GREEN COVE SPRINGS – David Broskie was selected by the voters of the county to lead the district as the superintendent, but he’s been so busy preparing for the 2020-21 school year he hasn’t had time to think about his big win last week.

The voters of Clay County apparently recognized that devotion to the school district, its children and its staff and it earned Broskie another four years in the position. He’s excited for what those years look like but his priorities were on the students and staff when school reopened its doors for classes on Tuesday.

“I feel great,” Broskie said. “It’s a nice feeling. To be honest, I don’t even know what to say about it. I’ve been so focused on reopening schools that I haven’t thought much about the campaign, but I’m thankful for the support of voters in Clay County.”

Broskie said he’s excited to lead Clay County schools with his more than 30 years of experience dedicated to the school district. He’s served as a teacher, a coach, an assistant principal and assistant superintendent, and he looks forward to using all of that experience to elevate the district to new heights. He said it’s his tenure that guided him through what is the most challenging time in Clay County school history.

It’s one thing to reopen schools amidst the coronavirus pandemic. It’s another thing to help 9,000 students transition to a completely-online learning experience.

“School will be different and our district will have to adjust to what appears to be our new normal for now,” Broskie said. “We can’t wait for students to come back to school. We’ve also had roughly 9,000 students choose an online learning platform. That’s roughly the equivalent of four new high schools or nine new elementary schools.

“It’s been a major undertaking for the district but I’m very proud of where we are and our ability to pivot like this in such a challenging time.”

Broskie has been juggling reopening brick and mortar schools while helping thousands of students transition into an online environment, which is why his campaign wasn’t necessarily at the forefront of his mind. He said working with parents, staff and students to prepare for the school year was his priority, not the election.

“We’ve been at several schools visiting with teachers, staff and administrators and it’s been overwhelmingly positive,” Broskie said. “Our teachers are ready to get back to teaching.”

School will look different though because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will be socially distanced, masks will be worn by third graders and up and recommended to students not yet in third grade, according to school board policy. Cleanliness and sanitation will be more important than ever before.

As he looks to the future in his coming years as superintendent, Broskie said he looks forward to tackling the growth of the school district. He’s anticipating more students in our future as the First Coast Expressway comes online, he said, and we as a district will need to address that growth.

Broskie is also excited to continue digging into the district’s processes and finding ways to bring new improvements to it.

“That’s part of the job,” Broskie said. “You analyze each facet and make changes in order to improve customer service. We as a district will do that together. I’m so proud of the people that work within our district.”