Students return to Bay District Schools (BDS) on August 10th, and they’ll start the academic year with a new superintendent.
As the city manager of Panama City, Mark McQueen helped lead the city through Category 5 Hurricane Michael in 2018 and last year’s devastating wildfires in Bay County. He resigned from that role in May.
“I guess I was gonna go home and be a granddad.” But, he says community members and his friend, Florida Chief Financial Officer and Bay County native Jimmy Patronis, convinced him to apply for superintendent.
“I submitted my application and didn't hear anything for a while. Then I was fortunate to have a couple of interviews,” McQueen says. “I didn't hear anything for a while until actually, I found out 20 minutes before the news release, before the governor's announcement, that I had been selected.”
McQueen’s wife spent 30 years as an ESE teacher in Bay District Schools, and his kids went through the BDS system. He brings several advanced degrees that include a masters in counseling and human development.
McQueen is also retired from 36 years of service in the Army. He says he’s commanded at every level, finally retiring as a Major General.
“I'm used to large organizations in disparate locations, locations geographically dispersed, and that's really quite no different than here (at) Bay District schools.”
McQueen started the job August 1st. As he did with new commands in the military, he says he’ll spend a few months assessing needs, developing a strategy, and focus on “creating a safe and secure environment for our students.”
He also plans “a laser focus on reading and reading proficiency within the entirety of K through 12. I think that's the essential skill, and if you don't get that right, you're going to really have struggle in life. You won't be able to do math, you won't be able to write, you won't be able to think critically if you don't have that core skill.”
McQueen is also working to tackle a problem most districts seem to be having with filling positions. The district has more than 50 teaching positions open.
“But what's interesting about this community is it's a lot of folks moving to Bay County and Panama City and a lot of military that are present here. And we get a lot of infusion of people that are coming forward in wanting to teach or being a support person, paraprofessional or a staff person, or bus driver.”
McQueen says teacher vacancies will be handled with substitutes and administrators filling the gaps as the search for full time teachers continues. He says they have 98 bus drivers for all 98 routes but could use more in case someone gets sick.
McQueen will fill out the term left by Bill Husfelt, who announced his retirement early this year. Already, McQueen says he plans to run for superintendent in next year’s elections.
