The

Jacksonville Public Education Fund, Save Duval Schools, Duval County PTA, Jacksonville Kids Coalition and Jacksonville Urban League are nonpartisan organizations. We do not support or endorse any specific candidate. Our goal is to educate the community and promote increased participation in school board elections. Candidate responses to all questions will be published verbatim on a special web site at www.schoolboard2012.org. While candidates are strongly encouraged to complete the questionnaire in its entirety, partial or non-participation will not prevent candidates from participating in subsequent public forums or other election-related events hosted by these organizations. The deadline for returning this survey is July 2, 2012. No responses will be accepted after this date and all responses will be published simultaneously to the web site subsequent to this date.

2012 SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh Candidate Name: ____________________________________________________________ 5 School Board District: __________ www.gainwithgaines.com Campaign Web Site: ____________________________________________________________

Primary Campaign Contact Siottis Jackson Name: ____________________________________________________________

gainwithgaines@ymail.com E-mail Address: ____________________________________________________________ 904-894-3598 Phone Number: ____________________________________________________________

JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND 245 RIVERSIDE AVENUE SUITE 310 JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32202 904.356.7757 FAX 904.394.2005 WWW.JAXPEF.ORG

Candidate Biographical Information Please provide a short biographical summary of no more than 500 words that can be used on www.schoolboard2012.org web site and in other publications: Pervalia Gaines-McIntosh is currently seeking the District 5 seat on the Duval County School Board. Since graduating from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University nearly a decade ago, she prides herself as an advocate for fair, equal, and world-class education for all students.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, and proud DCPS graduate, Gaines-McIntosh served as Manager of WJCTs Radio Reading Service prior to becoming a substitute teacher. Serving as a permanent substitute teacher at several District 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 her work with the organization, she forms strategic partnerships with the citys elite businesses and corporations to host student leadership workshops and college and career fairs for 4 Duval County high schools. Her impact is heavily present in high school classrooms in that she has designed a 6-week ACT preparatory program to prepare students to earn passing scores for high school graduation and college admission. Working countless hours behind the scenes to ensure students have the best resources available, Gaines-McIntosh has served on several school advisory councils where she has assisted in developing and monitoring the implementation of school improvement 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 of Directors for the International Association of Audio Information Services where she helped govern the operations of the association ensuring best practices for over 100 organizations world wide which helped to make sure print-impaired persons were connected to the world. Other groups and organizations of which Gaines-McIntosh is actively involved include: Friends of Northwest Jacksonville Schools, Inc., Jacksonville Association of Black Journalists, 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 responsibility which makes her The Ambassador for Education.

Instructions Please answer each of the questions below. If you need additional space or wish to elaborate on your answers to one or more questions, please feel free to attach additional pages to this questionnaire. Please make sure, however, to identify the question to which you are responding by number so we can correctly align your responses with the proper question. You may respond by email, fax, or postal mail. Directions on how to do so are at the end of the survey document. Questions Overall 1. If you had to give the Duval County Public Schools a grade, how would you rate its current performance at educating a. High-performing students? _____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F b. Average students? _____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F c. At-risk students? _____ A _____ B _____ C _____ D _____ F 2. In what respects do you think Duval County Public Schools are doing well in their mission to educate students in Jacksonville?
I believe the district is doing well with the number of acceleration programs offered to students across the district. For years students were negating their neighborhood high schools to attend programs only offered at Dedicated Magnets like Stanton and Paxon. Strengthening all of our schools' programs and curriculum are certainly key.

3. In what respects do you think DCPS needs to improve significantly? What specific changes do you want to make in school district policies or programs to make these improvements? I believe nepotism is an issue and the district must ensure fairness and equity - across the board - when making major decisions concerning the employment and retention of the best personnel. The district must also ensure a system where not only school-based teachers and administrators are evaluated on their effectiveness, but programs and providers are also monitored and evaluated for efficacy.

Strategic Plan Duval County Public Schools has a strategic plan approved by the school board in 2010 that guides the day-to-day management and activities of the superintendent. A copy of the strategic plan can be accessed at http://www.duvalschools.org/static/ aboutdcps/superintendent/strategic_plan.asp. For the following questions, please cite the strategy number and title (e.g. Strategy 1.A: Provide additional support for all low performing students in all schools). 4. On which specific strategy do you see as most critical for the district staff to focus in 2013? Equally important for the district to work on in 2013 are strategies 4A and 5A. Strategy 4A: Integrate best practices that encourage positive behavior, develop respect towards others and ensure safe environments throughout our school district. Strategy 5A: Establish continuous and effective communications with all internal and external stakeholders.

