FADSS Enewsletter
Message from FADSS CEO Bill Montford
Consistent Involvement in the Legislative Process is Crucial
 
As we begin to navigate this New Year, with the end of the 2022-2023 school year in sight and the 2023 Florida Legislature set to convene on March 7, the demands on your time will greatly increase. Legislative committee meetings began well before the end of 2022, and many are now meeting on a regular basis.

To that point, FADSS and Florida superintendents will once again be called upon as the legislative process moves forward. Your continued support and involvement are crucial to ensure that legislators and their staff have a clear understanding of the issues and challenges facing Florida public schools, and the impact that proposed legislative decisions will have at the local level.
 
FADSS AEO David Sikes and General Counsel Brian Moore, working in conjunction with our consultants from Capital City Consulting – Ron LaFace and Megan Fay, are aggressively monitoring legislative committee meetings on a daily basis, as well as responding to legislative staff requests for substantive input regarding K12 legislation.
 
The FADSS team will provide a detailed legislative update at FADSS 2023 Spring Conference in February. In the meantime, I strongly encourage each of you to continue to have as a priority your efforts to stay in contact with your local delegation and keep them apprised of your local challenges – and just as important – your successes.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023 and as always, do not hesitate to reach out if I or any member of the FADSS team can be of assistance.


Yours in Education,
 
Bill Montford
"Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations"

- Mae Jamison
Superintendent Spotlight:
Up Close with Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Addison Davis

You boast an impressive 25-year career in public education, with 18 of those years with Duval County Public Schools where you started as a teacher before moving on to Assistant Principal, Principal, Executive Director of Turnaround, Middle School Cluster Chief, Region Superintendent, and Chief of Schools. You were then elected Clay County Superintendent in 2016 and served until March 2020, when you were appointed Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) Superintendent.  

Of all the positions you have held in public education, is there one that stands out as the most fulfilling/rewarding and why?  Over the last 25 years, the education profession has taught me so such about how to become an authentic and active servant leader. 

While teaching is one of the most rewarding roles, being a Principal was my favorite job. As a school-based leader, not only did I get the opportunity to become an instructional leader, talent manager, climate and culture leader, and operational expert, I also got the opportunity to connect with students, families, and community members and assist with building post-graduation plans. Working to change the lives of so many students and families who needed us the most was, and continues to be, the most gratifying role I have played professionally.  As a Principal, not only did I get the opportunity to build the capacity of students to become active and successful members of our society, I was also fortunate enough to be able to hire first round draft picks and collaboratively learn how to positively impact student lives. Every position I have held has helped me become a better educator, leader, and champion for kids.

HCPS recently received a $2 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Program to create a STEM Innovation Hub specifically for military-connected students (write up in FADSS November Enewsletter). While HCPS has always had strong military partnerships, what do you see as some of the most important of these, and how have they benefited both military-connected students and the student body as a whole?

Specific to the most recent DoDEA grant, the opportunity to expose students to future STEM career options and the behaviors that are necessary to be successful in multiple industries is one of the most exciting elements of the funding. This includes, among other things, the emphasis on project-based and inquiry-based learning, increasing STEM-related industry certifications, and the offering of high-interest STEM-centric clubs at the secondary level. True of all DoDEA grants, the focus is on military-connected students, but the benefits go well beyond this subgroup of a school. Ultimately, all students are allowed to participate in a variety of programming options, allowing us to maximize reach and effect.
 
Beyond the DoDEA grants, our relationship with MacDill Air Force Base is critical to our success. There are thousands of families that depend on the base for work and resources for both active and civilian personnel, making the local school district incredibly necessary for their comfort. The MacDill Coalition for Educational Excellence has become a model program for military bases everywhere, something that we are proud to be a part of and use to better understand the needs of all families regardless of their military-connected status, giving us the opportunity to continuously improve our work.

You are one of the few superintendents that has had the privilege to serve as both an elected superintendent and an appointed superintendent. Are there any insights or observations that you would like to share with your colleagues?

Let’s just say that I tip my hat to every leader who demonstrates the courage to put themselves in the political arena and run a campaign. Likewise, I have immense respect for individuals that go through a comprehensive interview process as part of an appointed superintendency. I can tell you from experience, neither avenue is easy.

Even though I was elected in Clay County, I treated the School Board members as if I were appointed. As an elected Superintendent, there are numerous benefits…one being the “psychological” stability. Under normal circumstances, you and your leadership team can strategically build a four-year implementation plan that allows for strategic innovation due to the guaranteed four-year elected term. This creates an immediate comfort not only for staff but the entire community as well. So… for those who are elected, I would say value the guaranteed time that you have to build vibrant plans that allow students to discover endless possibilities. On the flip side, transitioning from an elected to an appointed superintendent, I had to learn that the public was no longer the individuals who ultimately evaluated my effectiveness and efficiencies…but it was the Board Members who took the chance on me and created a space for me to lead. With that said, as an elected official, I ran with new initiatives, systems, procedures, and innovative solutions. What I learned quickly as an appointed Superintendent is that all Board Members must be “over” informed and engaged as think partners regarding critical decisions that impact students, finances, community partners, and the community at large. So…the greatest advice I can share is to spend time with every Board Member in order to listen, learn, and identify their “why” along with their areas of focus. Understand that whether you are appointed or elected, they must be allowed to become collaborators in our community and daily problems of practice. 

