WUFT asked candidates running for office across north central Florida a series of questions about their background and plans if elected.
Below, find the answers from Tracey Kendrick, who is running to become Bradford County Superintendent of Schools.
Why did you decide to run for this office?
A group of concerned citizens in Bradford County reached out in the early Spring and asked me to run for school superintendent. They shared their concerns about the district and appealed to my sense of duty to my community. My husband and I prayed about it and reached the conclusion that I needed to run for Superintendent. I go back several generations in Bradford county and my strong wish is to help the district be the best it can be.
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district or jurisdiction?
The three top things that parents have brought to me are:
1. Denial of exceptional education services and accommodations.
2. Students not feeling safe at school due to bullying behavior.
3. Lack of trust, accountability, and transparency in the district as a whole.
Your suggested solution for the top problem:
Look at staffing and training in the schools. Assure that all staff are trained in order to follow the federal statute around how to serve, classify and protect our exceptional students.
Your suggested solution for problem two:
Investigate what mental health services are offered by the district in order to assure that adequate staff are allocated to meet this need. Train staff and students in conflict resolution and class and school culture building. Seek partners to provide families with mental health services.
Your suggested solution for problem three:
Transparency is the easiest of this list to fix, we will return to the past practice of videoing school board meetings and posting them on the district website. We will also welcome parent and guardian participation in school events. Accountability will partially be solved by providing parents and citizens with open access to me through my cell phone number being made public. The rest of accountability will take time as there is a culture problem in Bradford County Schools. This will take training and reshaping people's perceptions of what should happen in schools. Trust takes the longest and can only be achieved after transparency and accountability are established. Both myself and schools must be trustworthy and prove ourselves over time.
If elected, what is the first part of your agenda you intend to accomplish?
Anytime I enter a new school or district the first thing that needs to happen is to listen and learn. School districts are complex and is important to understand all of the moving parts before changes are made. I will assure that the district is following both State and Federal statute starting day 1 though. Teachers and parents who have worked with me in the past would say I am not afraid of tough conversations nor am I afraid of tough decisions.
What else should voters know about you and your candidacy?
I am a lifelong educator and leader. I have taught and lead schools for the last 28 years in both Clay and Duval counties. My previous students and teachers would say that children are my passion and I am driven everyday to do the best I can for every child in my care. I intend to keep children and teachers safe in all schools and settings. I also intend to raise passing rates on state tests and to raise graduation rates which are hovering around the bottom of the state in Bradford County. I believe that it is our duty to the future generations to provide a quality education so that students are workforce/military and or college ready.