“There is within human nature an amazing potential for goodness.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
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Bay County Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt Shares Key Initiatives During His Tenure as
FADSS 2022 - 2023 President
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As the recently installed 2022 – 2023 FADSS President, what key initiatives do you plan to focus on during your tenure as president?
I believe the most important work any of us can do right now is to continue to do all we can to focus on the safety of our students and staff, while also ensuring that every stakeholder in Florida understands the critical work being done by those in public education overall. Public education is the foundation of a strong society, and I want to make sure we’re having the important conversations we need to have with our Governor, our legislators and all of our stakeholders.
It’s actually very humbling to be in this role now because, for the past 14 years, I have watched some of the most talented and dedicated educational leaders in our great state navigate us through some of the toughest times including the Great Recession, a complete restructuring of public education, endless changes in curriculum and accountability, the mental health awareness growth, a global pandemic and, of course, ongoing safety and security concerns. Through every bit of this, school superintendents across the state have been steady, calm, informed voices of wisdom and leadership and I believe all of us are critical to the success of our districts.
What do you see as the most significant challenge(s) currently facing public education?
Maybe for the first time in a long, long time, our entire country is facing the same collective challenges as we recover from the pandemic and continue to seek ways to enhance our safety and security. Twenty years ago, our focus was on academics and making sure every child had an equitable opportunity to succeed. While that is still a priority, candidly, none of that matters if our children and staff members don’t return home safely at the end of each day. Nothing in our business is more important or has a higher priority!
Another shared issue is staffing. I have been in education for 40 years and I have never seen such a critical shortage of instructional and support staff. While I think we’re all immensely grateful for the Governor’s salary initiatives, we are all starting the new school year with unprecedented vacancies and staff shortages, and that’s definitely a concern.
These two topics were the priorities in my first meeting with Commissioner Manny Diaz and there’s no doubt in my mind he understands that 67 different solutions will not equate to efficient answers. I firmly believe that he can help guide us to some collective strategies that will support us as we grow stronger in our communities, and strengthen the entire system of public education in Florida. I’m truly excited about his vision, his passion and our shared optimism for the future.
In what ways can FADSS further assist and support Florida superintendents?
The FADSS Office staff, under Senator Montford’s leadership, is the glue that holds us all together. Their vision is to make us all the most prepared and most exceptional leaders we can be. Our collective voices and experiences inspire and mold us into the superintendents our communities need and who we want to be – great leaders and good stewards of taxpayer dollars and public education.
Any additional comments or thoughts you would like to share?
These days, there’s no shortage of ways we can communicate but, as I often have to remind myself and others, communication doesn’t always equate to comprehension. I honestly believe it’s impossible to “over-communicate” these days because our stakeholders take in information so uniquely, and process it so differently than they have in the past. I think we have to capitalize on every opportunity to “brag” about the amazing work being done in our schools, while also being cognizant of the need to monitor, and manage, social media trends and newsfeeds. In my mind, the perfect balance is about 30 seconds of management and monitoring for every five minutes of celebrating and recognizing. I think it’s critical that we have proactive communication plans and dedicated staff who can oversee their implementation. All too often, we sell ourselves short in public education and let the “news” be driven by a vocal minority when, in reality, the silent majority would welcome positive stories and celebrations.
There’s an old adage that says, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will do it for you,” and I think that’s something we can all take to heart. In the midst of challenge and shortfall, we have amazing, inspirational stories to tell, and I want to help us celebrate and share them going forward.
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FADSS 2022 - 2023 Board of Directors |
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FADSS Officers, along with re-elected and newly appointed directors were recently installed during the FADSS planning retreat.
Pictured (l to r): Diane Kornegay (Lake),
Vickie Cartwright (Broward), Tim Forson (St. Johns), Sherrie Raulerson (Baker), Bill Husfelt (Bay),
Diana Greene (Duval), Bobby Pearce (Wakulla),
Joe Taylor (Washington), Russell Hughes (Walton), Robby Edwards (Lafayette) and Debra Pace (Osceola).
Not pictured: Addison Davis (Hillsborough), Jose Dotres (Miami-Dade),
Ken Kenworthy (Okeechobee) and Kam Patton (Collier).
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FADSS 2022 - 2023 President Bill Husfelt (Bay) presents outgoing president Sam Himmel (Citrus) with a commemorative gavel, recognizing her service and leadership as FADSS 2021-2022 President. |
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New Laws in Place for the Start of the School Year
by FADSS General Counsel Brian Moore
As is the case every year, most new laws enacted by the Legislature take effect on July 1, and there are then just a few weeks to make the necessary changes in response. This year is no different. Districts are holding their back-to-school meetings with administrators and staff members and looking for answers which have not yet been provided.
