“A quality education must be available to all children in the state, and it is the responsibility of the state to provide multiple avenues to make education available to all and for all children regardless of race, creed, or economic background.” – LaTonya White
Catholic education has defined LaTonya White’s professional life for the past 23 years. For 17 of those years, she served as a classroom teacher, middle school lead teacher, dean of students and elementary school principal in the Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee. Additionally, she spent four years as an elementary school principal in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, and three years as assistant principal at The Basilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea in the Archdiocese of Miami.
This year, she was named principal at St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa. Founded in 1894, it is the oldest continuously operating historically Black grade school in Florida. The school remains committed to providing a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment, serving more than 170 students in kindergarten through eighth grade each year, including more than 95% who are from low-income families.
White earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, a master’s degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. She is a native of Holly Springs, Mississippi, where she met and married her college sweetheart, Jason. Her answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q. Please tell me about your own K-12 education. What type of school did you attend – public, private, Catholic or other religious-sponsored school? What were the most valuable lessons you learned at these schools?
A. I attended a private, Christian elementary school supported by Sacred Heart Southern Missions based in Walls, Mississippi. The elementary school was staffed with the religious order from the School Sisters of St. Francis as well as other lay, Christian teachers and staff. I attended a Catholic high school in Memphis, Tennessee, staffed by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation of Nashville. The most valuable lessons I learned from these institutions was respect and dignity for the human person, discipline, and resilience.
Q. How did your education influence you to pursue a career in education?
A. My educational influence to pursue a career in education was inspired my parents, the primary and foremost educators in my life. My parents were educational practitioners who were committed to the philosophy of education at home and in their professional lives.
Q. Who was the most influential teacher you had and why?
A. My most influential teacher was my middle school English language arts teacher. She was a classy intellectual and a strong woman of faith who also sang in the choir with my mother. She would always share stories with a lesson that would resonate with learning and striving for excellence.
Q. Your career in the Memphis area and worked in Arkansas. What brought you to Florida?
A. Florida encompasses everything I was looking for in a state which includes a strong and vibrant, Catholic community, economic opportunities, diversity coupled with community values and the remarkable weather. With all these attributes, it is only fitting that I would want to establish roots in Florida and give back to the community in faith, education, and charity.
Q. As principal at St. Peter Claver, what are your short- and long-term goals for the school?
A. My short-term and long-term goals for St. Peter Claver include but are not limited to enhancing school community and increasing overall student achievement.
Q. Enrollment declined at most Catholic schools in the nation, especially during the pandemic. What do you think should be done to turn that around, both at St. Peter Claver and other Catholic schools across the state and nation?
A. Florida scholarship programs should be marketed to potential student benefactors across broad and diverse income strata. Particularly in Catholic communities, scholarship program opportunities must be made available to Catholic parishes and Catholic educational entities. As implemented at St. Peter Claver this summer, this information can be shared through local school open houses and school community events, parent groups, social media networks, informational bulletins and flyers. Increasing scholarship awareness among faith-based ministries would positively impact growth in enrollment.
Q. What do you think needs to be done to ensure education equity for minority students and others who are of modest means?
A. Multi-layered services would be greatly beneficial. In addition to the scholarship programs, grants to meet the needs of schools in terms of teacher salaries, improve food services, educational materials, and other necessary resources to provide for all students.
Q. Is there anything else you think is important to share?
A. A quality education must be available to all children in the state, and it is the responsibility of the state to provide multiple avenues to make education available to all and for all children regardless of race, creed, or economic background.
