Superintendent David Moore, one of four finalists for the award honoring the nation’s best school-district chief executive, said he wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t bring home the trophy.
“Not at all,” Moore said Sunday, after he returned from the School Superintendents Association’s annual conference in New Orleans, where the group presented its “2025 National Superintendent of the Year Award” last Thursday. “I didn’t go there expecting to get it.
“There are 15,000 superintendents in the country, and to be among the four finalists is truly an impressive feat,” he added. “Just being there and being celebrated at a conference attended by 5,000 of your peers … The impact on me was tremendous.
“It was an acknowledgement of the work we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished, and the level of exposure it received was almost overwhelming.”
Moore, however, said he had no immediate plans to ride the recent professional accolades and exposure he has received – the 53-year-old career educator was also named Florida’s top superintendent in December – to a more high-profile and lucrative position at a larger school district.
In fact, Moore said he did not seek or receive any job offers during the conference, and he has “no intention of leaving,” adding that being a superintendent elsewhere isn’t necessarily something he wants.
“I appreciate the attention, but I haven’t spoken to anybody or any organization, other than those who approached me and said, ‘Hey, if you’re ever looking …,’” Moore said.
“Besides,” he continued, “it’s in my contract that, if I want to talk to some other potential employer, I’m required to notify the board.”
And he hasn’t.
But School Board Chair Teri Barenborg knows there are districts in Florida that would jump at the chance to hire Moore, if he were to make himself available.
“Truth is, he was already on people’s radars before the awards – because of the outstanding job he’s doing here,” Barenborg said. “I talk to other board members around the state, and they’ve asked me if he would be interested in moving.
“That’s what happens when you hire someone with his talent and ability,” she added.
“Fortunately, he seems to like our community, and he has made a home here.”
About two dozen school district staffers, administrators and board members gathered at the district’s administration building last week to watch the livestreamed announcement.
Barenborg was among those who texted Moore after the national award was presented to Walter Gonsoulin Jr., superintendent of the Jefferson County (Alabama) school district.
“I let him know that I’m still so very proud of his accomplishments,” she said. “He has been able to transform our public school system to be more choice-friendly for parents. That’s the first time I’ve seen that here.”
Not only has Moore made the county’s public schools more competitive at a time when state vouchers have made private schools and home-schooling more attractive, but he has also significantly improved the district’s academic performance.
Six months after receiving its second consecutive “A” grade from the Florida Department of Education, the district learned in January that its 96.2-percent high school graduation rate ranked No. 4 in the state.
The district’s graduation rate for the Class of 2024 was the highest on the Treasure Coast and well above the state’s 89.7-percent rate.
When Moore was hired in late 2019, the districts rate was 88.5 percent, which ranked 20th in the state.
Notably, the district has made remarkable progress in closing the achievement gaps among minority students. The graduation rate for Black students has risen by 11 percentage points since the 2018-19 school year to 92 percent, while the rate for Hispanic students saw a 14-percent increase to 97 percent.
Overall, the district has climbed in the state rankings from 38th to ninth under Moore’s leadership, which also has produced a dramatic rise – from 46 percent to 95 percent – in the number of district schools with “A” or “B” grades.
“And he has a lot more to do,” Barenborg said, citing his quest for further innovation and guiding the district to a No. 1 state ranking.
Moore sounded eager to take on those remaining challenges, not the least of which are the historic launch of the district’s first classical-education school and transitioning three other elementary schools to a K-8 format.
Both conversions will begin with the 2025-26 school year.
“My plans and goals haven’t changed,” the superintendent said. “I’m very happy with what I’ve accomplished here, but there are still opportunities for growth and for us to reach levels we haven’t hit yet.”
Included in that growth is expanding the capacity of his top staffers and coaching them to become superintendents, if that’s their desire – and possibly someday succeed him here.
