from staff
Being the superintendent of a public school system in the state of Florida may arguably be one of the least envied jobs these days. In addition to educating children, they must also be lobbyists, negotiators and administrators.
Ed Pratt-Dannals took over as superintendent of Duval County schools in October of 2007 when the School Board voted to terminate the contract of then-Superintendent Joseph Wise. A month later, Pratt-Dannals signed his current contract.
He started with the school system over 30 years ago as a teacher and coach. Over the years, Pratt-Dannals has served in several top administrative roles and was deputy superintendent before taking over when Wise was dismissed.
Today, Pratt-Dannals oversees a system with 123,000 students in 162 schools.
With the legislative session ending today and the end of the school year just over a month away, Pratt-Dannals sat down with the editorial staff of the Daily Record to talk about everything from the school year to the session to what he does to get away from it all.
Question: Assess your first full year as superintendent
Obviously, it’s a challenging time to come in. The state has been hit hard by the recession and you don’t get to choose what time you come into the job. I could bemoan the situation and talk about the need for revenue. But, we have solid leaders who are doing a good job at a difficult time. The question is: how do we use this for the longterm good of the district?
We have looked at areas we needed to. In transportation, we have some cuts and there will be some more to follow. We have looked at the number of seats we have and aren’t using. In the longterm, we have to look at ways to consolidate things and not have that come across as a negative to the community.
When you took the job, did you know what you were getting into?
I didn’t know in terms of the budget bottoming out. I have moved up the ranks. I was in the deputy superintendent role, was a regional superintendent over 30 schools and oversaw half the district in the academic arena. I have worked with the board and the community over the years and I think they know me. When I took the job, I did so willingly. I feel this is my mission and it was my calling to move to Jacksonville in 1973. Jacksonville is my adopted home town (he’s from Orlando). I feel strongly that we really can make a differences in kids’ lives.
I have had offers from other school systems, but I am committed to the kids in this system. Obviously, when the Board resolved the issue with Joey Wise, I feel I was the logical choice.
What have you learned since becoming superintendent?
I think I have learned a little about how to pace myself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. There are times to push and take a stand and other times you have to listen and compromise. There have been no surprises, but it does take a lot of time and energy to be successful. There are a lot of good people working for us.
What can be done to keep the best teachers rather than those with the most experience?
Obviously, one of the things in the collective bargaining agreement with the union is that seniority is a key factor. It ought to be a factor, but not as much of a factor as it has been in the past.
I don’t see seniority going away completely. I see it being less of an issue than how well you are doing with the group of students that you have. I think we have done a pretty good job, and I think we will move even farther this year, making sure we have our best principals in our lowest performing schools. I think we are making progress.
What is your relationship with the School Board since the last election?
Any time you have new people coming into a group it changes the group and certainly now with Stan (Jordan) and W.C. (Gentry) on the board they bring a set of experiences and knowledge that is different. Not better or worse, just different. Part of it is the group figuring out how to work together. Does that change the dynamic? Yes, but it also may change the focus. For instance, the focus of the board before was on academic achievement, so they spent more time with an agenda that dealt with academics.
They didn’t spend as much time on the operational side. I think it’s obvious with the food service contract that there is an interest to spend more time looking at those issues while still making sure the board isn’t in the weeds. The board does have an appropriate oversight function on everything we do. It’s kind of trying to find that balance in terms of finding a way that’s management oversight that does honor the experience and knowledge of our members and they play their function while not getting into the weeds of the daily operation. Finding that balance is the art of leadership.
You mentioned Tallahassee and what’s going on in the Florida Legislature... what’s your overall impression on how things have gone?
I think there is the mentality of ‘just trying to get through this year’ and I get it .... I think a lot of the legislative members came into it with the idea of ‘no new tax’ pledges but it is a different environment they find themselves in. Taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, gambling ... the user fee based ones, the potential for license plate fees ... eventually it will hit everybody and long term it’s not a solution. The main sources of revenue were built on two assumptions that are no longer sustainable or viable. Sales taxes, but the percentage of people that come to Florida and spend money as you know is down ... for revenue sources, it goes up and down as sales taxes go and combined with gas prices affecting people coming, it’s been a perfect storm. Will that rebound? Yes, but not to the point it once was. The second form is property taxes. Not that these were wrong, as they worked for a while, but we have to find other, sustainable sources of revenue. We have to ask the question ‘What do we want Florida and the overall quality of life to be?’ and then determine what kind of education and support system we need to have to make it there. I think (in terms of budgetary issues) we’re in a crisis and you have to rethink the way you’re doing things and find more revenue builders. We have the best bang for our buck (in terms of Florida and education) but there is a limit ... we’re at the point now where we can’t do any more without affecting the system.
