Forum on Quality

Education
School Board Chairman W.C. Gentry
Superintendent Pratt-Dannals

1
Strategic Plan Goal 1
Increase Academic
Achievement
Since 2006
•Increased number of passing AP exams
by 38%

•Increased number of AP participants

by 213%
•2nd in state for graduates
completing at least one AP, IB,
AICE or Dual Enrollment course

•Increased number of African American

AP participants by 429%
– 2
Strategic Plan Goal 1
Increase Academic
Achievement
Ø Maintained District grade “B”
Ø Duval County has experienced significant
increases in FCAT, with gains in Math,
Science and Writing. Reading has not
increased enough.
Ø According to results from a national test in
2009, Florida was one of only four states
with significant increases in both fourth
and eighth grade reading since 2005.
Ø The 2010 graduating class was the first
group of students to complete an even
more rigorous college ready curriculum
that includes Algebra II, an additional
science requirement and two years of a 3
S tra te g ic P la n G o a l 1
In cre a se A ca d e m ic
A ch ie v e m e n t
•Every high school now offers one

of four
•acceleration programs

– Advanced Placement
(AP)
– International
Baccalaureate (IB)
– Advanced International
Certificate of Education
(AICE)
 College Preparedness
•
ØC o lla b o ra tin g w ith Flo rid a S ta te
C o lle g e to e n su re o u r stu d e n ts
•
a re p re p a re d fo r p o st-se co n d a ry
e d u ca tio n .
Ø3 2 C a re e r A ca d e m ie s
Ø5 m e e t n a tio n a lsta n d a rd s
ØR e m e d ia te co lle g e - le ve l
e n tra n ce skills in re a d in g ,
m a th e m a tics a n d w ritin g in th e
1 2 th grade 5
S tra te g ic P la n G o a l 2
Significantly Increase the
Successes Rate
Graduation
•Increased graduation rate by 2.1%
to 66.6%
•Nearly 10% over the last five years
•Improved promotion rates at all
grade levels
•Reduced the number of students
absent for more than 20 days by
37% over the past four years.
•Extensive partnership with Learning
to Finish
•Opening only Schools for the Future
school next year
Challenge
•Further increase promotion and 6
graduation rates
Strategic Plan Goal 3
Employ the Best Teachers and
Principals
Successes
•Increased number of teachers who
are teaching in their field
•Increased number of teachers
endorsed in Reading and ESOL
•Received Race to the Top and
Teacher Incentive Fund grants
•Ahead of other districts in
implementing SB736 requirements

Challenge
•Focus our work to support high
performing teachers, especially
in reading

7
Strategic Plan Goal 4
Establish Safe , Secure and Respectful
Schools
Successes
•Reduced suspensions by 49% from the
previous year
•Secondary suspensions are down an
additional 22% this current
year over last years 47%
reduction.

•Reduced the number of serious conduct

violations by 37% over the past two
years

•Improved students’ perception of safety

and respect in schools
8
Strategic Plan Goal 5
Engage Family and Community Support

Successes
•Met target on number of Volunteers - 22,910
volunteers and 510,119 hours
•Met target toward 2020 goal of 20,000
mentors
Challenge
•Continue to increase effectiveness of
communication and engage the community,
especially enlisting
the support of larger corporations
•Need more mentors

9
Strategic Plan Goal 6
Deliver High Quality Support for
Schools
Successes
•Maintained the district Bond
Rating at one of the highest
levels in the state in terms of
financial stability.
Challenges
•Continue to improve school
building utilization
•Compliance with Class Size

10
Student Success Bill

• Requires the Commissioner of

Education to establish a
learning growth model for
school district use for the FCAT
and other statewide
assessments.
•
• Requires that 50 percent of a
public school teacher’s
evaluation be based on the
performance of his or her
Student Success Bill
• Anyone hired after July 1 can only be
on probation or a yearly contract.
No more tenure contracts.

• Most human capital decisions have

to be made based on performance
(not on seniority)
– Transfer
– Promotions
– surpluses
•
Student Success Bill
• Compensation for
Performance:

• Requires School districts to establish

a new performance salary schedule
by July 2014

• Current teachers can stay on the

current salary schedule, but in
order to get a raise, they would
have to go on the new
performance schedule
•
B u d g e t S h o rtfa ll

Revenue Shortfall - $70 million

Fixed Cost increases - $37
million
Total - $107 million
Use of Fund Balance (Reserves) -
$10 million
Shortfall to District - $97
million
•

14
Florida
Constitution
Article IX, Section I

Ø The education of children is

a fundamental value of the people
of the State of Florida .
Ø
ØIt is , therefore , a paramount
duty of the state to make adequate
provision for … a uniform ,
efficient , safe , secure , and high
quality system of free public
schools that allows students to
obtain a high quality education ….
15
Budget Challenges

• Operating Budget - $1 Billion

•

Original Projected Shortfalls

– 08/09 - $70 million
– 09/10 - $43 million
– 10/11 –$96 million

• TOTAL = $209 million

DCPS funding : State vs .
Local
31%
State
Local

99 - 00
69%

State
43% Local
10 - 11 57%

17
18
Budgeted Funds per
Student

19
Costs
Between 06 / 07 and 09 / 10

Electricity – 26 %
increase - $5 . 5 million
ØMedical Benefits – 26 %
increase - $16 million

STATE MANDATED FUNDING

• 1993 - 5.4%
• 2010 - 30 . 1 %

20
Budget Reductions Taken

• District staff cuts

• Secondary schedule change
(shorter days and fewer
classes)
• School consolidations
• Transportation reductions
• Employee Benefits
• Hiring freeze
• Reduction in travel
• Division Budget Cuts
Intervene Schools
• An Intervene Schools meets the
following criteria:
– Current "F" elementary or middle
schools that have earned at least
four "F" grades in the last six school
years
– High schools and high school
combination schools that have
earned less that 395 FCAT
performance points and have
earned at least four "F" grades in
the last six school years
• Duval County Public Schools that fall
into the Intervene Category for 2010-
2011 include Andrew Jackson High
Intervene Schools
• To exit the Intervene category:
– Convert the school to a district
managed turnaround school
– Close and reopen the school as
a charter school or multiple
charter schools.
– Contract with an outside entity
to run the school.
– Close the school, reassign the
students to another school,
and monitor the students’
progress.
Intervene Schools

• District Plan:
– Restructured the schools using
the Turnaround model in
2009/2010
– Proposed a Blended Option
Selection for all four Intervene
Schools
• The Blended Model proposal
includes the exploration of
District smaller schools
within a school, focusing on
specific career or academic
academies with wrap
Intervene Schools
• The new model includes a strong focus
on reading and the core areas.
• District will provide extended learning
opportunities to all students.
Additionally, behavioral support,
individual and family counseling,
mentoring, parenting classes,
fundamental living assistance needs,
and truancy support will be provided.
This implementation would be carried
out with the support of Duval Partners
for Excellent Education.
• Teachers will be provided with extensive
professional development to support25
 Duval County public schools
are improving every year and
are on the path our children
and our community deserve.

26