St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson. | News4Jax
Published on November 7, 2024 at 3:36 pm
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St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson announced on Thursday that he will retire at the end of the school year. Forson, who served as the school district’s superintendent since 2016, will step down from next June.
Speaking with Jacksonville Today, Forson says he’s been “blessed” to have a career with the St. Johns County School District, but he’s ready to pass on the torch.
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“It’s a great school system to be a part of,” Forson says, “but I also think it’s time for me to devote more to my family and the opportunity to do that is here.”
Forson has spent more than 40 years working in the St. Johns County School District. He started by teaching and coaching at St. Augustine High School and went on to serve as the second principal of Bartram Trail High School.
It wasn’t until after his first retirement that Forson was appointed as the district’s superintendent.
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During his tenure as superintendent, Forson has led the district through tumultuous times, from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic to the changes in school safety procedures that followed the massacre at Parkland High School in 2018.
One particular point of pride, he tells Jacksonville Today, is that the district has been able to accommodate the growing population in St. Johns County and the thousands of new students that entered the school system in the last several years.
A St. Johns County School District spokesperson says that the district will soon begin the hunt for his successor.
In the meantime, Forson says he will spend the time before his retirement ensuring the district’s culture is positive during this transitional period.
“I think in these last few months a lot of my time and energy will be focused on having a really positive culture in the schools,” he says. “Making sure the people who come to work for us want to be at work every day, because that’s only going to benefit kids.”
Forson’s last day as superintendent will be June 30, 2025.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story referred to Forson as Bartram Trail High School’s first principal. He was the school’s second principal.
This story has been updated to include comments from Superintendent Tim Forson.
