District 5 Candidate Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh Questionnaire

7/31/2019 District 5 Candidate Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh Questionnaire

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JACKSONVILLEPUBLIC EDUCATION FUND

245RIVERSIDEAVENUE SUITE 310JACKSONVILLE,FLORIDA 32202

904.356.7757FAX 904.394.2005WWW.JAXPEF.ORG

2012SCHOOLBOARD

CANDIDATEQUESTIONNAIRE

TheJacksonvillePublicEducationFund,SaveDuvalSchools,DuvalCounty

PTA,JacksonvilleKidsCoalitionandJacksonvilleUrbanLeagueare

nonpartisanorganizations. Wedonotsupportorendorseanyspecificcandidate.

Ourgoalistoeducatethecommunityandpromoteincreasedparticipationinschool

boardelections.

Candidateresponsestoallquestionswillbepublishedverbatimonaspecialweb

siteatwww.schoolboard2012.org.Whilecandidatesarestronglyencouragedto

completethequestionnaireinitsentirety,partialornon-participationwillnot

preventcandidatesfromparticipatinginsubsequentpublicforumsorother

election-relatedeventshostedbytheseorganizations.

ThedeadlineforreturningthissurveyisJuly2,2012.Noresponseswillbe

acceptedafterthisdateandallresponseswillbepublishedsimultaneouslytothe

websitesubsequenttothisdate.

CandidateName: ____________________________________________________________

SchoolBoardDistrict: __________

CampaignWebSite: ____________________________________________________________

PrimaryCampaignContact

Name: ____________________________________________________________

E-mailAddress: ____________________________________________________________

PhoneNumber: ____________________________________________________________

Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh

5

www.gainwithgaines.com

Siottis Jackson

[email protected]

904-894-3598


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CandidateBiographicalInformation

Pleaseprovideashortbiographicalsummaryofnomorethan500wordsthatcan

beusedonwww.schoolboard2012.orgwebsiteandinotherpublications:

Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh is currently seeking the District 5 seat on the DuvalCounty School Board. Since graduating from Florida Agricultural andMechanical University nearly a decade ago, she prides herself as an advocatefor fair, equal, and world-class education for all students.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, and proud DCPS graduate, Gaines-McIntoshserved as Manager of WJCTs Radio Reading Service prior to becoming asubstitute teacher. Serving as a permanent substitute teacher at severalDistrict 5 schools has given her much insight into the needs of the district.

In addition to Gaines-McIntoshs serving as an educator, she serves as

founder and former president for her high schools alumni association. In herwork with the organization, she forms strategic partnerships with the cityselite businesses and corporations to host student leadership workshops andcollege and career fairs for 4 Duval County high schools. Her impact is heavilypresent in high school classrooms in that she has designed a 6-week ACTpreparatory program to prepare students to earn passing scores for highschool graduation and college admission. Working countless hours behind thescenes to ensure students have the best resources available,Gaines-McIntosh has served on several school advisory councils where shehas assisted in developing and monitoring the implementation of schoolimprovement plans. She currently serves as a member of a local high schools

PTA.

As an advocate for disabled persons, she formerly served on the Board ofDirectors for the International Association of Audio Information Services whereshe helped govern the operations of the association ensuring best practicesfor over 100 organizations world wide which helped to make sureprint-impaired persons were connected to the world. Other groups andorganizations of which Gaines-McIntosh is actively involved include: Friendsof Northwest Jacksonville Schools, Inc., Jacksonville Association of BlackJournalists, and the FBI Citizens Academy.

Gaines-McIntosh and her husband Vincent have no children of their own.However, she believes all 125,000 DCPS students are her responsibilitywhich makes her The Ambassador for Education.


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Instructions

Pleaseanswereachofthequestionsbelow.Ifyouneedadditionalspaceorwish

toelaborateonyouranswerstooneormorequestions,pleasefeelfreeto

attachadditionalpagestothisquestionnaire.Pleasemakesure,however,to

identifythequestiontowhichyouarerespondingbynumbersowecancorrectlyalignyourresponseswiththeproperquestion.

Youmayrespondbyemail,fax,orpostalmail.Directionsonhowtodosoareatthe

endofthesurveydocument.

Questions

Overall

1. IfyouhadtogivetheDuvalCountyPublicSchoolsagrade,howwouldyourateitscurrentperformanceateducating

a. High-performingstudents?

_____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F

b. Averagestudents?

_____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F

c. At-riskstudents?

_____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F

2. InwhatrespectsdoyouthinkDuvalCountyPublicSchoolsaredoingwellintheirmissiontoeducatestudentsinJacksonville?

I believe the district is doing well with the number of acceleration programsoffered to students across the district. For years students were negatingtheir neighborhood high schools to attend programs only offered atDedicated Magnets like Stanton and Paxon. Strengthening all of ourschools' programs and curriculum are certainly key.


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5. Whichspecificstrategyormeasurablewouldyouproposerevisingoreliminatingandwhatwouldyouchangeaboutit?

