First and foremost we would like to thank all the Leon County School Superintendent candidates that responded and participated. While 850CapitalTea does hold our own bias we feel it would be a disservice to our audience to not allow all candidates an opportunity to answer the same questions and have the attention of our viewers. It takes courage to run in an election and it takes greater courage to answer tough questions posed by the community.
Our Procedure
We surveyed our audience regarding what they wanted to know about our local candidates. After going through all the questions we complied the ones that were most frequently asked by our audience. First, we sent an initial email to all the candidates asking them if they would like to participate in the Community Questions.
Once they confirmed that they would like to participate, we responded with ten questions curated for the seat they are running for.
Due to one candidate’s response going to our “junk” folder we extended the deadline for all candidates to participate to ensure they all had a fair opportunity to answer with a reasonable amount of time. The order in which they appear in each section was decided by when the questions were returned to us.
Questions For Our Leon County School Board Superintendent
There are three candidates running for the Leon County School Board Superintendent and they are Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess, Rocky Hanna, and Genleah “Star” Swain.
This seat is open for any registered voter in the City limits or in the County to vote on.
Question One: What is a topic or issue that you feel the community should know more about?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
Simply put, the academic achievement of our students is the key issue our community should know more about. As an educational leader, other than the safety and well-being of our students, our greatest responsibility is the education we provide to all of our students across Leon County. We must work to become a perennial “A” school district (which we have not been in over a decade). In this pursuit of academic excellence, we are growing our district Pre-K programs and also increasing our district graduation rate, which has been below the state average for the last few years.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
I feel that the community should know more about what is actually happening with the school budget that is causing Teachers to be underpaid in the school district. I feel that the community should know more about how teachers are feeling in terms of the minimal support and backing, that is being received from the district. I also feel that there needs to be more clarity provided to parents, school, leaders, and the community in terms of what the District are for discipline and safety in every school.
Rocky Hanna:
It is time that our community knows more about the wonderful academic; athletic; and visual and performing arts programs we have in all of our schools to meet the needs and interests of our students. Currently, we are in the process of rebranding our school district to do just that. Over the last year, we have developed a marketing plan that will assist us in getting the word out to parents and the community at large as to why they should choose Leon County Schools. In the age of school choice and competition from charter schools and private school vouchers, it is of the utmost importance that we prioritize marketing in order to compete.
Question Two: What is something you feel the current school board is doing well?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
Providing mental health support in our schools is something the current school board is doing well. This is a holistic effort by teachers, social workers, support staff, administrators, and district staff.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
[No Response]
Rocky Hanna:
Honestly, I think we are doing a lot of things well. We have a continued commitment to each and every student in our school district to ensure they are protected and supported. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished in the areas of early learning and giving students access and exposure to career technical programs that do not require a traditional 4 year college degree.
Question Three: 850CapitalTea believes we are better together. How do you plan to move forward in collaborating with the Union (LCTA) and other unions under the LCS board?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
I plan on having early and ongoing discussions collaborating with all the bargaining units of Leon County Schools (LCS). LCTA (teachers), LESPA (support staff), and 1010 (maintenance and allied workers) are the three bargaining units, and each one represents the 4500 employees inside LCS. On a yearly basis, the bargaining units have been told that they have to wait until the start of the next school year to get a current contract. Contracts should be negotiated prior to the start of the school year. Employees and their supervisors deserve to know their work conditions, rights, and pay prior to the start of the school year. Furthermore, receiving increased pay after the start of the year penalizes these employees, who are penalized in taxes when increases in salary are negotiated. Separately, in my 25 years as an educator, you will find that I have a developed rapport with workers across these bargaining groups.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
I plan to move forward with collaborating with the LCTA by building a stronger relationship with them through more sincere collaboration about their needs as educators in the school district. It is impossible to sustain and grow a school district (or organization) to be better, if you are not truly in touch with what is actually going on within your schools, or if time is not dedicated to listening & understanding the needs of those who are working in your schools in your school district. Collaboration with the union is a non-negotiable; there is no other way to move forward and make schools successful, if the school district is not truly connected to the voices of Teachers. This means scheduling time outside of just bargaining meetings, to discuss teacher needs and understand teacher climate.
Rocky Hanna:
I strongly believe that communication is the key ingredient to any successful relationship. Over the last 36 years, I have served our school district in many different capacities both inside and outside of the classroom. I believe this experience allows me to see issues from many different angles and perspectives. I also believe this experience enables me to communicate from a position of true understanding the perspective of our employees. Our strength is our people! Providing safe learning environment for our students is my number one priority. I want our students to feel supported, validated, and safe. Without a total team effort and buy in from our unions and their members, this would not be possible.
