FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler County schools have a new superintendent after school board members voted unanimously to name LaShakia Moore to lead the district.

What You Need To Know

  • Flagler County School Board Members voted 5-0 to appoint LaShaika Moore as permanent superintendent for Flagler schools

  • Moore has more than 15 years of experience with Flagler schools

  • Within her first hundred days on the job, Moore wants to strengthen the relationship between schools and the community

“I was excited," Moore said. "I was really in disbelief that it was actually happening. You could not have said to me even a year ago that I would be sitting in this place right now as the superintendent for Flagler schools.”

School board members voted 5-0 during a workshop on Tuesday to drop the “interim” title for Moore and tap her as the permanent superintendent. Moore, who was named interim superintendent in July, has more than 15 years of experience with Flagler schools.

Moore says her focus is to bridge the gap between the schools and the community. Ahead of last night’s vote, board members held a “conversational” workshop that was part of Moore’s interview process, where they asked her questions on four topics including community engagement, communication, talent, and business and finance.

This workshop was originally scheduled for a few weeks ago, but Moore canceled it following the Bunnell Elementary School incident regarding the school’s assembly for Black 4th and 5th graders over low test scores.

Moore quickly responded to that assembly, saying students should never be separated by race. As she takes on a permanent role, she discussed the incident.

“I knew that as I think about the students and the impact that it has made on our students, on our staff, the school, the organization and the community, that it wasn’t something that represented who we were," Moore said. "And so, it’s important to me that we identify that and we say, ‘this isn’t who we are, but we help to bring back the focus of who are we are we are an organization that believes in treating our students with dignity and respect and providing them with the best education we can provide.’”

Board members say the fact that Moore has worked in the district since 2008 gives her an advantage as she brings her experience and knowledge to the job.

Prior to the workshop discussion, Moore completed extensive individual interviews with each board member. Board member Will Furry says he feels confident of his vote for Moore, and seeing her leadership during the Bunnell Elementary incident reaffirmed his decision.

One of the ways the district is addressing the Bunnell Elementary incident is by doing a series of trainings that kick off as early as tomorrow. Doing those trainings will ensure that they really dissect what happened and what was their response, as well as how they move forward to ensure this is something that doesn’t happen ever again in Flagler schools.

Within her first 100 days as school superintendent, Moore wants to hear from the community and work with board members to strengthen their relationship.

“Getting out, speaking with stakeholders, which I’ve already been doing. Getting out into our community, ensuring that I’m sharing the message of ‘Flagler Forward’ that is our theme for this year. But also getting to know my board members so that we can work collectively,” Moore said.