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Schools

New superintendent rejoices, stays focused

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published May 21, 2005

TAMPA - Try as she might, MaryEllen Elia could not arrange all the flowers on her desk Friday so she could see the people sitting across from her.

The congratulatory bouquets just kept coming, as friends and colleagues continued to cheer Elia's promotion to Hillsborough schools superintendent-designate.

Rampello Elementary principal Tony Perrone sent a pair of glass slippers (Lucite, actually) filled with Hershey's Kisses. The facilities department staff members gave their boss a plastic scepter and crown.

Even Gov. Jeb Bush left a message. And when Elia returned the call just before 10 a.m., she got through for a 2-minute conversation.

Elia did not mind the distractions. It's not every day she reaches a major professional goal.

But she did not allow the festive mood to keep her from her job.

Instead, she remained true to her calendar: Meetings beginning at 7:30 a.m., high school graduations from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Elia moved from conversations about the district's five-year construction plan to a review of proposed designs for new schools in eastern Hillsborough. She asked pointed questions of her staff members, then took notes as they ran with the discussion until she had heard enough. She assigned tasks, changed the topic and let the give and take begin again until the next meeting loomed.

"Today is Friday," Elia said with a shudder at one point, noting how much work lay ahead. "I need this to be Monday."

That's the kind of leadership the School Board said it wanted when it selected Elia to head the nation's ninth-largest school district. Elia, 56, figures she has at least a decade of service ahead of her.

"Anyone who has worked with me would say that I am very results oriented," she told the board during her interview. "I get the job done. I'm a problem solver." Elia said she will dedicate herself to tackling rampant growth in the district. Enrollment is going up about 6,500 students a year, and dozens of schools are projected to be over capacity next year.

She expects to work closely with the board and County Commission to look at how new state laws will affect subdivision and school construction. And she predicted much debate over ways to generate enough money to build all the schools that are needed. The district faces a $276-million deficit in its current five-year plan.

Elia also pledged to focus on improving student achievement. She acknowledged the district has made commitments in this regard before, but "the devil is in the details."

"We have to make sure we address the details of the plan and drive that down to every student," she said.

Another goal: increasing diversity in the schools and in the administration. That effort will include making sure people of all backgrounds get into the pipeline so they can move up in the system, she said.

"It is critical that we mirror our community," Elia said.

Elia also has talked about fixing problems with the district's school choice program, expanding Advanced Placement courses in all high schools and improving communication with the community.

She has asked the board to meet with her quickly to discuss goals. And she has proposed finding better ways to work with principals to make it all happen.

"We can't get from good to great until we get to a position where the leadership of our district understands what great is," Elia said.

She expressed confidence that her team will get there.

"This isn't one person doing this. This is a staff of people, in every division an incredible group of people," she said. "I'm walking into a situation where I have great people to support me."

Board members said Elia is the right person to take the district to the next level.

"She is tough. She takes ownership. She recognizes where we are and that we need to improve things," board member Jennifer Faliero said. "She's not afraid to make a decision and move on. I like her style."

Part of that style is knowing what's important. To Elia, that's family as much as work. She talked about how caring for her mother, who turns 92 next week, and her son, who has been blind since birth, has kept her grounded.

She celebrated her new job late Thursday with her mother at the nursing home. After graduation Friday, she planned to bring her flowers there.

Times staff writer Melanie Ave contributed to this report. Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 21, 2005, 01:03:17]