This Week in the 904: DCPS plans to have new superintendent by summer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The goal for Duval Public Schools is to have a new superintendent by this summer. That’s what the school board chair told Action News Jax John Bachman in an interview for This Week in the 904.

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The board’s first effort to replace Dr. Diana Greene stalled because they didn’t get enough qualified candidates, but the search is underway now. Board Chair, Darryl Willie told Bachman he’s confident they’ll get their leader this time.

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Bachman asked Willie, “So you mentioned the complexity of Duval and the district. How would you describe that? What makes it complex?”

Willie replied, “I think it’s geographically the way it’s set up, you have so many different neighborhoods and pockets diverse, racially diverse, socio-economically diverse, just when it comes to just living in general. So I think when you think about Duval County is it is a big, complex district. But it’s a challenge that for the right candidate, it is something that they’re willing and ready to take on.”

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Willie says the board is better prepared to get the right superintendent. They conducted a survey of thousands of stakeholders. They want a leader who understands Duval’s complexity, can work with local and statewide leadership, understands instruction, prioritizes safety, and can manage a big budget responsibly.

Bachman asked, “Do you think it’s going to have to be somebody who’s been a superintendent of a district before?”

Willie replied, “That’s a great question. One of the things that we found in our last pool was, there wasn’t the folks who had the experience with we said, 25,000 kids or more, we have over 100,000 kids. So we wanted somebody who understands how to navigate that and we didn’t see it last time. So I think we’re going to get folks who have either been superintendents, or at least like second in charge of a really, really big district.”

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You can watch Bachman’s full interview with the Duval School Board Chair on This Week in the 904. That’s Sunday morning on Action News Jax.

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