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Board takes steps toward hiring school superintendent
By ALEXANDRA CALDWELL
| Article published on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – The Pinellas School Board discussed how to move forward with selecting a superintendent and interim superintendent at a workshop April 25.
Superintendent Clayton Wilcox announced his resignation the previous Friday, stating he has accepted the position of vice president of education and corporate relationships at the Scholastic Corporation.
The board can’t vote on any issues at workshops, but members agreed they would waive Wilcox’s contractual five-month notice requirement. Wilcox had originally requested his final day be June 1, but at the workshop he agreed with the board members that he would stay until the last day of school, June 3 or until high schools have completed their graduation ceremonies.
Board members agreed that an interim superintendent needs to be appointed as soon as possible, but they disagreed whether the interim or Wilcox will hold the primary seat of power. The district faces massive budget cuts that may affect salaries and benefits, and it’s the superintendent’s job to submit budget cuts by the end of June.
Carol Cook, board member, was part of the majority that wants to keep Wilcox in power as long as he’ll stay. Cook said she’s willing to identify an interim right away but that Wilcox has studied the budget for months and she wants him to finish this job.
“I think Dr. Wilcox and staff have been the ones studying the budget before us and it puts an interim in a little bit of an uncomfortable position to be the one to recommend the budget cuts,” Cook said at the workshop.
Board member Jane Gallucci agreed with Cook, saying Wilcox has studied the $1.4 billion budget for four years and she wants to use his knowledge, not rely only on an interim.
Board member Mary Tyus Brown disagreed and wanted to put an interim into power immediately but keep Wilcox on for advice.
“I strongly disagree with leaving Dr. Wilcox in place as the superintendent,” Brown said. “He’s been here, he knows what he’s doing, but he’s leaving. That’s the point. And my feeling is that the person who is going to be appointed as interim needs to step in place and people need to know that that person is there.”
Wilcox said that in his four years he’s worked to establish an organization that would be stronger when he left than when he came and that is his only concern. He said that he would respect the interim’s input and make decisions cooperatively.
“I would not recommend anything unless it was universally agreed to by the superintendent designate,” Wilcox said. “I think that way everyone would know going forward that it’s both a future decision but also oriented in the past.”
The board agreed to search both internally and nationally for a superintendent, but it needs to talk with the Florida School Boards Association to know more about the services it offers before the board decides whether to use it to facilitate its search. The board also hasn’t decided whether the interim superintendent will be allowed to apply for the permanent position later.
Another workshop will be held at 9 a.m. May 6. Members will then vote on their decisions at the board meeting at 10 a.m. May 13. Both meetings will be at the Administration Building, 301 Fourth St. S.W., Largo.
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Article published on Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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