FADSS held a legislative review webinar on July 27, 2022, and there were nearly 100 participants. The webinar, which included a question and answer session, was recorded and made available to superintendents to review with their staff. This is in addition to other legislative reviews FADSS and other organizations have presented over the last couple of months. Most of the attention remains focused on what the Department of Education (DOE) has called the three 7’s – HB 7, HB 1467, and HB 1557. However, there are numerous other changes to implement, including new school safety and mental health provisions, not to mention the transition from the FSA to progress monitoring.
The DOE has also been busy creating rules to implement many of these new legislative changes. The State Board of Education will be meeting in Pensacola on August 17, 2022, and there are several new or amended rules on the agenda. The full list of rules on which the DOE is currently working can be found here.
The State Board will consider updates to its school safety rule (6A-1.0018) in response to HB 1421, which included new training requirements, family reunification plans, changes to the threat assessment process and more. With the switch to progress monitoring, the State Board will also consider an update to its form for collecting testing data from the districts, including how much time students spend on district and state assessments, with an update to Rule 6A-1.094224.
With respect to the three 7’s, the State Board will consider a new rule (6A-1.094125) setting forth the process for parents to request a special magistrate be appointed to review district practices and policies under HB 1557, which prohibits instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation at certain grade levels and requires districts to inform parents and obtain consent for healthcare services and any other student services affecting the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health and well-being.
The State Board will also consider amendments to its field trips and extracurricular activities rule (6A-10.085). While the notice does not cite HB 1557 or last year’s enactment of the Parent Bill of Rights in Chapter 1014, Florida Statutes, as authority for the rule, the stated purpose of the proposed changes is “to protect the fundamental rights of parents to ensure they are fully informed of the details of field trips, extracurricular activities, and other supplemental programs and activities.” Under the proposed changes, districts will be required to adopt a policy that informs parents about field trips, including:
- The nature of the field trip;
- The date(s) and time(s) of the field trip;
- Specific location(s) and type(s) of establishment(s) to be visited;
- Mode(s) of transportation;
- Method of student supervision provided, such as anticipated number of chaperones; and
- Whether room assignments for overnight lodging will be separated by biological sex at birth.
Finally, the State Board will consider rules for several new grant programs, including new programs aimed at nursing and increasing student transportation options. If adopted, these new rules should take effect in September, and this article only addressed about half of the 16 new and amended rules up for consideration on August 17th. Thus, there is much still to digest on top of all the normal back-to-school activities, and districts will be looking for additional guidance from the DOE, particularly with respect to the three 7’s.
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FADSS Education Update
by FADSS Director of Training Katrina Figgett
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2022 Fall Leadership Conference
Even though school has not started back yet, we are busy planning for the Fall Leadership Conference, September 28-30, 2022, at the Renaissance SeaWorld Orlando. Registration information was sent to superintendents at the end of June and needs to be completed no later than September 5, 2022. Once again, FADSS is extending participation in the conference beyond superintendents, and allowing each superintendent to register one member of their leadership team.
School safety, mental health, and teacher recruitment and retention, remain major areas of focus, and we will have ample opportunities to discuss these and other hot topics. We are very pleased that Dr. Sameer Hinduja from Florida Atlantic University’s Cyberbullying Research Center, who gave the keynote at the FADSS Mental Health Summit in 2018, will be with us to present new data. Additionally, we will also hear from Dr. Eric Hall, Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Further updates on programming will be provided in upcoming e-newsletters – we look forward to seeing everyone this Fall!
CEOLDP Training Update
The majority of the current CEOLDP cohort are almost halfway through Phase 2 (competency acquisition), and we are looking forward to seeing their final presentations beginning in March/April next year. The hard work they are putting in, along with their district and school-based teams, will lead to improved student outcomes in the coming years. We will certainly benefit from hearing about their endeavors at future conferences.
Zoom Meeting For Administrative Assistants/Secretaries to Superintendents & School Boards
In case you were not aware, FADSS is holding Zoom meetings for administrative assistants/secretaries the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 3-4 p.m. Following this year’s Institute in February, the group had asked for a forum to regularly connect, share ideas, and provide support. These meetings have been well attended and we look forward to continuing to offer this service.
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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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