Tim Forson, the St. Johns County school superintendent, will retire in June

Jacksonville | By Lucia Viti | November 13, 2024

St. Johns County School Superintendent Tim Forson plans to retire in June 2025

Superintendent Tim Forson

Tim Forson, the St. Johns County school superintendent, recently announced he plans to retire in June.

What began for Forson in St. Augustine High School as both a teacher and coach evolved to become a 40-year career with the St. Johns County School District that included serving as the second principal of Bartram Trail High School, the deputy superintendent of operations and eventually district superintendent.

This isn’t even Forson’s first retirement from the world of education – it’s his second.

The St. Augustine Record caught up with the Forson to discuss his retirement.

The St. Augustine Record: Did the announcement of your retirement come as a surprise to the School Board?

Forson: No. The board members knew a year ago that I wasn’t going to renew my contract. Because we didn’t want to distract the conversation away from the pending school tax referendums that just passed, we kept the announcement quiet until now. So, it wasn’t a quick decision, it was something that I had reflected upon for a period of time.

The St. Augustine Record: Is it true that this is your second retirement?

Forson: In a way, it is. In 2016, I retired after serving 36 years as the deputy superintendent of operations. At that time, Dr. (Joseph) Joyner was leaving his role as superintendent, so the opportunity played hand-in-hand to apply even though I was in the midst of retiring.

The St. Augustine Record: What is the process to fill the superintendent’s position?

Forson: The position of superintendent is an appointed position that has nothing to do with election season. St. John’s County’s five board members will select the next superintendent through a lengthy process that will be posed locally and externally — statewide and nationwide. The pool of applicants will be narrowed down to a list of candidates that qualify for an interview. I must share that I won’t have anything to do with the process.

The St. Augustine Record: What qualifications are the board seeking in the ideal candidate?

Forson: The five board members are looking for leaders who aspire to lead a growing and well-performing school district that’s ready to build bigger schools, rezone students, build programs and new schools, things of that nature.

The St. Augustine Record: What are the challenges the new superintendent will face?

Forson: Public education recruiting and retaining high quality employees. There are almost as many jobs as there are applicants, so creating a culture that people want to work in to build a career will be an important part of the job.

The new superintendent will also face the challenge of administering the results of the two referendums that will help construct new schools and protect the safety of students. Dollars will also support salaries and support the employees within the system. The new leader will need to build a path to implement these very positive things, but it will take work and time to make those determinations.

The St. Augustine Record: What are you most proud and what is the one thing that you wanted to do that you were not able to do?

Forson: I’m proud that I served as superintendent through the pandemic. Our performance stayed high between 2020 and 2022 even though it was challenging for students, families and employees to work through a hybrid learning process. On the backside, we were able to hire enough teachers, bus drivers and employees to rebuild and restore following the pandemic. We did well.

The St. Augustine Record: What are your expectations for the next superintendent?

Forson: You always strive to watch 100% of your children walk across the graduation stage. And when there are children in your system that are unsuccessful, you hope the system keeps moving forward to focus on those that need extra support and resources.

The St. Augustine Record: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Forson: I have been honored and blessed to have served in a school system and a community that supports education. For the next eight months, I will remain focused on our strategic plan to help students.