What do you feel is the most challenging barrier at this time in meeting the educational needs of students in your district?

The greatest challenge that I believe that every Superintendent is facing…is the opportunity to win the “talent war”! Education across the nation is suffering due to the social, political, and financial complexities that we are facing on an almost a daily basis. If we rewind and think about the state of education a decade ago, we were flourishing with highly qualified candidates and had very few issues with applicants. Fast forward to the present…and openly, we are starving to find an abundance of individuals who genuinely want to become lifelong educators versus individuals who are looking for employment or those who are clearly interested in just a few short years before moving out of the industry. The mindsets that many candidates bring to us is no longer the mentality that we can accept nor take. We must recruit before, during, and after hours, 365 days a year and 24/7. We must consider “out of the box” ideas when it comes to benefits and contracting. While this sounds alarming…it’s our reality. Strategies that include hosting hiring events at colleges and university graduations, setting-up booths in university student halls, and partnering with the non-college of education pathways to expose potential candidates to the profession. These are just a few ideas along with building an internal pathway for future educators. Winning the talent war is also linked to proper compensation packages that make sense, are competitive, and allow employees to earn a livable wage and raise a family. With this said, we all must continue to push legislators to make our profession more attractive with greater visible benefits.

What is an innovative/impactful initiative in your school district that you are most proud of during your tenure as a superintendent?
 
Over the last three years in Hillsborough County Public Schools, our team of educational engineers have been surgical in our approach to accelerate teaching and learning. In this timeframe, there have been many successes that include:
  • Increased graduation rate from 88.4% to 89.1% (highest ever);
  • Improved HCPS academic ranking from 35th in the state of Florida to 19th (highest ever);
  • Decreased the number of “historically underperforming “D” and “F” schools” from 28 to 5;
  • Decreased the number of overall “D” and “F” Schools from 28 to 14;
  • Reduced the number of Persistently Low Performing Schools from 39 to 18;
  • Lead HCPS to #1 in Nation in NAEP Scores for 4th Grade Reading andath Performance;
  • Increased the number of “A, B, & C” schools from 86% to 93.5%;
  • Increased student to device ratio from 6:1 to a 1:1 (20,000 mobile devices to 200,000 in 2.5 years);
  • Launched Mental Health Drop In Clinics and increased overall mental wellness supports for students at all levels;
  • Established a system of Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention options in literacy and numeracy designed to complement Tier 1 curriculum to ensure standards based instructional focus;
  • Improved High School Acceleration from 54% to 57%
  • Increased VPK seats by 210 in the 21-22 school year from 1,110 to 1,320;
  • Redesigned our Principal Pipeline to effectively streamline and strengthen the pathway to school-based leadership and have expanded this pathway to include individuals aspiring district leadership roles; and much more!
[See complete list of accomplishments in Superintendent Profile HERE.]

Outside of being a superintendent, what is something that your colleagues may not know about you that you would like to share.

Ok…you may not know…but I am a “Sneakerhead”. For those who do not know what this means, a sneakerhead is a term used to describe a person who wears/collects sneakers as a hobby. Some of you may remember, that Nike launched their first “Air Jordan” shoe line in 1985. From this point forward specific Nike, Air Jordan, SB Dunks, Air Force Ones, Air Max, and Adidas Yeezy shoes have become extremely popular, hard to obtain, and so valuable. This may sound a little crazy, but there are Air Jordan sneakers that are worth over $30,000. While I do not own shoes within this price range, I love to shop for shoes online or attend sneaker conventions to find shoes that are limited in product and are considered collectables. Overall, this is a really bad addiction that pushes sneakers owners to consistently look for rare finds along with selecting the most fashionable sneakers that will improve their shoe collection. It’s fun for certain and a neat fact. For the record, my favorite sneaker is the Air Jordan 1 OG Chicago. Have fun looking this shoe up on the web.
 
Individual you admire most for their positive impact on public education.

I have to say, there are two mentors that have genuinely helped me become the educator that I am today. The first one is Nikolai Vitti, current Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools. He is the most inspirational, strategic systems thinker, transformational leader that I have ever been around. No matter the difficulty of the tasks, he is always willing to take on the status quo especially if there are long term educational benefits that positively impact students. From Miami-Dade, leading Differentiated Accountability, transforming Duval County, to accepting to lead Detroit Public Schools when no one desired to take on this position, Nikolai proved his worth through his desire to make bold decisions and challenge comfortability. For his leadership and partnership in our work, I am grateful to have worked with and for him.