Governance

6. Pleaseprovideadescriptionofhowyouwoulddifferentiatebetweenthegovernanceresponsibilityoftheschoolboardandthemanagementroleof

thesuperintendent.

I believe strategy 5A needs to include both measurable and usefulobjectives. For instance, the district should hold quarterly meetings withinternal and external stakeholders to provide an accurate snapshot of thedistricts needs. This will also ensure effectiveness and efficiency as thedistrict and partners seek to gain common ground while addressing theneeds of our students.

One of the primary functions of a school board is to provide every studentwith a high quality education. In doing this, boards must set vision andgoals for how the school system provides high quality education while the

Superintendent determines how we achieve these goals through a plan ofaction. Another important role of any school board is to develop andimplement effective policy. Bad policy can interrupt the climate of thedistrict.


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7. Describeinyourdecisionshowyouwouldbalancetheinterestsofyourspecificneighborhoodschoolboarddistrictwiththeinterestsoftheentireschoolsystemiftheycomeintoconflict.

TheDuvalCountySchoolBoardiscurrentlyengagedinasearchforthenext

superintendent,whowillreplaceretiringSuperintendentEdPratt-Dannalsin

December2012.

8. Whatdoyouconsiderthekeyqualificationsthenextsuperintendentshouldpossessinordertobemosteffective?

If elected to the Duval County School Board, I will always make decisions

in the best interest of students and their education. Although I wouldbecome the District 5 representative, my responsibility is to all children;and to ensure equity across the board.

-A Revolutionary leader that is willing to challenge the traditions of thisschool district

-A valiant leader who is not afraid to engage in the intelligent debate aboutthe issues that truly affect our children

-A charismatic leader who can define where he or she is leading ourstudents

-A strong and passionate leader when it comes to the education of ourstudents


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11.Withrevenuesexpectedtocontinuetodeclineinthecomingyears,additionalbudgetcutsareallbutacertainty.Whatspecificareasofthebudgetwouldyourecommendreducingfirst?

12.Theschooldistrictgenerallymaintainsacarry-forwardbalanceandreservefundinitsbudgetingprocess,aportionofwhichisrequiredbystatelaw.

Howwouldyoubalancethemaintainingofareserveinexcessofthestaterequirementandcontinuingtofundprogramsandservicesduringtightfiscal

times?

Before I look to make cuts to the budget, I will investigate ways the districtcan possibly increase revenues to cover shortfalls.

It is responsible budgetary practice to have funds for a "rainy day"

especially when one considers Florida's political climate surroundingpublic education and the country's current economic recession. I believethe Board should determine from top-to-bottom the funding priorities ofthe district. The community input is also integral during this process. If weestablish our priorities in the beginning, it will ease the process if cutsare necessary.


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13.Toensurethedistricthasadequatefiscalresourcesandavoidsbudgetshortfallsinthefuture,what,ifany,revenuesourcesshouldtheschooldistrictpursueandonwhattimetable(e.g.increasedlocalpropertyorsales

taxes,statewidetaxincreases,etc.)?

Community,ParentandExternalRelationships

14.Howwouldyouproposestrengtheningtherelationshipsbetweenparents,

schoolsandcommunitymembers?

1. Building long-term partnerships with organizations like JPEF that arewilling to raise funds to carry out the district's mission in ensuring a highquality education to all students

2. Working to build superior curriculum and instructional models that aresold to other districts

3. Lobbying the Legislature for more appropriations

4. Renting facilities to the public and community groups

5. Students offer revenue-generating services to the community such ascosmetology students doing hair, nails, etc. or culinary students runningtheir own restaurants. This also provides students practical experience.

The district simply has to do a better job of not only engaging the

community but listening to them.


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15.Howwouldyouensurethattheschooldistrictremainstransparenttothecommunityintermsofstudentacademicperformance,financialmanagement,schoolboardmeetings,publicrecordsandotherareas?

16.ThereareanumberofexternalorganizationsthatinteractwithandworktosupporttheDuvalCountyPublicSchools,fromthePTAtotheMayorsOffice

tolocalnonprofits.Pleasedescribetheidealrelationshipwithentitiesliketheseandhowyoumayleveragetheirservicestosupportstudents.

The Board has an obligation to comply with the Florida Sunshine Law at

all times. Board members must also ask tough questions that solicitinformation for the public. Hosting quarterly community meetings wherewe discuss academic performance, financial management and otherareas of concern with the public are also crucial.

First, I believe public schools belong to the public. Any person ororganization sharing in the district's first priority to students should be

welcomed to support the educational process in the local public schools.We must foster a relationship where we can turn to our business andcommunity partners and solicit their help when needed. Furthermore, weneed a system of which the entire city is proud. We must alloworganizations to determine what ways they can offer help to our students.For example, if Big Brother Big Sister specializes in mentoring programs,we must bring them and other organizations like them to the table to offertheir expertise to the district. We should not make it difficult fororganizations to offer help to the public schools, but it must be done in aconsistent, fair and appropriate manner. These organizations must alsohave a proven record of accomplishment in their specific functional areas.


