Candidate: Traci L. Moses Yoder

Hello Franklin County friends, family, and neighbors,
 
I am Traci Moses Yoder, and I am excited to announce my intent to seek reelection to continue to serve as your Superintendent of Schools. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the students, staff, and families of Franklin County. I have lived in and continually invested into our community my entire life. 
 
The future of our community lies in the strength of our families, the purposeful education of our children as our future leaders and ongoing investments into building and maintaining strong community partnerships.   
 
In 2016 when running for the office of Superintendent of Schools it was my mission to provide all students with pathways for a bright future, making long term positive impacts in our community. 
 
Education is my life’s passion.  I served as an educator in Franklin County for 15 years prior to being elected.  I am an alumni of The Florida State University.  I am not only invested in education in Franklin County as an educator, I am also the proud mother of a Franklin County School 10th grade student and a Franklin County School Alumni, who graduated with his AA and, is excelling in the FSU College of Business. 
 
The office of Superintendent of Schools is one of the most critical public servant roles in our county.  I firmly believe that a background and experience in education is necessary for successfully supporting our students, staff, and families to ensure that our students receive the best educational opportunities available through responsibly allocating resources to support this mission.  The Superintendent is not only the CEO and CFO of the school district but is also the instructional leader for the entire district.  
 
As the instructional leader for our district, I have been and remain committed to advancing my knowledge and understanding of the critical duties and responsibilities as Superintendent of Schools. Since taking office in 2016, I have successfully completed the requirements for the Florida Department of Education Superintendent Certification Program. I have also maintained the renewal requirements for the Florida Association of District School Superintendents Chief Executive Officer Leadership Development Program (CEOLDP).  The CEOLDP is a leadership development program for Florida Superintendents that is comparable to the CEO leadership development programs for corporate executives and military officers.  
 
Since taking office, my team of dedicated leaders and I have accomplished significant advancements for our students and staff.
 
A few areas of substantial progress since 2016 are:

• Increased success in pathways to High School Graduation and Adult Education/GED  https://edstats.fldoe.org/  
• Increased opportunities for Dual Enrollment and Post-Secondary Course Credits in traditional academic and for Career and Technical Certifications.
• Enhanced School Safety and Security Measures, such as new visitor check in system, perimeter fencing and roll gates, installed single points of entry on campuses, partnered with the FCSO to increase SRO presence and implement the School Guardian Program, new communications systems on campus, and additional security cameras, developing the Emergency Escape Route for the FCS campus, and implemented the Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (ALICE) program to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a critical incident.
• Awarded the first Forestry Scholarships in the District 
• Improved the Take Stock in Children Program, increasing the number of scholarships awarded in our district
• Significantly improved the internet bandwidth speeds in the district
• Restructured the Franklin County Education Foundation, establishing a new Board of Directors, and securing multiple matching grants to purchase classroom supplies and materials

Expanded career and industry technical programs from Digital Tools and Culinary Arts to now include:

1. WELDING: Post-Secondary course credits, and 1 of 4 certifications from The American Welding Society
2. BUSINESS: Internet Business Associate, QuickBooks, and Network Technology Associate
3. HEALTH SCIENCES: Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified EKG Technician, and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
4. AVIATION: Small UAS Safety Certification and Visual Line of Sight System Operator Certification

• Implemented new family and community engagement communication tools 
• Maintained healthy financial reserves, developed additional internal control mechanisms for auditing purposes and invested into a savings trust account for our district.
• Secured Triumph Gulf Coast Funds for continuous future enhancements of educational programs.

 
Along with my dedicated team, I will continue to provide principled leadership that seeks what is best for our students, staff, families, and community.  I remain invested in this mission, to support our students in reaching their maximum potential, giving them the brightest futures possible, and providing pathways to graduation, college, and careers. 
 
I am forever thankful for your support in 2016, and I humbly ask for your continued support and partnership in 2020, as I continue to provide PROVEN LEADERSHIP FROM THIS GENERATION FOR THE NEXT.