Question Four: We saw an attempt with the last teacher contract to address compression, however there is still a problem with this. What is your plan to address compression between new and veteran teachers and what steps will you take to recruit and retain teachers?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
Other districts in Florida have effectively dealt with compression in their ranks by directly addressing pay with added steps or pay stipulations based on their years of service. Provisions were placed on districts about the money allocated from the state to increase the pay of new teachers entering the profession. It allowed around 20% to be used on other employees. This means districts have to use other coffers of dollars to address the pay of their teachers with years of service. If we are hoping to retain teachers, they have to feel and know that their district honors their service. An idea for retention would be to pay a bonus for teachers making 90 percent or more of their days of service with students. Every day that teachers come to school is a day we are not paying for a substitute. We appreciate substitutes, but learning takes place with our teachers and their service should be reflected by being at work and saving the district money. In recruiting teachers, we also need to look at reducing the burden of paying for benefits, which takes money out of their pockets and reduces their take-home pay.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
I plan to analyze every line, every dollar, and every cent within the operational budget to address not only compression, but teacher salaries as a whole. It is difficult to believe that all that the school district was able to offer teachers was $575 a year and an additional $100 for each year of service. There has to be a sense of urgency that is present in leading the school district budget to ensure that teachers are paid in a way that shows how much we value them. Recruitment and retention of teachers will be done through improved teacher pay, more opportunities for upward mobility through RELEVANT professional learning opportunities, and showing them that they are actually appreciated, and their work that they are doing in the schools does not go unnoticed. I will also develop stronger partnerships with our colleges and universities to provide teachers with opportunities to enroll in certain graduate courses at no cost to them, which increases teacher efficacy, expertise, and opportunity for increased pay for advanced degrees.
Rocky Hanna:
Although I am proud of the work we have done to address teacher salaries, the job is not close to being finished. As a former classroom teacher and the husband to one of our veteran teachers, it is of the utmost importance that we continue to address the issue of teacher compensation and compression. Over the last 8 years, the beginning teacher salary has increased from $36,500 to $47,500 (30 percent). In addition, veteran teachers are now making $1,000 more per month than they did when I first took office. I will continue to look for creative ways to push more resources down to our schools, our classrooms, and our employees, especially our teachers!
Question Five: Many parents feel there needs to be more resources for our critical needs populations (different abilities and title one). What is your plan to address these populations and their needs?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
There are two ideas that we must understand. Are there resources? How do you plan to use the resources that are allotted to your school district? First of all, we have substantial federal dollars for Title 1 and Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs in our schools. The biggest issue is how we are using those resources. The district uses many of these funds to pay for district positions; thus, they are not sent to the schools to directly impact those students in need of services and support. I plan to have a steering committee to review our current model’s effectiveness and get feedback from our school teams on how we can serve them better. Subsequently, my leadership team and I will review plans from districts in the state of Florida and across the country that have been the most successful with Title 1 and ESE populations and tailor our findings to make the maximum impact within our school system.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
They’re absolutely needs to be more resources for our critical needs populations. I plan to work with school leaders to determine what those specific needs are for each individual school first. Every school is different, and every school may have different needs; there is no one size fits all. It is important to know your schools well, and to know the demographics of students and families that you are serving to prevent acquiring resources that do not work. After that we need to look at Title I funds, and ensure that we are able to utilize those funds as effectively and efficiently as possible to supplement the local revenue for school support. I would ensure that the school district is taking advantage of all of the resources and support that are being provided from the Florida Department of education to schools through their state literacy and math initiatives as well.
Rocky Hanna:
For the last several years, I have had conversations with our local legislative delegation about the issue of funding for students with special/critical needs. Unfortunately, these conversations have not generated much traction and we have not seen a significant increase in the Florida Education Finance Program for this population of students. In addition, we are currently facing a severe teacher shortage crisis across the state and are desperately looking for qualified teachers to serve our special needs students. Unlike some private schools, as a public school district we will never refuse to enroll a student. The general public has no idea all we do to live by the motto “No Child Left Behind”!
Question Six: What are you most excited to address within Leon County Schools if elected/reelected?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
I am most excited to address leadership and teacher development if I am elected. We cannot expect our school system to move to an “A” district without real investment and development in the people who are charged with teaching and supporting our students. Focusing on them means focusing on our kids. This can happen by really drilling down on how to best teach our students and how to best lead schools of students, support staff, and teachers. We have many answers already in our buildings within the school district but we must be willing to search out information from other districts in the state and across the country to find answers to maximizing the learning and saving the lives of students in Leon County Schools.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
I am most excited to address the needs of teachers and school leaders within the schools and bring more connectedness of the schools to the school district. There seems to be a lack of connection between what happens at the school district level versus what is actually taking place within our schools. That relationship and connection needs to be strengthened, so that work is not being done in isolation, but rather in collaboration with each other. I am also excited about truly appreciating our educators and giving increased support to those who are in those schools every day, working hard and doing what is best for students. I’m excited about bringing the focus back to where it needs to be, and that is teaching and learning. Education not about politics. Education is about teaching and learning. And that has to be the main focus in order for our students to be successful and for all schools to be successful. We need an organizational leader, but more importantly, an instructional leader, who understands what it takes to work in a school, to work in a classroom every day, to see students and parents, and be hands-on, and visible with those who we serve. This work requires a servant leader who really, and truly has the heart of an educator and the mind of a leader. I am that leader.