Speaking of legislative issues, how often do you speak with members of the Duval Delegation?
(laughs)This year quite a bit. I’ve spent a lot of time in Tallahassee not just with them but with other members (of the House and Senate). They’re interested in hearing from larger districts and what’s going on. It’s been a positive experience with everyone over there.
Here’s a crystal ball.... what does the rest of the year look like for Ed Pratt-Dannals the superintendent and Ed Pratt-Dannals the person?
(As superintendent) Preparing for the rest of the year ahead. Meeting with principals and staff and finalizing the budget. We’re going to strengthen policies between now and opening day and there’s a lot of planning that will go on. (Non-superintendent) I’ll hopefully get around to finishing my thesis and receive my Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Florida in December.
Was it fair that all sports except football were told to reduce their schedules?
Most sports were playing a lot more games than football. Football also brings in the biggest gate and has the most support as far as boosters. Some schools make money on basketball, when their team is winning.
Many people are earning college degrees on-line. Does the Web have any application for K-12?
We’re already doing it and we’re going to expand even more next year. A number of students are taking advantage of Florida Virtual School which is at the secondary level. Next year, all districts are required to put in a K-8 system through two state-approved providers. It’s a full on-line education system.
Is a Web-based education system like home school without parental involvement?
People might think they can go off to work and their third-grader can just stay at home on the computer and get an education. It doesn’t work that way. I don’t see it as a model many people could do because home schooling is very labor-intensive. Most parents have to work or it’s a single-parent family.
I don’t see us moving to a place where the Internet is going to take over teaching. I can see a situation where the knowledge acquisition part is taken over by computers and video, but the “what do I do with that knowledge now?” part will still require a teacher. It’s more a way to run a home school with extracurricular support.
It is useful for credit recovery or for students who want to accelerate. Another application is if there is a course we can’t offer because we don’t have enough students. If we have three students who want upper-level advance placement physics, we probably can’t afford to run a class but those three students could get on-line and with some assistance they could get that course.
Is there anything missing from on-line education?
I think there are real pluses that come from having to work with students who are different from you. Some parents are concerned that if other children in school have different values than their family it might rub off on their kid. At some point they’re going to face that. By the time they get into the work world they are going to have to experience that.
What do you think of the “Save Duval Schools” initiative?
I think it’s great. There has been an untapped reservoir of care and concern from the community beyond the teachers. There has been this question: where is the business community? They represent 80 percent of the community that doesn’t have kids in school.
The proposed new school day schedules, especially for middle school, could place a burden on the working parent. How is that being addressed?
At the middle school level, we are looking at more parents who need the extended day program. We will probably do it more in the morning since the kids have TEAM Up after school a couple of days a week. We will see if we can do it on a fee-based system like in elementary school.
If you had a blank check to change one thing in Duval County Public Schools, what would you change?
I would improve the amount of support systems we have for students who are not performing up to expectations. Those students need more time with highly qualified teachers. It could mean longer school years for some students or making sure we have as close to a fail-safe system as we could have. We would ensure that by third grade every student is reading up to grade level. We’re getting better at that but there are still some kids who aren’t.
How long are your days?
Anywhere from 12-14 hours.
What do you to get away?
I try to exercise once a week, but I am supposed to twice a week. I spend time with my wife and daughter and I still cook most evenings.
When was the last time you were in the classroom?
I am in the classroom all the time, but the last time as a teacher was 1979.
Do you miss teaching?
I do. It’s the most direct contact with the students, that’s why I try to spend time in the classroom when I visit a school. I might spend 10 minutes with the principal, but the bulk of the time is spent in the classroom talking with the teachers and students. I want to know how it’s going on the ground level. One elementary student even asked me for my autograph.
What we tell principals and teachers is that we will be coming in and out of classrooms. If they are doing something in the classroom, we won’t interrupt. We are not the show. The show is what is going on in the classroom.
Is that the first time that’s happened?
I think so, yeah.
Do you have a vacation planned for this summer?
I do. I am going to Crescent Beach in July. My idea of a good vacation is going somewhere and sitting.