DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The search for the next superintendent of Duval County Public Schools is down to two finalists, and a crucial part of the interview process happened Monday.
A busy day for the finalists started Monday morning at the Schultz Center off Beach Boulevard. It’ll be an interview process of school board members and a community focus group. Those candidates’ questions were open to the public and started at 10:15 a.m. until 4:15 p.m.
After that, candidates will go to the Gallagher Club East at EverBank Stadium for a big meet and greet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There, candidates will have an opportunity to meet people in the community, and the community will be able to get a feel for who these finalists are.
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The two finalists for the job are Dr. Christopher Bernier and Dr. Daniel Smith.
Dr. Bernier was:
- The Superintendent of Lee County Schools in the Ft. Meyers area from 2022-2024 before resigning to focus on applying for other jobs
- That school district has about 100,000 students
Dr. Smith is:
- The Chief of Staff of Loudon County Public Schools in Virginia
- The school district has more than 80,000 students
- He also briefly served there as the acting superintendent for nearly a year
“We want to get this right,” Duval County School Board Chair, Darryl Willie, said.
Willie said this part of the interview process allows the community to get their questions answered directly, including about how they would manage the district’s budget.
“They want somebody who shows personal leadership. Someone who is a bridge builder, who is going to be able to build partnerships,” Willie said.
Willie feels both of these men are capable of doing the job.
“Now it is the question that we have to ask ourselves as a board and the community is which one is going to be a better fit for us right now to sort of tackle what we have going on and move us forward,” Willie said.
There are several issues DCPS is currently facing that the new superintendent will have to eventually tackle. They include:
- Declining enrollment
- Budget shortfall and possible schools closing in the future
- Expectation of cutting more than 700 DCPS positions, including teachers, before next school year
“Communication, communication, communication...you can’t surprise people. You have to engage. There are people who were expecting brand new buildings, and complete renovations who are now being told their school buildings are potentially going to close. And I wonder where all the community engagement was necessary to revise that plan and bring it forward,” Dr. Bernier said.
Smith said communication with the community is important too.
“I do think going out in the community and listening is the right choice. I think we need to be clear and explain why we’re in this situation. And I think we need to come up with potential options,” Dr. Smith said.
They also spoke about challenges they have faced in their careers as administrators.
Dr. Bernier choked up when he discussed providing flexibility for teachers after the devastating destruction of Hurricane Ian in his district in 2022.
“That meant while there are rules for everyone...when you no longer have a home...I’m sorry...you have to treat those people with grace and compassion,” Dr. Bernier said.
Dr. Smith spoke about how he rebuilt trust as acting superintendent after the top leader was removed amid a criminal indictment. He said he decided not to apply for the job despite being invited to, because he was focused on the job at hand.
"It was a very tough time for our community. And during my time as superintendent and from the very beginning, I knew that we needed to rebuild trust with our community. And so one of the things that I did was I worked with our board to establish community listening sessions in each of the nine districts in our community to listen to our community, to let them know that we’re hearing them, and we’re guiding them on our next steps,” Dr. Smith said.
The district also has until Tuesday to respond to a letter sent by Florida Department of Education Commissioner, Manny Diaz, that details criticisms and concerns about student safety.
Willie said he likes the fact that the community wants to be involved in the selection process,
“I want students and families in the community to believe that they helped select this person,” Willie said. “If they can feel that way and if we can set up a process that is taking place, then this person enters in this situation and into this role with very good footing.”
School board member, Lori Hershey, said these events are important in the search.
“They are considering us as much as we are them. A positive impression of our community and city can help enhance their interest,” Hershey said.
DCPS plans to select the next superintendent on May 23.