Rocky Hanna:
I am most excited to see our children regaining their confidence and happy spirit after the Covid-19 crisis. We have worked really hard over the last several years to help our students deal with both the academic regression that occurred as a result on the pandemic along with any social and emotional scarring that took place as a result of being isolated.
Question Seven: Our School Board frequently votes on agenda items regarding funding and grants. This means that our superintendent must be a good steward of our finances. What does financial stewardship mean to you and what will you do to achieve good financial stewardship?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
The superintendent and school board are stewards of money and have at times been good stewards but that is certainly not always the case. For example, the recent $100,000 logo development and rollout is a waste of money. No one asked for this change. In all my years as an educator, I have never heard a family member, parent, or student say, “I would send my family to a Leon County School if they had a better logo.” Financial stewardship is being responsible with money and not placing the district in debt but making sure the budget decisions you make protect the most important asset in a school district, the human asset. Part of good stewardship would be transparent budget decisions that every stakeholder could see, not just a presentation at board meetings but documents and files that people could see and question. As a leader, people should be able to see the balances with full explanations and context in common-person terms to allow for scrutiny of decisions but building trust that is verified with stakeholders. This is essential with our bargaining units. It’s everything for rapport if financial decisions are made in the sunlight with context.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
Financial stewardship is extremely important, especially when it comes to federal and state funding and our schools. In order to achieve and maintain good financial stewardship, the first order would be to ensure that the school district budget remains in alignment with the Florida Department of Education’s Red Book for accounting and reporting. I would also implement internal audits for accountability, and to ensure that funds are appropriately allocated, with teaching, learning, and safety always being the first priority. I will also analyze closely where there may need to be some “trimming of the fact”. Currently the school board has done a pretty good job of ensuring that our bottom line is where it needs to be. However, I do believe that the budget can still be improved by making sure funds are being responsibly used in a way that more of the operational budget is able to go to schools, teachers, and students to improve the educational experience, without increasing debt.
Rocky Hanna:
One of the greatest responsibilities I have as superintendent is to protect the financial interests and resources of our school district. When I took office, I inherited over 240 million dollars of capital debt. Over the last 8 years we have reduced debt by over 170 million dollars and have a plan for our school district to be 100 percent debt free by 2028! In addition, we have had ZERO audit findings by the Auditor General in the last 6 years. In addition to these wonderful accomplishments, we have pushed a record number of financial resources down into our schools for instructional materials and supplies; equipment; instructional technology; and for additional staff to work with our students.
Question Eight: In Oklahoma, Nex Benedict was a High School student who recently was physically assaulted by peers at their school and died because of their injuries. This was a direct result of them being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. What do you plan to do to ensure the safety of our children in minority populations here in Leon County Schools?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
First of all, you need to stress the rules and policies for student behavior to administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents. It also requires schools to have assemblies with students to identify proper behavior and the serious consequences of not following the policies. Students who are victims of these actions should be given support plans to help them regain trust in their campuses and the students they share them with. Students who failed to uphold proper conduct and bullied and harassed students have to be provided corrective strategies with support plans like we do for students who exhibit mental health difficulties or who are victims of the attacks. We also need consistent training for all school-level employees and district staff (like bus drivers and bus aides) that supervise students. Another crucial step to facilitating a safe environment is having more hall monitors at the secondary level. Our current policies, though important, stress protecting the perimeter and exteriors of campuses but the protection of students also includes protecting the daily encounters in and between hallways.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
The improvement of the safety of our children in Leon County Schools is something of extreme importance to me. What I plan to do is first, improve the district code of conduct, so that it provides the appropriate amount of accountability that is needed to prevent unwanted behavior. A code of conduct is not only about consequences, it is about prevention and precaution and safety of our children when they go to school every day. If there are no clearly defined limes for what the expectations are of our students, their behavior, and their interactions with each other, then it leaves room for there to be behaviors that disrupt the learning environment, and that could affect the physical and mental health of our students. I will ensure that we have more clear lines of expectations, written in our district code of conduct, which will also provide more support to our school leaders in terms of discipline and behavior and safety at schools. I feel a zero tolerance policy has to be in place, and has to be visible and vocalized, so that it is understood where the district stands as it relates to the discipline and safety of all students.
