2026 Conference Archive

Leadership During a Time of Political Division

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

EdD

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

1992

First Presenter's Field of Study

Educational Leadership

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

Nova Southeastern University

First Presenter's Institution

Putnam County School District

First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

Dr. Surrency is in his 48th year of education serving as the elected superintendent of the Putnam County School District in his 3rd term. After serving as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal for 38 years, was elected to the office of superintendent in 2016. Putnam County has an enrollment of 10,000 students with 13 schools. Dr. Surrency has made significant improvements in his district by improving the district graduation rates from 54.9% in 2015 to 92.5% in 2021, the largest increase in the State of Florida during the same time. In 2024, Putnam County earned the first K-12 STEM District Accreditation in the State of Florida. Under the leadership of Dr. Surrency, construction has begun to build 9 new schools over the next 10 years as part of the district’s revitalization program. He led a campaign to raise $300 Million in a referendum to build 6 of the schools. The other 3 will be paid with state appropriations. In December 2022 Dr. Surrency was named the 2023 State Superintendent of the Year for Florida. Dr. Surrency and his wife Penny have 6 children and 10 grandchildren.

Location

Scarbrough 5

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

School and District Leadership

Relevance to Primary Strand

  1. Build leadership skills that support a positive school climate, including emotional intelligence, effective communication, and conflict resolution.

My presentation will focus on building consensus between divisive groups in schools and the community using effective communication and creating a positive working relationship. Listening to opposing opinions and validating their concerns is the first step in building a trusting relationship.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Leadership / Development

Brief Program Description

During this current time of political division, educational institutions are caught in the middle. A Florida Superintendent will describe previous divisive times in history and how we as a nation have overcome the division. The focus of the presentation will focus on real life examples of school district issues and the strategies used to find common ground. Some fundamental leadership concepts will be discussed to aid the attendees in addressing their own divisive situations.

Summary

In this time of political division at the Federal, State, and local levels, school districts are dealing with many decision makers who have their own political agenda. The presenter, a Florida superintendent will talk about the history of political division in the U.S. and how we as a nation found common ground. He will provide examples of politically divisive issues in his district and how he used effective communication and leadership methods to accomplish the goals of the district. The attendees will learn how to use sound communication methods to bring opposing sides together. They will also learn how some basic leadership concepts will promote bringing diverse groups together to achieve a common goal.

Evidence

Evie Blad (2025) "How Public Schools Can Defend Their Work, Without Tripping Into Political Debates." (Education Week)

Olina Banerji (2024) "3 Ways Principals Can Respond to Polarization and Division" (Education Week)

Ronald S. Thomas (2023) "Leading Schools in a HIghly Polarized World" (ASCD Educational Leadership)

Learning Objective 1

Learn leadership strategies to engage diverse audiences to reach a common goal.

Learning Objective 2

Learn the historical context of political division in the U.S. and how they were resolved.

Learning Objective 3

Identify methods of communication to use to engage diverse groups to effectively find common ground.

Start Date

6-1-2026 1:00 PM

End Date

6-1-2026 2:00 PM

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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Jun 1st, 1:00 PM Jun 1st, 2:00 PM

Leadership During a Time of Political Division

Scarbrough 5

In this time of political division at the Federal, State, and local levels, school districts are dealing with many decision makers who have their own political agenda. The presenter, a Florida superintendent will talk about the history of political division in the U.S. and how we as a nation found common ground. He will provide examples of politically divisive issues in his district and how he used effective communication and leadership methods to accomplish the goals of the district. The attendees will learn how to use sound communication methods to bring opposing sides together. They will also learn how some basic leadership concepts will promote bringing diverse groups together to achieve a common goal.