5. Which specific strategy or measurable would you propose revising or eliminating and what would you change about it? I believe strategy 5A needs to include both measurable and useful objectives. For instance, the district should hold quarterly meetings with internal and external stakeholders to provide an accurate snapshot of the districts needs. This will also ensure effectiveness and efficiency as the district and partners seek to gain common ground while addressing the needs of our students. Governance 6. Please provide a description of how you would differentiate between the governance responsibility of the school board and the management role of the superintendent.
One of the primary functions of a school board is to provide every student with a high quality education. In doing this, boards must set vision and goals for how the school system provides high quality education while the Superintendent determines how we achieve these goals through a plan of action. Another important role of any school board is to develop and implement effective policy. Bad policy can interrupt the climate of the district.

7. Describe in your decisions how you would balance the interests of your specific neighborhood school board district with the interests of the entire school system if they come into conflict.
If elected to the Duval County School Board, I will always make decisions in the best interest of students and their education. Although I would become the District 5 representative, my responsibility is to all children; and to ensure equity across the board.

The Duval County School Board is currently engaged in a search for the next superintendent, who will replace retiring Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals in December 2012. 8. What do you consider the key qualifications the next superintendent should possess in order to be most effective? -A Revolutionary leader that is willing to challenge the traditions of this school district -A valiant leader who is not afraid to engage in the intelligent debate about the issues that truly affect our children -A charismatic leader who can define where he or she is leading our students -A strong and passionate leader when it comes to the education of our students

9. The school board is in the process of developing a new formal evaluation instrument for the Superintendent. In addition to this annual evaluation, please describe how you would propose providing formative feedback to the next superintendent on his/her performance on an ongoing basis.
The School Board and Superintendent should collaborate to determine goals. These goals must include measurable objectives, benchmarks, strategies, and timelines to ensure the Superintendent is well-equipped to succeed. Subsequently, the Board and Superintendent should review these goals on a quarterly basis to check the progress and receive feedback on implementation. From my perspective, this allows a process that is open and consistently reviewed for optimal performance.

Financial Resources and Budgeting The Duval County School Board is responsible for adopting an annual budget that outlines expected expenses. A copy of current budget documents can be accessed at http://www.duvalschools.org/static/aboutdcps/departments/ budget/budget_resources.asp. Please review these documents so that you can answer questions #10-12 as specifically as possible. 10. What specific areas of the district budget would you prioritize, particularly if additional resources became available? One of the priorities of my campaign is growth and development for all DCPS employees. I believe we have the programs and instructional models in place to be successful; however our teachers need the appropriate resources to effectively deliver instruction and the proper training as well. Therefore, I will prioritize "Instruction," inclusive of Instruction and Curriculum Development Services and Instructional Staff Training. In addition, I am a proponent of working with the community as much as possible. Therefore, I will promote an increase in the emphasis on "Community Services." The district must bridge the gap if it ever expects to regain the trust of the public.

11. With revenues expected to continue to decline in the coming years, additional budget cuts are all but a certainty. What specific areas of the budget would you recommend reducing first? Before I look to make cuts to the budget, I will investigate ways the district can possibly increase revenues to cover shortfalls. 12. The school district generally maintains a carry-forward balance and reserve fund in its budgeting process, a portion of which is required by state law. How would you balance the maintaining of a reserve in excess of the state requirement and continuing to fund programs and services during tight fiscal times? It is responsible budgetary practice to have funds for a "rainy day" especially when one considers Florida's political climate surrounding public education and the country's current economic recession. I believe the Board should determine from top-to-bottom the funding priorities of the district. The community input is also integral during this process. If we establish our priorities in the beginning, it will ease the process if cuts are necessary.

13. To ensure the district has adequate fiscal resources and avoids budget shortfalls in the future, what, if any, revenue sources should the school district pursue and on what timetable (e.g. increased local property or sales taxes, statewide tax increases, etc.)?
1. Building long-term partnerships with organizations like JPEF that are willing to raise funds to carry out the district's mission in ensuring a high quality education to all students 2. Working to build superior curriculum and instructional models that are sold 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 as cosmetology students doing hair, nails, etc. or culinary students running their own restaurants. This also provides students practical experience.

Community, Parent and External Relationships 14. How would you propose strengthening the relationships between parents, schools and community members?
The district simply has to do a better job of not only engaging the community but listening to them.

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15. How would you ensure that the school district remains transparent to the community in terms of student academic performance, financial management, school board meetings, public records and other areas? The Board has an obligation to comply with the Florida Sunshine Law at all times. Board members must also ask tough questions that solicit information for the public. Hosting quarterly community meetings where we discuss academic performance, financial management and other areas of concern with the public are also crucial. 16. There are a number of external organizations that interact with and work to support the Duval County Public Schools, from the PTA to the Mayors Office to local nonprofits. Please describe the ideal relationship with entities like these and how you may leverage their services to support students. First, I believe public schools belong to the public. Any person or organization 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 and community partners and solicit their help when needed. Furthermore, we need a system of which the entire city is proud. We must allow organizations 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 offer their expertise to the district. We should not make it difficult for organizations to offer help to the public schools, but it must be done in a consistent, fair and appropriate manner. These organizations must also have a proven record of accomplishment in their specific functional areas.

