You boast an impressive 30-year career in public education and are currently in your 10th year as Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) Superintendent. Under your leadership the district has, and continues to, receive numerous accolades and awards including: the prestigious 2014 Broad Prize for Urban Education, which earned half-a-million dollars for student scholarships; the Governor’s Sterling Award in 2014 and 2015; and the Sustained Excellence Award in 2017 for exemplary performance using research-based best practices. To what do you attribute OCPS’ continued success and recognition?
I have had the pleasure of working with a stellar school board over the years. Members have been singularly focused on student success and understand the governance role of the school board. Board members have been professional and congenial in their roles. They have been respectful of each other and of me, and make up a widely recognized high-performing board. Secondly, it has been an honor to work with an outstanding leadership team. Those who remain on my cabinet and those who have gone on to become superintendents are incredibly talented individuals that work extremely hard to lead students to success.
Prior to taking the helm as OCPS Superintendent, you served as the Deputy Superintendent overseeing five area superintendents and the division of Teaching and Learning, and prior to this served as Chief of Staff overseeing Human Resources, Public Relations, Labor Relations, Strategic Planning, and as the chief negotiator for OCPS. How did these previous positions and experiences help prepare you for the role of superintendent?
These positions sharpened my knowledge of the various functional areas in a K-12 public school system. I must attribute former superintendent, Ron Blocker for his foresight in my development which included instructional and non-instructional oversight. When he recruited me back from Charlotte, North Carolina, he never let on that he had a long-range plan in mind. I didn’t know that he was actually preparing me to take his place as the CEO of a major corporation.
What led you to pursue becoming a public school superintendent?
Truthfully, Ron Blocker encouraged me to return to OCPS as his chief of staff, and later transitioned me into a new deputy superintendent position. During my first years I had the privilege of participating in the Broad Center training for urban superintendents. Visiting districts across the country, I learned so much about the job and was inspired by impressive district leaders. Arnie Duncan was superintendent in Chicago at the time. So between that inspiration and Ron’s encouragement, I was convinced that I could do the job.
OCPS is the 9th largest public school district in the United States and 4th largest in Florida with over 206,000 K-12 students, representing 208 countries and 166 languages and dialects; 75% of students are classed as economically disadvantaged. Given the diverse demographics of OCPS learners, what key initiatives has the district implemented that contribute to the impressive 97.9% traditional high school graduation rate and 90.4% for all OCPS high schools?
Our chief of high schools is largely responsible for this accomplishment. As they enter ninth grade, high school principals and leadership teams monitor each student for being on track to graduate. Then specific interventions are initiated to assist them, including credit recovery, counseling, and individual tutoring. We also have a Multi-Lingual department that diligently monitors data for our ELL students. Our Minority Achievement Office supports efforts to accelerate student learning for subgroups as early as third grade, and sponsor initiatives such as Chess Club and The Calculus Project to boost achievement and motivate minority populations.
What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing public education as a whole?
Adequate funding remains the most pressing issue for public education. While the infusion of federal dollars due to the pandemic is greatly appreciated, the funds are temporary. Districts will continue to need sources of recurring money when that source concludes. Dependable and adequate funding will significantly address additional challenges we face.
As the current chair of the Council of Great City Schools – a coalition of 75 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems dedicated to the improvement of education for children in inner cities – what are the key issues of focus under your leadership?
Large urban districts have so many things in common. Where there is an inner-city core, most districts are faced with significant issues related to poverty, so we focus attention on interventions to mitigate those issues. There has been a general focus on quality curriculum, narrowing achievement gaps and increasing overall achievement. Recently, two committees have focused on the needs of Black and Hispanic boys and girls based on disturbing national trends. School board development and superintendent training are also a priority, including extensive professional development opportunities.
You have received numerous awards and recognition including: 2017 Florida Superintendent of the Year and finalist for AASA National Superintendent of the Year, 2017 CTE Superintendent of the Year by the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education, 2014 recipient of the Visionary Award by the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council and the Central Florida Woman of the Year by the Women’s Executive Council, and have been recognized for your commitment and positive influence by both the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Magazine as one of the 10 most powerful people in Central Florida on multiple occasions, to name just a few.
Of all the awards and accolades you have received – is there one that stands out as most meaningful and why?
The Broad Prize always stands out for me, because the recognition came from the same organization that invested in my professional development when I first returned to Orange County. The recognition meant that the district was improving student achievement and narrowing achievement gaps at a greater rate than other urban districts in the country. It came with $500,000 in scholarships for our students, which pleased me more than the recognition.
If you had the ability to change one thing in the realm of public education – what would that be?
I would stop the hurtful dialogue among various adult factions during these turbulent political times and focus on creating schools where every child feels safe and welcome.
Outside of being a superintendent, what is something that your colleagues may not know about you that you would like to share.
My family is more important to me than any other fact. I have been married for 35 years to an incredible man, Harold, who has supported my dreams and my career. I have a beautiful daughter, Hillary, who is an attorney in Fresno, California where she resides with her husband Paul who is a pharmacist. My son, Harrison, is a mechanical engineer in Bangor, Maine.
Any additional comments & thoughts you would like to share?
I am always honored to be among my esteemed colleagues, superintendents of Florida and across the nation. Here’s to each of you for your dedication to our youth!
