Keeping up with Dr. Kathy Burns

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
June 28, 2017 1:00 a.m.

One of the Nassau County School District (NCSD) staff has been quoted as saying, “Keeping up with Kathy Burns is like keeping up with a tornado.” After spending an hour with her it’s clear that is no exaggeration.

Fernandina Observer co-editor Susan Steger and I recently sat down to chat with the new Nassau County School Superintendent about her first 6 months on the job.   In November Dr. Kathy Burns was elected by an overwhelming majority of Nassau County voters to replace retiring superintendent Dr. John Ruis. Since then she has been an administrator on the move to learn, plan and execute strategies to make our high performing school system even better.

A few weeks ago she participated in her first graduation exercises as Superintendent watching as 841 graduates, who received over $10M in scholarship funds, made their parents proud. Another NCSD point of pride for the recently completed school year is that 78 percent of district third graders scored at Level 3 or above on the state English/Language Arts Assessment.

Burns has made a point of getting out of her office in the District Administration Building on Atlantic Avenue in Fernandina Beach and getting into the schools and the community both to tell them what’s happening in the school system and to listen to their concerns. She makes weekly classroom visits and regularly speaks to local clubs and organizations, while dealing with state mandates, budget concerns and technology matters that affect students, teachers and administrators throughout 17 schools (soon to be 18).

Additionally, Burns has responsibilities beyond Nassau County. During her first 6 months she participated in the Education Commissioner’s Panel for Superintendents on Best Practices and the Commissioner’s ESSA Review Team. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced No Child Left Behind. This month she also successfully completed the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) 6-month training course for new superintendents to learn more about school district finance, collective bargaining, special education, laws governing education and personnel.

Biggest surprise

Burns, who came to her position as a credentialed and experienced teacher as well as a long serving member of the Nassau County School Board, was aware of many of the issues confronting the district. However, she said that she was surprised about certain matters that suddenly became priorities. She said that while the NCSD had invested heavily in technology, there was insufficient support for technology within the school system. She also found issues related to Exceptional Student Education (ESE) that needed to be addressed.

While not a surprise, the construction of Wildlight, a new elementary school in Yulee slated to open in August for the 2017-18 academic year, created additional work for Burns and her staff. Attendance zones had to be redrawn and many meetings were held with parents and staff on how to make a smooth transition to the new facility. Burns said that the new facility will host a public open house on August 24. Among its many features is an outdoor amphitheater just outside the cafetorium.

Teacher recruitment challenge

Burns highlighted issues related to hiring and retaining teachers. To that end, the NCSD has modernized its recruitment program by advertising online and allowing applications to be submitted electronically. The recruiting theme – “Come for a weekend, stay for a career.” But she acknowledged that affordable housing for teachers is an issue. She serves on Nassau County’s Affordable Housing Committee and is attempting to find solutions to this problem.

Other initiatives

Burns established a State of the Schools Council, made up of citizens from throughout Nassau County. “The council will meet 3-4 times throughout the year to be updated on the School District and partner with us in ‘telling our story,’” she said. Reaction from the group members: “Put us to work.”

The NCSD has launched a new website which will better enable the NCSD to get information out to parents and the community:  www.nassau.k12.fl.us

Burns has introduced an employee recognition event as well as a Teacher of the Year Gala.

Burns said that one of her goals is to work with employees in different departments to learn more about their jobs. She believes that every non-classroom job in the School District is a part of the total learning environment for students. She calls this initiative “50 Days/50 Ways.” She spent her first such day with Chris Peacock, the school district’s courier who makes deliveries and pick-ups throughout the entire district every day. A 30-year employee, Burns characterized him as “a dedicated employee who does his job with a serious, prideful mindset every day.  On the last day of school she rode the morning bus route in Yulee with Ms. Margaret, whose bus was filled with students who were both happy and sad to see their school year come to an end. Following our interview, Burns was off to join two students and their instructor in a Driver’s Education ride.

Dealings with the School Board

Much of Burns’ efforts have been directed to keeping the School Board informed. Over her first six months she has held workshops on finance, legislation and goals. She believes that she has a good working relationship with board members, many of whom she served with for many years. The transition to her new role has been relatively smooth, she said, “But the first few meetings I tried to vote!”

Burns has put out the following statement to the community:   “The closing of this school year is especially meaningful as I reflect on my first 6 months as Superintendent of Schools. The job as Superintendent is huge, and the responsibilities are great. We have bright, energetic, and eager students who come to school every day to learn. We have parents and community members that support our school leaders, and teachers, I am grateful to work with people who dedicate every day to the success of students and the improvement of our schools. The leaders in our district turn challenges into opportunities.”

As we concluded our interview, Dr. Burns said, “We still have a lot of work to do. We haven’t ‘arrived.’”

And the tornado moves on.

Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.