Superintendent Vitti laments, only is we could find and keep great teachers. (rough draft)

I will just let his words speak for him.

From the Times Union

Teacher recruitment and retention are key. A great teacher makes all the difference. But finding them and keeping them is a big challenge. The district is paying substantial bonuses with major help from philanthropists to attract teachers to the most challenged schools.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2016-02-19/story/change-difficult-necessary-duval-schools

Well there you have it friends, if only the district could recruit and retain great teachers then we would be doing all right. I imagine he said that with his hand next to his mouth so not many people can hear and whispered, it’s a ‘big challenge “ to find great teachers so we’re making due with what we’re stuck with.

Who cares that experts say in school factors, which if I am not mistaken teachers are part of, only account for about 20 percent of a child’s success.  Sure a student’s teacher is a good part of that 20 percent but like society often does the superintendent is blaming teachers for things outside their control and before Scott Shine trolls me and calls me a liar I feel comfortable saying that because having involved parents or overcoming poverty, factors probably more important than who a child’s teacher is, didn’t make the supers list of lessons learned.  

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2015/03/wjct-and-jacksonville-public-education.html

When the super says, Teacher recruitment and retention are key. A great teacher makes all the difference. But finding them and keeping them is a big challenge, he joins the scapegoat teachers crowd.

I want to make two points. Maybe the super if having a hard time recruiting and retaining teachers because of his leadership. Creativity and innovation are stifled, and teachers are routinely micromanaged, overworked and marginalized.

Second, I think we have a lot of amazing teachers who are succeeding and doing a great job in spite of the super not because of him. Dedicated individuals who give and sacrifice so much and they deserve a leader who both appreciates and values them, not one who laments if we just had better teachers.

Duval's big challenge isn't our teachers, it is our leadership.