As a graduate of the Duval County School System, a native of Jacksonville, and a seventh-generation Floridian who grew up on his family's northside farm, Tom Baine knows the problems facing students and teachers today in Duval County. He has the external leadership experience, the fresh outlook, the drive, the skills, and the common sense approach to organizational change required to improve the quality of education in Jacksonville.

 

Tom Baine believes strongly in the value of a solid education.  He believes every teacher should be provided with the tools that he or she needs, and each student should have the scholastic tools required, to succeed. Tom knows that the seeds for success must be sowed by the teachers, counselors, and administrators in the schools at an early age for there to be a bountiful harvest of brilliant minds and college-bound students.

 

“There is absolutely no doubt that the Duval County School System has considerable room for improvement,” Tom says. “Proactive, common-sense leadership is the key to improving the quality of education in Duval County.”

 

The bar for success, he believes, must be set higher on all levels.  All students should have access to a college education.  The focus for a higher education should start no later than 7th grade and should be reinforced continually thereafter.  All students should be given the opportunity to take the appropriate curriculum to best prepare them for college and life.  They should understand why it is important that they take competitive courses to benefit them after they graduate.  Persuasive leadership is the key to driving achievement in the student ranks. 

 

"In today's tough environment, a university education is no longer an option for most students.  They must have the tools and the drive to succeed in college if they plan to be successful in the 21st century."

 

Not all students have the abilities, skills, or drives to be successful in a college environment.  These individuals should be well equipped by the public school system with the trade and industry skills needed to be successful after graduation. 

 

Tom is very proud to be a product of the Duval County School System.  He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in 1989, and has since graduated from the University of North Florida (1995) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.  Tom is currently a graduate student at Liberty University's School of Business, where he will complete his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a leadership concentration,  in the summer of 2010.  He spent more than 20 years in the private sector and served in various leadership positions in the airline, banking, and consulting industries, and he also served for 12 years in the Florida Air National Guard.  Tom is employed by the Florida State College at Jacksonville as the program manager of the college's Aerospace Resource Center at Cecil Field.  He has the leadership experience, education, and passion to add considerable value to the Duval County School System as a member of its board.

 

Tom is married to Ann-Marie, and they live on the north side of Jacksonville in the Bainebridge Estates community. A life-long member of North Jacksonville Baptist Church, Tom also likes to fly, sail, travel, write, and read historical books. His mother, Linda Turner Baine, and grandmother, Vestle D. Turner, were both school bus contractors for the Duval County School System for decades.