Three Duval County schools will soon be run by an outside company until they can pull their grade up to a C.
School leaders made the announcement Wednesday about Lake Forest Elementary, Matthew Gilbert Middle and Northwestern Middle schools.
In a multipage report, Superintendent Patricia Willis recommends that an outside company run the schools after they scored a D this school year.
Wednesday, Willis presented her report to the state and the board. Board President Paula Wright agrees with the decision.
“You bring in an external partner that we had done before when we looked at the other schools in 2011, and then create a good marriage on how they can help us on resources,” Wright said.
In 2011, Duval County ran into a similar problem with Raines High, Andrew Jackson High, Ribault High and Ed White High schools.
At the time, the district chose the company Educational Directions, based out of Kentucky, to run the schools. The company focuses on turning around troubled schools.
“When we did this before, it was very similar. We looked at and utilized a company that was already familiar with our district, understood our needs, in terms of having previous experience in our district,” Wright said.
Khadijah Herring has two boys at Matthew Gilbert. She agrees there should be a change.
“I think it’s a good decision if it’s going to be an improvement,” Herring said.
An improvement she said goes beyond the teachers.
“It’s also the parents that have to stay involved with the kids and know what the kids are doing. You have to come to a parent-teacher conference to know what is going on,” Herring said.
Under Willis' proposal, the company the district selects would run the schools’ day-to-day operations, while the district maintains the facilities and offers support.
The board still has to name the outside company and approve Willis’ recommendation. They have until Jan. 31 to decide.