- Joe Burgess, principal of Chiles High School, announced his candidacy for Leon County Schools superintendent.
- Burgess will face incumbent superintendent Rocky Hanna in the 2024 election.
- Watch the video above to hear from both candidates.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Chiles High School Principal, Joe Burgess, announced Wednesday he’s running for Leon County Schools Superintendent.
“We have a responsibility, a focus a commitment to our kids to do everything we can,” Burgess said.
Burgess is facing current incumbent superintendent Rocky Hanna.
I asked him why now?
“The serious commitment was a couple of years ago, really wanting to do this, to make that leap forward,” Burgess said.
I asked him how his experience, as both a first-time candidate, and high school principal, would compare.
“I was a pretty successful coach and athletic director,” Burgess said, “and I was also a teacher and became a successful dean and assistant principal and principal at all three levels.”
During Hanna’s time as superintendent the district has maintained a B average grade. One of the highest district grades in the state.
Burgess said he doesn’t want to be complacent when it comes to student achievement.
“Every community here deserves to be A schools,” Burgess said. “And so that should really be our driving focus.”
Leon County schools also gets public attention from state leaders.
“You have to be willing to have conversations, and we have to talk tactfully and respectfully, to get some of the information and results that we need, we have to work with the,” Burgess said.
Hanna has positioned himself as a someone who is not afraid to both privately and publicly disagree with state leaders.
Earlier this year Hanna reached an agreement with the Florida Department of Education after he was accused of having a history of defying the law and using his position to politically influence others under his authority. He denied those claims.
Hanna told ABC 27 this in a statement about his current run:
“I think my actions as superintendent have proven, to our community, that I will always stand as a champion to protect and defend our students, our teachers, and our public schools.
I am very proud of my record and the accomplishments we have made over the last seven years, including making our schools safer, pushing more resources down to our classrooms, purchasing mobile learning devices for all students, increasing funding for arts and athletic programs, expanding early learning and career technical programs, significantly increasing pay for both teachers and non-instructional personnel, reducing capital debt, and having a plan that will make our school system completely debt free by 2028.
I look forward to sharing more details about my record and my vision for the future in the months ahead.”