There also needs to be a stronger anti-bullying focus to ensure students are not bullied or treated differently by their peers for any reason. There would be an implementation of an effective district-wide anti-bullying program that provides students with support on how to interact responsibly with their peers and respect differences.
Rocky Hanna:
I think my consistent track record along with the track record of my colleagues on the Leon County School Board speaks for itself. Leon County was one of only a handful of counties across the state that challenged both the legislature and governor during the Covid-19 crisis to protect our children from harm. Post Covid, in the midst of all the political craziness, we have continued to stand up for the rights of all students including our LGBTQ+ students, and we will continue to do so in the future. The School Board, by way of my recommendation, has also adopted an inclusive guide to help school administrators and teachers support LGBTQ+ students in their schools. At the end of the day, we will continue to advocate for and protect the rights of all of the students we serve, especially those who have become vulnerable under these most recent attacks!
Question Nine: In our Country there are various beliefs surrounding our children and how they are taught in school. How do you plan to balance the differing views while maintaining the integrity of our public education system, teachers, students, and parents?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
That has always been my job as an educator: working with parents, guardians, and students from various homes and belief systems. I did this as a coach, teacher, athletic director, dean, assistant principal, and principal. I also had to do this at an elementary school on the northwest side of town, a middle school on the east end of town, and a high school on the north side of town. Being a leader requires the ability to demonstrate cultural dexterity where you have the ability to listen to the needs of various cultures and customs within a community but also understand how to articulate those demands to the employees on your campus to better serve the communities you lead. Parents, along with their students, want to be heard and appreciated, and listening is one step, but a more important step is the ability to make actionable change that can be seen, heard, and measured with accountability. Also, as educators, we must not fear those we serve or see them as less than ourselves. We (as educators) have to see ourselves as conduits to better opportunities in the society we live in. This is done through community conversations with an open and transparent dialogue with everyone in the community. Whether a parent or community member is impoverished, middle-class, or rich, they have the same voice and should have the same access to leadership. I have always led my schools and programs this way, and I would bring this style of leadership to the district office.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
I feel the best way to strike that balance between differing views and the maintenance of integrity in our public education system, is to know and understand the differing views and balance them with research-based instructional strategies in classrooms. In education there are so many different ways in which a teacher can provide instruction to students on any given concept or skill. What brings the balance, is when we truly understand the needs of our students and every classroom, and we respond to those needs with instructional strategies that work for those students, my expectation will be that educators in our school district utilize research based strategies that we know are effective and work to increase academic achievement. Data also has to be used to determine if the instructional strategies or ways of teaching are actually effective with our students. Instruction has to be data-driven and research-based. When we see that students are performing at higher levels as a result of a particular instructional strategy or way of teaching, then we know that particular strategy works. We must do what we know works based on data, and again, there is no one size fits all.
Rocky Hanna:
Each and every child is uniquely different. As a public school system it is our responsibility to design a program of study and a support system that meets the individual needs of each student. At the end of the day, we have to remain focused on the standards and NOT the rhetoric and noise coming from politicians and special interest groups.
Question Ten: Is there any information about yourself that you would like the community to know that they may not be able to find online?
Joseph “Joe” Lamar Burgess:
I am the son of a 42-year Army veteran and a 30-year secretary who lived their adult lives as public servants. I have been a coach, teacher, dean, assistant principal, and principal. As a teacher, I was teacher of the year as voted on by my peers. As principal, I have had an “A” ranking at all three levels of schools: elementary, middle, and high school. These schools are on separate sides of town. In contrast, my experience compared to my counterpart’s differs greatly in that he has only led at one age level, which is high school. Furthermore, I was president of the Florida Association of Secondary Schools Principals, as voted on by my peers among secondary schools in Florida, because of how I have conducted myself as a leader. To get better results for the school district, it helps to have the perspective of understanding at all three levels and understanding that the system is cohesive and should be set up as a seamless transition between levels. The rapport I have developed at each school—Springwood Elementary, Swift Creek Middle School, and Chiles High School—is one I ask you to speak to and get feedback on from those who have worked with me under my leadership and the families I have served. Last but not least is my ability to foster student achievement at all three levels and graduate students from all subgroups as a high school principal. It’s this level of success that I want to bring to Leon County Schools to make us a perennial “A” district. This is what our students and families deserve and I promise to serve them well.
Genleah “Star” Swain:
N/A
Rocky Hanna:
As a lifelong resident and a product of our public schools, I am truly honored to serve as superintendent. My wife Christy and I have worked in the Leon County School System all our entire adult lives. We love helping kids, ALL kids! Looking back on my career you simply could not have written a better story. While I am proud of what we have accomplished, there is still work to be done. With a final term in office, I can complete many of the projects we have in process and position our school district well for continued success in the years to come! In addition, our school district will be 100 percent debt free!
Thank you! This makes my choice crystal clear!
Thank you!!! Will be sharing. I know who has my vote!!