Dear Citizens,
It is with a clear and realistic vision for education in Levy County that today I announce my candidacy for Superintendent of Schools.
Here is my vision for Levy County Schools. I will
- Lead. In every encounter see each person as God sees him or her. Help each person lead the life he or she has been called to live.
- Inspire everyone to dream big.
- Transform the culture of Levy County: Rid the county of fear and bullying.
- Consistently attract the best and the brightest educators to Levy County.
- Prioritize and Expand the Vocational Trades Program. Build strong relationships with local businesses to create a dynamic apprenticeship program where businesses partner with students to teach them life skills.
- Raise Levy County student achievement to the top 50% of Florida counties, and higher.
- Create an Annual Superintendent and School Board Report Card. Employees will grade their leaders, and it will be published.
- Hold community forums in the evening at BMHS, CKS, CMHS and WMHS to listen to people in the community and answer questions.
- Acquire major grant funding, ie. a MacArthur grant, a Gates grant, an Apple grant.
- Increase Levy County graduation scholarships to $1,000,000.
- Communicate our vision for Levy County to parents, students, teachers, staff, and the broader community using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Social media is just plain smart.
- Make Levy County a state and national example of what committed citizens working together can accomplish.
The current superintendent led Levy County to an historic low in student achievement: 57th out of 67 Florida counties. Only 10 counties performed worse. Can a leader who has taken us to the bottom of the barrel lead us to the top of the mountain? He supposedly was the rightful heir to the throne (if there is such a thing), and under his leadership, student achievement hit rock bottom. Does he need another four years to keep trying at the expense of our students? The great football coach Lou Holtz once said, “If a coach isn’t winning by his third year, he’s not going to make it.”
Isn’t it time we got on a path to success? If we want something we’ve never had, then we need to do something we’ve never done, and I’m asking for your vote. On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, I’m asking you to vote for our children.
Thank you,
Jerry Lawrence
Candidate for Superintendent of Schools
352-949-5110
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