The second leader that has helped me become a better educational leader is Alberto Carvalho. There is no need for an introduction to one of the nation’s best educational leaders, but I am so grateful for his mentorship, leadership, and ability to always be accessible to help me navigate through very difficult scenarios. 
Book you are currently reading:

First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham

Favorite quote:

"If you believe in the doubts in your mind,
you won’t achieve the dreams in your heart."
– Marinela Reka


Access Superintendent Davis' full profile via this link.
Early morning schools visits and "fist bumps" with students is a regular part of Superintendent Davis' day.
District Spotlight: Wakulla County Schools
Wakulla County Public Schools Creates Classroom Library Inventory App as Solution to Rule 6A-7.7013

The passage of 1006.28(2)(d)3, F.S. requires that “Each elementary school must publish on its website, in a searchable format prescribed by the department, a list of all materials maintained in the school library media center or required as part of a school or grade-level reading list.” In further clarification by rule 6A-7.7013 the definition of a school library was extended to include classroom libraries. The rule further describes the process and format for elementary schools to post materials found in libraries and classroom libraries and what information must be searchable.

Though schools already have systems in place to allow for the searching of library books by title and author, classroom library books are not routinely added to those systems and are therefore not readily searchable as required by law.

Wakulla has recently created and implemented a solution which scans books by barcode using a mobile app, downloadable for Apple and Android devices, that assigns the books to schools and teachers and makes them viewable and searchable by the public. Wakulla is pleased to provide this customizable app free to all Florida School Districts!

To learn more, you can dowload a flyer with a clickable link that will take you to the site so that you can view the interface or click on the image. Wakulla is offering to provide training podcasts and beginning support, to help districts who would like to implement this solution get up and running.

If you would like further information, please contact WCS Superintendent Bobby Pearce.    
ICYMI
Agriscience Education Leadership Program

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees the Agriscience Education Leadership Program (AELP) which allows participants to take part in leadership training and tour different agriculture operations throughout the state. The goal is to provide middle and high school agriscience teachers, science teachers, and administrators, with an opportunity to expand their knowledge of the Florida agriculture industry and empower them as leaders. Up to 15 educators are chosen to participate in the program every year.

The process to participate in the program starts with potential participants being nominated by their district superintendent before completing their application.

The Superintendent Nomination Form opens April 5th and will be available at https://www.fdacs.gov/Education/Agriscience-Education-Leadership-Program/Superintendent-Nomination-Form. The nomination deadline is May 5, 2023.

More information on the program can be found on this Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services webpage.


E-Rate Money for Cybersecurity? The FCC Is About to Get an Earful From Schools

As cyberattacks on schools grow increasingly disruptive and complex, the Federal Communications Commission wants to hear what educators think about allowing schools to use federal E-rate funds to pay for more advanced internet security firewalls.

The request for comment on that proposal — often the first step in revising the rules for federal programs — was posted Dec. 14, and comments are due Feb. 13.

The FCC is likely to get an earful from the K-12 community over the next two months, including some voices clamoring in favor of the proposal, and others who caution it may divert resources from the E-rate’s primary focus of connecting schools and libraries to the internet, without doing much to improve cybersecurity.

Continuing reading this article HERE.
2023 Launch to Learning: STEM Meets CTE Event

Registration Now OPEN

We were thrilled last year that so many of you were able to join us to experience the first of its kind program offered to educators by Blue Origin’s Club for the Future and Northeast Florida STEM2Hub. We started with a relaxed evening gathering and spent the next day at the main Blue Origin Facility at the Cape and at their orbital launch complex. 

This year, we are delighted that due to our continuing relationship with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future and Northeast Florida STEM2Hub, we are once again able to offer a unique experience for superintendents and CTE administrators on March 30-31.
Last year we were able to see down into part of the High Bay where the rocket manufacturing occurs, but this year, we are going to be able to tour the whole of the High Bay floor and talk to the engineers that work on the various components. This will be a wonderful opportunity for district CTE administrators to ask questions regarding the training and skills needed to best qualify their students to fill the increasing vacancies at the Space Coast.  

We will also have the opportunity to hear from leaders in the space industry with a focus on CTE, and like last time, tour Blue Origin’s launch pad and hanger complex with a photo opportunity at the Interplanetary Road to Space 0 mile sign at the launch pad ramp.

Last year we were exceptionally lucky that during lunch there was a Space X Falcon 9 Starlink Satellite launch that we got to see. We can’t expect to be so lucky this year, however, we will have the opportunity to board the New Shepard crew capsule which will be on site.

This promises to be a wonderful day that will highlight the importance of STEM and CTE in our curricula as we look to prepare our students to take advantage of the employment opportunities in the space industry.

An email from FADSS with a registration link and detailed information was sent to all superintendents on Thursday, January 12. If you did not receive the email or have any questions, feel free to reach out to Katrina Figgett or Diana Oropallo.

We look forward to seeing you and your CTE administrators in Cape Canaveral!


June 2022 “Launch to Learning” participants at the Interplanetary Road to Space at the Blue Origin Complex.
FADSS 2022 - 2023 Annual Business Partners
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Florida Association of District School Superintendents
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