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Legislative&StateIssues

TheactionsanddecisionsoftheFloridaLegislatureandStateBoardofEducation

haveasignificantimpactontheeducationofJacksonvillestudents.

17.WhatlaworpolicypassedinthepastfewyearsbytheFloridaLegislatureorStateBoardofEducationhadthegreatestpositiveimpactoneducationinJacksonville?

18.WhatlaworpolicypassedinthepastfewyearsbytheFloridaLegislatureorStateBoardofEducationhadthegreatestnegativeimpactoneducationin

Jacksonville?

The new FCAT grading formula for high schools has had a positiveimpact on education in Jacksonville. Until recently, the FCATs focus wasthe performance of 9th and 10th grade students; it did not look at theentire student body. In addition, if we are to produce college and careerready students, we need to look at other factors such as how well ourstudents are performing with respect to college entrance exams, collegereadiness courses, etc.

Over the past few years, high-stakes testing has taken its toll on all ofFlorida's classrooms. High school students are not allowed to earn a highschool diploma without passing FCAT. Third grade students are retainedif they do not pass the test. Even more disconcerting is the state'sdemand that schools close if students do not perform well on this one test.We have a responsibility to educate the whole child and ensure relevantcurriculum is taught in our schools. Our students are stressed. Ourteachers are stressed. All because they are being forced to teach andlearn to the test.


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MajorPolicyIssues

19.Whatdoyouseeastheadvantagesand/ordisadvantagestousingstandardizedtestingdataasaportionofateachersevaluation?

20.DuvalCountycurrentlyoperatesmagnetprogramsinmorethan50schools,including13dedicatedmagnetschools.Howdothedistrictsmagnet

programspositivelyand/ornegativelyimpactoverallstudentachievementinJacksonville?

Certainly I want all students to show a year's worth of progress (andproficiency) in all of their subject areas. Pursuing this further, I believe ourteachers must accept responsibility for how effective they deliverinstruction to our students. However, I question the use of standardizedtesting data as a portion of a teacher's evaluation. Our teachers musthave the autonomy they need to ensure every student is given anopportunity to learn. One size does not fit all. Teachers are already"teaching to the test." This will encourage teachers to continue thispractice. There are tons of research that suggest standardized testingdata is not always accurate or reliable. We need accountability. Mostteachers welcome accountability, but it must be a process that is fair andequal for all teachers. Teachers should also become a part of the processby state's seeking their input about what to teach in classrooms and howto assess students' knowledge and skill levels.

We currently have two of the nation's best high schools right here in Duvalcounty, and I commend DCPS for the many pockets of success.However, at the same time, several of our neighborhood schools areamong the lowest performing in the nation. The entire system mustexperience the kind of success that has been afforded to our magnetschools. For decades, academic acceleration programs were housedonly in dedicated magnets not allowing all students to have access tosuch programs. If we are to truly become a school district offeringworld-class education to all of its students, we must place the focus backon the achievement levels of ALL students.


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21.Whatimpactdoesout-of-districtschoolchoicecharterschools,tax-creditscholarships/vouchers,opportunityscholarships,andsimilarprogramshaveonthesuccessofstudentsinJacksonville?

22.Currently,theFloridaConstitutionlimitsclasssizestonomorethan18studentsinGradesK-3,22studentsinGrades4-8and25studentsinGrades

9-12,asmeasuredattheactualclasslevel.Fromyourperspectiveasapotentialboardmember,istheimpactofthismeasurepositiveornegativein

theeffectiveeducationofstudentsandmanagementofourdistrict?Why?

I do not support any form of education that takes away from the publicschools. These programs are not favorable for the public schools becausethey require our district's FTE dollars, thus minimizing the resources wehave to provide for all of our students.

I believe the Class Size Amendment in theory could work. However, it

has had a negative impact on our school district, because unfundedmandates frequently do not achieve compliance at the district level. As apotential board member this really concerns me because it makes ourdistrict look substandard, and it puts us in limbo if the state ever decidesto impose fines for noncompliance. But, realistically school districtscannot hire the required staff if public education continues to take crucialbudget hits.


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23.Currently,nearly60percentofhighschoolgraduatesneedremedialcourseworkbeforebeingeligibletotakecredit-bearingcoursesatFloridaStateCollegeatJacksonville.Whatwouldyouproposetoincreasethe

numberofstudentsgraduatingcollegeandcareerreadyandreducethe

numbersrequiringremediation?

24.Ifyouhavechildren,whattypeofschooldo/didtheyattend?(markallthatapply)

_____ Public(insideDuvalCounty)

_____ Public(outsideDuvalCounty)

_____ Private

_____ Charter

_____ HomeEducation

_____ Other:______________________________________________________________________

We must remove the focus off of FCAT for our high school students. Thisstandardized test does not correlate to college preparedness. In fact thistest and its high stakes have lowered the expectations of high schoolstudents across the state. More emphasis is needed on making sure ourstudents are prepared and have undergone the necessary prerequisitesto enter into college or a career after high school.

Not Applicable

Documents

District 5 Candidate Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh Questionnaire