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The association for administrators, district superintendents, principals, assistant principals, supervisors and those who support the public schools of Florida. |
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MESSAGE FROM INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JUHAN MIXON ED.DJuhan-Mixon-2010.jpgOriginally published Friday, August 27, 2010. (2)  This will be my final Friday Facts letter to you as Executive Director of FASA. During September, I will begin using accumulated leavetime prior to my final day on December 31st and, under the leadership of FASA President, Susan Persis, the FASA Board of Directors named FASA's chief lobbyist, Dr. Juhan Mixon as Interim Executive Director during that time. At the July FASA board meeting, I recommended Dr. Mixon be appointed as FASA's next Executive Director effective upon my resignation because I strongly believe that Juhan Mixon is the right man to lead FASA at this time. Times change, and we must change accordingly. I also recommended to the board that they combine the Executive Director and Lobbyist positions, as other associations often do, to produce a significant savings. And Juhan Mixon has agreed. When I came to FASA five years ago, we were $1million in debt and in serious trouble. Under the leadership of a committed board, we made significant changes. These changes allowed us to operate in the black and now have over $500,000 invested. However, the political situation has also changed dramatically. Adapting to the new political realities requires us to change our strategic vision. Five years ago providing Florida school leaders with quality professional and leadership development to meet the growing demands of accountability and continuous school improvement was FASA's top priority. During the past decade Florida school leaders have been asked to do more with less than ever before in our history. You responded by producing some of the most dramatic student achievement gains in the nation! I embraced this greater accountability early on because I thought it would provide a way to demonstrate the true quality of our public schools. But your hard work does not seem to have translated into greater political support. In fact, our constitutionally-mandated system of free, high quality public schools seems to be at greater risk than ever before. For these reasons, and at this time, I believe political advocacy must now become FASA's primary strategic focus! Dr. Juhan Mixon is particularly well-prepared to lead FASA during the political struggle that lies ahead. No one has a longer history of commitment to FASA or knowledge of our history and mission. For you to be well prepared and represented, FASA needs the experience and insider knowledge of the political process that Juhan Mixon brings. Politics is his passion. My passion is leadership development and school improvement. One of my proudest accomplishments as Florida's first K12 Chancellor was leading the creation of the William Cecil Golden Leadership Development Program, WCG. But the quality of this work was made possible by the DOE's Henry Pollock, Kathy Hebda and the willing collaboration of stakeholders across the state. Florida's Continuous Improvement Model, FCIM, remains a cornerstone of principal training in the WCG Program. Over the past five years FASA has obtained almost $4,000,000 in Federal, state, and private foundation grants to support our Secondary School Redesign Initiative and the current Polk County Transition Years Project. We have provided training and support for 71 schools in 20 school districts and created a Florida-based cadre of outstanding coaches to support these schools. This work is my passion. While I will no longer be a FASA employee, Juhan Mixon and I have agreed that I will serve as his link to this on-going work and that I will seek additional grant opportunities to support Florida's schools in providing professional development. At the same time, I will expand my work with Dr. Bill Daggett's International Center for Leadership in Education and I am excited about the opportunity. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of FASA, to have had the continuing support of the FASA Board, and the opportunity to work on behalf of Florida school leaders because I remain deeply committed to the future of our public schools. And I believe that, in the end, your leadership will determine their quality. It is all about leadership. Dr. Juhan Mixon is the right man to lead FASA at this critical time, but to succeed... he will need your support. No leader can do it alone. There is too much at stake for you to remain on the sidelines now. Be a member and be involved. Have a great day! Jim Warford To send Jim a message, click here. Previous Messages from the Executive Director
August 27, 2010
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