New Duval County Schools superintendent chosen
5/23/2018
Dr. Diana Greene has been named the new superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) in a unanimous vote by the school board. The two other finalists for the position were Dr. Michael Dunsmore, Superintendent of Wayne County Schools, and Dr. Erick Pruitt, Area Superintendent of Houston Independent School District. Dr. Greene currently serves as Superintendent of the School District of Manatee County.
During her 33-year career as an educator, Dr. Greene has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal and curriculum development. Prior to her position as superintendent, Dr. Greene was the Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services in Manatee County. As a graduate of the University of North Florida, she started her journey as an educator in Duval County at Mamie Agnes Jones Elementary School. Greene was quoted in the Bradenton Herald about the experience: "That position probably was the foundation of making me who I am today," Greene said. "I had no idea how challenging teaching was, and that was 30 years ago. Imagine what that challenge is now."She holds an associate's degree in elementary education, a master's degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in advanced K-12 education.
As part of the school board’s search process, it published the results of the constituent survey in December 2017, which detailed the characteristics that business and community leaders, parents, elected officials and students wanted to see in their next superintendent. Among the top professional characteristics and qualities listed were a continuous focus on students and learning, focus on educating all students, promotes positive culture and morale and instructional leadership. Also detailed in that report were the top three challenges in the district: attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, improving student achievement and increasing school funding for operations and instruction.
The ability to affect change in those areas coupled with the fact that Greene is familiar with educational legislation in Florida and has demonstrated success in improving school ratings, graduation rates and increased teacher salaries is why she was chosen to lead DCPS. Some Duval school board members say the new superintendent will have to help with long-range planning, which will include discussions about the possibility of closing or consolidating some underutilized schools and seeking ways to build schools or classroom capacity in high-growth neighborhoods in the county. With the full support of the school board and the stakeholders involved in the process, Duval welcomes Dr. Greene.
Photo source: http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article209431394.html