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Legislative & State Issues The actions and decisions of the Florida Legislature and State Board of Education have a significant impact on the education of Jacksonville students. 17. What law or policy passed in the past few years by the Florida Legislature or State Board of Education had the greatest positive impact on education in Jacksonville? The new FCAT grading formula for high schools has had a positive impact on education in Jacksonville. Until recently, the FCATs focus was the performance of 9th and 10th grade students; it did not look at the entire student body. In addition, if we are to produce college and career ready students, we need to look at other factors such as how well our students are performing with respect to college entrance exams, college readiness courses, etc. 18. What law or policy passed in the past few years by the Florida Legislature or State Board of Education had the greatest negative impact on education in Jacksonville? Over the past few years, high-stakes testing has taken its toll on all of Florida's classrooms. High school students are not allowed to earn a high school diploma without passing FCAT. Third grade students are retained if they do not pass the test. Even more disconcerting is the state's demand that schools close if students do not perform well on this one test. We have a responsibility to educate the whole child and ensure relevant curriculum is taught in our schools. Our students are stressed. Our teachers are stressed. All because they are being forced to teach and learn to the test.

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 Major Policy Issues 19. What do you see as the advantages and/or disadvantages to using standardized testing data as a portion of a teachers evaluation? Certainly I want all students to show a year's worth of progress (and proficiency) in all of their subject areas. Pursuing this further, I believe our teachers must accept responsibility for how effective they deliver instruction to our students. However, I question the use of standardized testing data as a portion of a teacher's evaluation. Our teachers must have the autonomy they need to ensure every student is given an opportunity to learn. One size does not fit all. Teachers are already "teaching to the test." This will encourage teachers to continue this practice. There are tons of research that suggest standardized testing data is not always accurate or reliable. We need accountability. Most teachers welcome accountability, but it must be a process that is fair and equal for all teachers. Teachers should also become a part of the process by state's seeking their input about what to teach in classrooms and how to assess students' knowledge and skill levels. 20. Duval County currently operates magnet programs in more than 50 schools, including 13 dedicated magnet schools. How do the districts magnet programs positively and/or negatively impact overall student achievement in Jacksonville? We currently have two of the nation's best high schools right here in Duval county, and I commend DCPS for the many pockets of success. However, at the same time, several of our neighborhood schools are among the lowest performing in the nation. The entire system must experience the kind of success that has been afforded to our magnet schools. For decades, academic acceleration programs were housed only in dedicated magnets not allowing all students to have access to such programs. If we are to truly become a school district offering world-class education to all of its students, we must place the focus back on the achievement levels of ALL students.

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21. What impact does out-of-district school choicecharter schools, tax-credit scholarships/vouchers, opportunity scholarships, and similar programs have on the success of students in Jacksonville?
I do not support any form of education that takes away from the public schools. These programs are not favorable for the public schools because they require our district's FTE dollars, thus minimizing the resources we have to provide for all of our students.

22. Currently, the Florida Constitution limits class sizes to no more than 18 students in Grades K-3, 22 students in Grades 4-8 and 25 students in Grades 9-12, as measured at the actual class level. From your perspective as a potential board member, is the impact of this measure positive or negative in the effective education of students and management of our district? Why? I believe the Class Size Amendment in theory could work. However, it has had a negative impact on our school district, because unfunded mandates frequently do not achieve compliance at the district level. As a potential board member this really concerns me because it makes our district look substandard, and it puts us in limbo if the state ever decides to impose fines for noncompliance. But, realistically school districts cannot hire the required staff if public education continues to take crucial budget hits.

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23. Currently, nearly 60 percent of high school graduates need remedial coursework before being eligible to take credit-bearing courses at Florida State College at Jacksonville. What would you propose to increase the number of students graduating college and career ready and reduce the numbers requiring remediation?
We must remove the focus off of FCAT for our high school students. This standardized test does not correlate to college preparedness. In fact this test and its high stakes have lowered the expectations of high school students across the state. More emphasis is needed on making sure our students are prepared and have undergone the necessary prerequisites to enter into college or a career after high school.

24. If you have children, what type of school do/did they attend? (mark all that apply) _____ Public (inside Duval County) _____ Public (outside Duval County) _____ Private _____ Charter _____ Home Education Not Applicable _____ Other: ______________________________________________________________________

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