
In addition, the SBE recently published several rule development notices with workshops scheduled for later this month, including two published this morning that may be very important in the interpretation and implementation of HB 1467. The two latest notices address Instructional Materials Evaluation Procedures and Elementary School Website Listing of Library Materials and Reading Lists. The stated purpose for the latter is to “describe the process and format for school district elementary schools to post materials maintained in elementary school media centers and materials found on a required school or grade-level reading list in a searchable format.”
Some of the other notices published in the last week scheduled workshops this month for rules addressing Youth Mental Health Awareness Training and Reporting, Required Instruction Planning and Reporting, Florida Principal Leadership Standards, Special Magistrate for Unresolved Student Welfare Complaints at Charter Schools, the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession, and School District Policies for Parental Notification Regarding Designation of Bathrooms and Locker Rooms. All of these rules that are now in development will likely be finalized in September and then up for review at the SBE’s October 19, 2022, meeting in Orlando.
With so much focus on back-to-school activities and the larger debates about some of the recent legislation, it is easy to lose track of other important issues that could have a significant impact on schools and district operations. As of August 12, 2022, there is no draft rule language available from the Department of Education for any of the rule development workshops being held this month, but it is a good idea to check regularly the DOE’s Rules Under Review website, which always has the latest information. Prior to their last round of workshops in late June, the DOE posted draft language for several of the rules a day or two prior to the meetings.
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The Florida Association for Career and Technical Education (CTE) recognized Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Addison Davis as the CTE Superintendent of the Year!
Congratulations Addison!
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Source: Newsmedical.net | August 8, 2022
“Based on our findings, we believe that schools need more focused efforts to improve empathy as a means to reduce these forms of harm and better protect those in vulnerable and marginalized communities. However, anti-bullying programs need specific direction as to what type(s) of empathy should be prioritized." ~ Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D.
Note: Sameer Hinduja is the lead author, professor, FAU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice within the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, and faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. He will be a keynote speaker at FADSS 2022 Fall Leadership Conference in September.
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National School District Data
30 Florida School Districts take part in the American School District Panel surveys from the RAND Corporation and the Center on Reinventing Public Education. These surveys provide a snapshot of how American school district leaders feel about pressing issues in Education. The Spring 2022 Survey Results covered topics as diverse as Superintendent career plans to Math in 2021-2022.
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FADSS 2022 - 2023 Annual Business Partners |
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Be sure to follow FADSS on Twitter [@PublicSchoolSup] and tag FADSS in your district tweets so we can share the great stories and happenings in Florida public schools across our state!
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Florida Association of District School Superintendents
208 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
850.577.5784
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