The Historic Tenure of Dr. Diana Greene, School Superintendent
Dr. Diana Greene, the first Black and female superintendent for Duval County Public Schools, has had many notable achievements during her five-year tenure
5/2/2023
Since 2018, more low-income students have donned caps and gowns, walked across a stage and accepted their diploma than any other time inDCPS history, despite a global pandemic that disproportionately impacted low-income families and families of color. This coupled with Duval County Public School’s overall graduation rate of 85% tells a story of success, especially when placed in historical context.
Dr. Diana Greene’s appointment as Duval County superintendent in 2018 as the first Black and female superintendent was in itself a major historic moment for our city.
As the Duval County School Board prepares to begin the important work of hiring a new school superintendent, I would like to acknowledge and commend Dr. Greene for the many achievements during her five-year tenure.
Among them are:
-
Reaching an all-time high graduation rate.
-
Achieving A, B, or C ratings for 93% of Duval County’s public schools.
-
Obtaining voter approval to update school facilities through a half-cent sales tax.
-
Renaming schools named for Confederate leaders without using public funds.
-
Responding and adapting to the challenges of a global pandemic.
-
Being named the Florida Superintendent of the Year in 2021.
-
Passing a one-mill property tax to provide teachers with additional compensation and upgrade equipment for arts and athletics.
In our work as an independent think-and-do tank, Dr. Greene has been an invaluable partner and passionate advocate for student success. She has stood side by side with us as we recognize teacher excellence at the annual EDDY Awards where the Teacher of the Year is announced. She and the district have contributed to the success of the 1,000 by 2025 initiative to recruit, support, and retain diverse male teachers, contributing to a more diverse teacher pipeline for Jacksonville’s future. She has put time and resources to READ JAX, a community-wide effort to increase third grade reading scores in Duval County.
As she concludes her work at DCPS, all of us at JPEF thank her for her service to our students.