Accomplishments | Rick Surrency

Honors and Awards:

Recognized as Florida's 2023 Superintendent of the Year
Named to the RTM Business Group Advisory Board, June 2022
Recognized for the 2019 Chamber of Commerce Star Award for Putnam County
Selected as an inaugural member of Futures Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona; October, 2019
National recognition for increased graduation rates, Jobs For America’s Graduates; June, 2019
Bright Minds, recognition for summer programs for disadvantaged youth, David Bright Program; June 2019

Professional Accomplishments:

Selected as one of ten educators in the nation to visit Helsinki, Finland in 2022 as a Fulbright Scholar, where they visited Finnish schools and educational leaders to understand how one of the top school systems in the world operates.

Provided the first across the board raise for approximately 1500 Putnam District School employees in over 12 years. By using good management practices and reorganizing district and school positions, the district was able to provide a 3% recurring raise.

Reduced the number of schools in state turnaround status from 11 to 0 in two years. Out of 18 schools, 11 schools had earned a letter grade of D or F that put the schools on the state’s turnaround list of schools in need of improvement. By focusing on school grade data and improving instructional practices, the district was able to remove 8 schools in 2018 and 3 schools in 2019 from the improvement list.

One of the most monumental improvements was to raise Putnam County School District’s graduation rate from 54.9% in 2015 to 84.8% in 2018. The increase in the period of 2015 to 2018 was the highest in the entire state of Florida during the same time period. The district was able to close the achievement gap between African-American students, English Language Learning students, and students with disabilities by over 100% during that time. With our focus on data, career and technical opportunities, and STEM, the district was able to improve the graduation rate to one of the highest in the state.

Expansion of career and technical educational opportunities in the Putnam County School District. In 2017, with a partnership involving Georgia-Pacific Corporation, the district was able to receive an appropriation from the state legislature for $250,000 to begin the Advanced Manufacturing program. This program will provide many employment opportunities for graduates in the next few years at our local paper mill and power plant. In 2018, the district received an award for another $250,000 legislative appropriation to begin a public service academy in our district. Graduates will be able to earn certification in careers such as firefighting, law enforcement, 911 operators, and Emergency Medical Technician.

In 2017, the Putnam County School District expanded acceleration opportunities for students in the district. A new Cambridge Advanced Studies began in the Southern part of the district at Crescent City High School, along with the existing Cambridge Advanced Studies at Q.I. Roberts Jr/Sr High School in the Northwestern part of the district.

In 2017, the district partnered with the local St. Johns River State College to establish Collegiate High School programs at Interlachen High School and Palatka High School. These two high schools did not have Cambridge Studies like the other two high schools. The Collegiate High School program allows students to dual enroll beginning their 9th grade year and complete the Associates in Arts degree by the time they graduate high school. All 4 district high schools were provided with acceleration programs for their students.

A new Teacher Mentor Program was created, which pairs new educators with experienced mentors who provide guidance, resources, and encouragement as they navigate their roles. This program has been highlighted by WUFT and has proven to be a success. Retention rates for our teachers were at 65% at the start of the program and have since soared to 91%.

A bold 10-year Revitalization Plan approved by the Putnam County School Board in 2021 that provides all of Putnam County’s deserving students with safe and modern schools. Funding for this plan includes the recent passage of a $300 million dollar bond referendum and special facilities funding from the Florida Department of Education.

Dr. Surrency regularly presents at the state, national, and international stages where he shares the success of Putnam County School District while collaborating with fellow educators and leaders. His presentation topics include providing STEM education in rural communities, implementing a Guardian Program for school safety, and Leading Through a Crisis. In the summer of 2023, Dr. Surrency was asked to present to over 1200 Florida educators at the FL Department of Education Summer Literacy Conference where he shared, Believe, PCSD’s focus on school, district, and community culture. His leadership has greatly improved the perception of Putnam County at the state and national level.