Paula Wright
Paula Wright was a member of the Duval County School Board in Florida, representing District 4. She assumed office in 2010. She left office on November 1, 2018.
Wright (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 14. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2018.
Wright represented District 4 on the Duval County School Board in Florida. She was first elected to the board in 2010. Wright defeated challenger Darryl Willie in the general election on August 26, 2014. Wright did not seek re-election in 2018.
Biography
Wright earned a B.A. in English from Jacksonville University. She has worked as the publisher of The Jacksonville Chronicle and the host of "ViewPoint with The Honorable Paula D. Wright" on local radio. Wright later transitioned into a career in education as a program administrator, reading coach and eighth-grade reading teacher in the district. She has also worked as an adjunct instructor at Florida State Community College and Edward Waters College.[1]
Elections
2018
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Kimberly Daniels won election in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 14.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 14
Incumbent Kimberly Daniels defeated Paula Wright in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 14 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kimberly Daniels | 54.5 | 15,580 |
 | Paula Wright | 45.5 | 13,019 | |
| Total votes: 28,599 | |||
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2014
The August 26, 2014, general election in Duval County featured three seats up for election. Two races were determined in the general election. Incumbent Paula D. Wright defeated challenger Darryl Willie in the District 4 race. District 6 incumbent Becki Couch won re-election without opposition.
The general election determined if candidates for each seat could garner a majority of the vote total. Because no candidate received 50 percent plus one of the general election votes in District 2, the top two vote recipients advanced to the runoff election on November 4, 2014.
The District 2 race featured four newcomers running to replace incumbent Fred Lee, who did not file for re-election. Scott Shine and Samuel Hall advanced to the runoff election. Hall led by just two votes over Theresa Graham for second place in the general election. A recount was held which ultimately found Hall the second place winner with a four vote lead over Graham.[2] The fourth candidate, Shannon Russell, was defeated in the general election.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Paula D. Wright Incumbent |
53.3% | 6,111 | |
| Nonpartisan | Darryl Willie | 46.7% | 5,353 | |
| Total Votes | 11,464 | |||
| Source: Duval County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed September 10, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Wright reported $31,939.61 in monetary contributions and loans, $5,741.25 in-kind contributions and $25,255.97 in expenditures to the Duval County Supervisor of Elections, which left her campaign with $6,683.64 on hand.[3]
Endorsements
Wright received no official endorsements in this election.
2010
| Duval County Public Schools, District 4 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Paula D. Wright |
72.3% | 8,734 | |
| Nonpartisan | Irvin PeDro Cohen | 17.8% | 2,155 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alzic D. Upton | 9.9% | 1,191 | |
| Total Votes | 12,080 | |||
| Source: Duval County Supervisor of Elections, "Past Elections," accessed July 21, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
Wright provided the following responses to a questionnaire from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund:
| “ | In the 2014-15 school year, schools across the state will implement new English language arts and mathematics standards called the Florida Standards. These standards are closely aligned with Common Core State Standards adopted by states throughout the country. What is your view of the new Florida Standards? How well do you feel that the new standards have been implemented in Duval County Public Schools and communicated to teachers and parents? It is a state policy, and my view of the Florida Standards are outweighed by how effectively can we help our students view the assessment as positively as possible. What we know is this: The students will take the test this school year but, the students/schools will not be held to the assessment scores; however, the State will still assign a school grade. Fast forward. Focus on preparing students and teachers and informing parents about the Florida Standards. For instance, the Northwest Friends of Jacksonville along with Dr. Vitti are sponsoring an informational session to learn about the Florida Standards on Saturday, July 19 at 10 am at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. Elementary implementation has been in place since the 2011-12 school year, so the K-2 teachers have had more information/training, but the upper elementary teachers and secondary teachers have not. No group has had adequate training, preparation or exposure. So the focus must be on educating and training. The District began a gradual shift from lecture style classrooms to more interactive learning models with emphasis on developing critical thinking and problem solving skills in 2010-11 with the kindergartners, but how well the implementation has been is determined by the superintendent. However, the effectiveness of the implementation will be determined, unfortunately, by the school grade. To measure the student performance against the Florida Standards, the state will replace the FCAT 2.0 with a new standardized assessment in spring 2015. In addition, the state Legislature has approved a revised school grading formula to go into effect that spring. What are the biggest challenges of the new system? How should the district respond to the changes? Some of the biggest challenges with the new grading system include students must write short and extended answers to some questions, complete the writing prompt on a computer, and some questions will have the possibility of two answers. For example instead of A, B, C, or D choices some answers could be A&D. The Superintendent plans to respond to these challenges by modifying the district assessment to include short and extended written responses, to provide a computer based writing program for students to respond to writing prompts on computer and to enhance their keyboarding skills, and to ensure that students increase their ability analytical and comprehensive skills through rigorous curriculum and targeted instruction. What is your view of the discipline-related initiatives that the district has undertaken in the last year? What is the role of the school board in ensuring a positive school climate and culture throughout the district? The Board is charged with ensuring that all students receive a quality education; inherently in that charge is an environment conducive for teaching and learning per Board Policy 3.41. I supported the Superintendent’s recommendation to provide Deans in secondary schools, increasing the number of mentors, revising the Student Code of Conduct, and providing parents, students, teachers, and community stakeholders more access to surveys. This provides opportunity to more quickly improve the address safety concerns and/or perceptions and to improve the culture within schools to improve the academic performance of our students. Duval County has a complex school choice environment: There are numerous magnet schools and new public