The Duval County (Fla.) School Board has approved an agreement for Superintendent Diana Greene to leave her job June 2 and formally retire July 24.
The Florida Times-Union reports that Greene's departure from the Jacksonville-area school system, less than a year after her contract was extended, was bound inextricably with ongoing review of complaints about teacher misconduct at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Her supporters countered that allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis are trying to have her removed because she wasn't thought to be in step with his administration.
The board still needs an interim replacement to run the 129,000-student district until a permanent superintendent is hired.
Greene’s contract and selection of a new superintendent were top agenda items on an emergency meeting that board Chair Kelly Coker called Tuesday.
Some members questioned the emergency characterization, which bypassed normal 48-hour notice requirements for the meeting that more than 600 people viewed online.
Greene had been reported earlier to be in negotiations about leaving before her contract’s scheduled 2025 end date, and two members said they were told weeks ago she was ready to retire.
Following the March arrest for lewd conduct of a longtime teacher, alumni and families at Douglas Anderson have complained about decades-long perceptions – far pre-dating Greene’s hiring in 2018 – of suspicious or inappropriate behavior involving teachers at the arts high school.
In addition, state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz charged last month that the district had failed to forward dozens of complaints about district employees to a state office that tracks professional conduct. That reporting is required by state law.
However Greene’s supporters have asserted she was the target of a politically inspired witch hunt that would add to the ranks of appointed superintendents statewide who have left or been fired since November.
