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published: Friday, November 21, 2008
Cowin: No job has been more fulfilling
Outgoing schools superintendent proud of her legacy
DAVID DONALD
Staff Writer
TAVARES -- The Lake County school board is changing.
There are new board members and Susan Moxley is assuming the appointed superintendent position as an era of elected superintendents comes to an end.
Superintendent Anna Cowin, the last elected schools chief leaves a legacy she's proud of as she
hands off the district to the new guard.
Despite a sour relationship with the school board and well-publicized internal fighting and bickering, the school district received its first "A" from the state for student performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
"I'm very proud of what we have all accomplished," Cowin said.
There are several programs and initiatives that stand out for the outgoing superintendent.
Cowin said she helped usher in programs that improved math scores, pushed through school construction projects, implemented foreign language immersion classes for elementary school students, balanced the budget and moved the district toward data-driven decisions.
When Cowin entered office four years ago, she said she had three goals in mind: To improve the financial stability of the district, enhance student academic performance and change the way the district educated its students.
Economically, the last two years have been challenging, Cowin said, adding that the district had a fund balance of 3.1 percent when she took office, but one that stands at 6.8 percent now. The board's goal is 4 percent. With shortfalls ravaging the state's budget, several cuts were handed down to school districts and state agencies.
When the state asked all agencies to cut 4 percent from their budgets, Cowin pushed the board to cut 6 percent from Lake's, anticipating the possibility of future cuts. Since then, the state has asked agencies to cut an additional 2 percent.
"It's important for me to leave the district financially sound and stable," Cowin said, pointing out that when she became superintendent, no curriculum guide existed. Now, for the first time in Lake County's history, the school district has a curriculum.
When Moxley assumes control on Nov. 18, however, she will face many challenges.
The ongoing economic uncertainty and the indecision of the school board along with its tendency to involve itself in administrative detail could hinder Moxley, said Cowin, who has been working with Moxley on a smooth transition. Cowin cleared out her office on Tuesday.
"You come in with wonderful plans, thinking you can do it all," Cowin said. "She (Moxley) needs to be focused on specific projects."
Cowin wouldn't divulge her future plans, saying only that she intends to spend more time with her daughter, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Cowing said that despite the challenges she faced as a state senator writing education bills or her involvement with the Department of Defense schools overseas, nothing gave her more satisfaction than she gained as Lake County schools superintendent.
Putting together a top-notch leadership team and exploiting the talents of district staff benefited students, Cowin said.
"This job gave me the opportunity to make dramatic changes in children's lives," she said. "You have this tool bag and you're in charge of orchestrating it.
Cowin added, "There was no way I could fail. All the tools were here."