school models such as single-gender classrooms and K-6 elementary schools, as well as 9,000 students attending charter schools in Duval County. What is your view of the current school choice environment and how does it impact student achievement? How should the district respond to the impact of charter expansion? The District’s choice options for all students have been greatly enhanced by first realigning of the feeder patterns for all schools. The realignment assures continuity of themes as well as expectations of rigorous academic outcomes from all students every day. Adding a “choice” theme to all schools affords each school within every community to re-brand itself and connect to themes that excites and ignites its particular community. The District should respond to the charter school expansion the very same way that charter schools have responded to the District- compete. But we should compete for students not against charter schools. The academic/magnet themes that now connect our schools by feeder-patterns, the single gender Leadership Schools at Eugene J. Butler Middle and the Joseph Stilwell Military Academy of Leadership requires parents to opt-in not opt-out. Marketing the Early College, AICE, Dual-Enrollment programs, our performing arts powerhouses, our award winning Culinary Programs at our Career Academies, and services we offer to ESE and ELL students are unmatched. In addition, I think the District should always work with charter schools because we need every student in Duval County to be prepared to enter college and/or the workplace upon graduation from high school. Over the past couple of years, Duval County Public Schools have expanded opportunities for families to enroll their children in Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten programs at select elementary schools. What role do you feel the Public School system should play in promoting and expanding quality pre-kindergarten programs within public school? Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) is a critical time to prepare some of our youngest and talented for academic success. Like every educational initiative or opportunity, there is a place for it. Expansion should not be considered for every school. The District’s VPK student assessments scores came recently, and they were 94% or above for Kindergarten ready. For years, we have known that too many students come academically challenged for Kindergarten. If the District can step up and help our youngest to the tune of 94% or better proficiency- I believe our community welcomes the effort and our parents appreciates the cognitive growth of their children. Duval County Public Schools has grouped Raines, Ribault and Jackson high schools and 33 feeder pattern elementary and middle schools under a new Duval Transformation Office. These schools will benefit from the Quality Education for All Fund, a philanthropic investment of $50 million of private funding. The goal of this effort is to improve the pipeline of great teachers and leaders in Duval County Public Schools, especially at the 36 Transformation schools. Do you support these efforts? In your view, what else should the district do to support the high-needs schools within the Transformation region? First, I am so very appreciative that private donors would donate $50 million dollars to support the educational pathways of children most of them will never see or meet. This is a testament to the type of city we live in and the type of people who love this great community. I wholeheartedly support this effort. With the focus on quality teachers, rigorous curriculum, the wireless capability, one-to-one devices, relevant resources, and enough funding to meet the financial costs of the QEA Initiative for three years, these are needed ingredients to produce high level students who are prepared academically, socially, and emotionally to become productive citizens. The challenge is ensuring that the teachers are committed to the academic progress of every student. The missing piece is to have a parental/guardian and a community stakeholder’s assessment team to prepare these members to support and encourage the students, teachers, and administrators. Parents/guardian and community stakeholders must be on the ground level of this type of initiative if students are to receive a holistic education – where the academic, social, and emotional needs are met to ensure that students are provided the wraparound services needed to create a solid foundation for their success. Career and technical education is an important component of the school district’s programming. In your opinion, what should be Duval County Public Schools’ biggest focus when it comes to career and technical education? The District’s vision is to inspire and prepare every student for success in college or a career, and life. To that end, we must create as many paths for our students as possible. But in creating those paths, we must make certain that students, parents/guardians understand how to maneuver our system to determine which path is best for each student. The District’s focus is to coordinate college level work with a career focus by connecting with the Chamber of Commerce, the Unions, our medical community, colleges and universities, and our entrepreneurs, to know what job related skills are needed to align our academies with the needs of the job markets. What is your view of the role of technology in preparing Duval County students for the future? Should Duval County Public Schools increase the use of technology in classrooms, and if so, how should it be funded? How big of a priority should it be? In preparing students for the future, technology is not a panacea, but it is a necessary tool. Our digital natives must be presented with a balanced approach of infusing technology into the instructional process in the classroom. The tool must be age appropriate and must be led by teachers who are professionally developed to use technological tools to enhance the instructional process in the classroom effectively. Technology must be age appropriate in order to ensure academic learning and progress. The data associated with the use of technology must be used to guide not just instruction but advancement of each student and teacher. Two years ago with the QZAB bond, the District was able to use $32 million dollars to dedicate to the increase of technology. Another QZAB bond is being sought for another dedicated pocket of dollars for technology. This is one way that I support increasing technology in the classroom.[4] |
” |
| —Jacksonville Public Education Fund, (2014) | ||
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Florida House of Representatives
- Duval County Public Schools, Florida
- Duval County Public Schools elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Duval County Public Schools, "Board Member Profiles," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Duval County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Duval Primary Recount Results," August 29, 2014
- ↑ Duval County Supervisor of Elections, "List of Candidates and Committees," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jacksonville Public Education Fund, "District 4 Candidate Paula Wright," accessed July 22, 2014
| 2014 Duval County Public Schools Elections | |
| Duval County, Florida | |
| Election date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Theresa Graham • Samuel Hall • Shannon Russell • Scott Shine District 4: • Incumbent, Paula D. Wright • Bradford Hall • Darryl Willie |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
