School board to choose finalists

Hillsborough officials will have only 30 resumes to consider in filling the superintendent job.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 10, 2005

TAMPA - Persistent rumors that the Hillsborough School Board will hire an insider as superintendent have dampened interest among potential outside candidates, the district's executive recruiter says.

Board members will have just 30 resumes to consider, including those of three top Hillsborough administrators, when they meet today to choose finalists.

"The search has been hindered by the history of the district going internal. The word is out there," said Proact Search president Nancy Noeske, who's getting about $39,000 to run the search.

Hillsborough hasn't hired a superintendent without ties to the district since 1967.

"The other thing is, so many people did not want to be one of 10 or 12 (finalists) and jeopardize their position," Noeske added.

She warned the board early in the process of replacing retiring superintendent Earl Lennard that, especially in Florida where all applications immediately become public, asking for a large field of candidates to interview could hamper recruiting. At first, the board agreed and called for five finalists.

Members later changed their minds, suggesting that anyone who wants to lead the nation's ninth-largest school district should be willing to face the odds and the public scrutiny.

The market is competitive. Other large school districts, such as Dallas and St. Louis, also are seeking superintendents. And it comes at a time when fewer people are willing to apply for the high-pressure jobs, which pay less than comparable positions in the business world.

The mix for Hillsborough includes a substitute teacher from New Jersey, a crisis center program manager from Tampa, and the head of a rural Michigan school district, as well as a retiring Indianapolis superintendent and an ousted Pittsburgh superintendent.

Ultimately, board member Jack Lamb figured that only half of the candidates have the paper credentials. From those, the board will consider who rates an interview.

Some board members admittedly were not wowed by the resumes they had received by the weekend. The final set came midday Monday.

"My hunch is (Noeske's) last package is going to be the most interesting," chairwoman Candy Olson said. "At least I hope so, because I'm not real impressed with some of the applications."

She rejected the idea that insiders, assistant superintendent Mike Grego, facilities chief MaryEllen Elia, and chief academic officer Donnie Evans, have the inside track.

"Some people want it to be someone they know and are comfortable with," Olson said. "That may be what we do. But it depends on the (final set of) applicants."

Lamb noted that the board preferred to have a superintendent who has worked in a district of at least 75,000 students, or an organization with an annual budget of at least $1-billion. Fewer than three dozen districts in the country meet such standards.

Even that doesn't make the insiders shoo-ins, board members said. After all, board member Doretha Edgecomb said, they are affiliated with the leadership team, but they haven't been the leader.

Some of the outside candidates have held such jobs. They include:

--Kenneth Burnley, who did not seek a new contract as chief executive officer of similarly sized Detroit Public Schools.

--Anthony Amato, the recently resigned superintendent of New Orleans public schools.

--Duncan Pritchett Jr., who is retiring as superintendent of Indianapolis public schools.

Other notable candidates include Sonia Diaz, a deputy superintendent in Miami-Dade County; Joseph Marinelli, a New York state regional superintendent who was a Pinellas County finalist; and Barbara McCann, an assistant superintendent in Boston who also commanded the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command.

Olson has called for the search to end by graduation season, which is just a couple of weeks away.

The board today will discuss how it wants to finish the search. Deputy superintendent Dan Valdez, who is coordinating with Proact, said he expects to see the candidates come to Tampa for interviews next week.

--Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 10, 2005, 01:02:19]