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The county's activities director for the past 18 years leaves just before school choice begins.
By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 1, 2002
As activities director for Pinellas County, Bob Hosack helped put together guidelines and policies that deal with the county's school choice plan that ends busing for desegregation.
But he will not be around next year when school choice is implemented. Hosack will retire June 30, 2003.
"I think 40 years in the county is long enough," said Hosack, who has been the county activities director for the past 18 years.
With school choice approaching, Hosack's retirement could not come at a worse time. But he really did not have a choice. Hosack, 61, is in a lucrative retirement plan that requires participants to leave five years after signing up.
Because a large number of district administrators, principals and assistant principals are also retiring next year, county superintendent Howard Hinesley said he does not have a timetable to fill Hosack's position. Hinesley said he hopes to start the application process by the first of the year.
"(Bob) Hosack has done an excellent job," Hinesley said. "He has had a lot of years of experience. It will be an important hire, especially with school choice coming and all the other things that go with the job."
Hosack graduated from the University of Florida in 1963 and was a three-year letterman at offensive guard for the Gators. He was also a member of Miami Edison High's 1958 state-champion football squad.
In 1963, he began his coaching career at Boca Ciega, leading the junior varsity football and varsity baseball programs. Hosack later coached the Boca Ciega swimming team, assisted with the varsity football team and was named activities director.
He left Boca Ciega in 1976 for the activities director's job at new Pinellas Park High, where he served for the next six years.
In 1982-83, a year after the county decided to go to the centralized athletics format, Hosack became Henry Deck's assistant. Two years later, he became the activities director.
In the past year, Hosack has dealt with school choice, the biggest challenge he has had as activities director. He was the chairman of a group that put together the policy that deals with the extra-curricular end of the school choice plan. The biggest change requires an athlete to sit out a year if he or she switches schools three times.
Hosack said he will be meeting with coaches this year to go over the recruiting aspects of school choice.
"We still need to educate people on what school choice is all about and we need to do it quickly," Hosack said, "because once it actually starts, I'll be gone."