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Sanders zigzags to Lee's offer
By ROBERT KING
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- Two weeks ago, John Sanders said he was staying put in Hernando County, no matter what. Today, he is negotiating a contract for a job in Lee County and thinking about moving vans. Sanders, 65, who has steered Hernando's schools as superintendent since 1995, became Lee County's superintendent-designate on Monday. All that stands in his way is the haggling. But Sanders, who now makes $97,000 a year, is dealing with a county whose starting offer is $140,000 a year and a handsome benefits package. Trying to seem objective Monday, Sanders sounded like a man on the way out. "It's exciting to have this professional opportunity. To move to a district that's as large and as complex as the Lee County school district is a professional advancement for me," Sanders said. "But leaving the colleagues and friends I work with here is going to be very difficult." The irony is that Sanders appears to be leaving Hernando County the same way he came in. Six years ago, Sanders was the Hernando School Board's second choice. He got the job only when the top pick didn't like the salary offer. Similarly, Lee County first offered its position to Jack Noennig of Rochester, Minn. He backed out last week, calling the Lee County board "micromanagers" when they rewrote parts of a contract drafted by their board attorney. "A bridesmaid that gets to the altar," is how Sanders described his luck Monday. Already, members of the Hernando County School Board are making plans for life after John Sanders. Chairman Jim Malcolm said he plans to ask the board for their thoughts on naming an interim superintendent at a previously scheduled budget hearing set for Thursday night. "All things being equal," Malcolm said, "I would assume he would take it." Board member Gail Coleman said she would like Sanders to offer a suggestion about which of his two assistant superintendents -- Wendy Tellone or Barney Stratton -- should serve as an interim superintendent. Tellone, who oversees elementary schools, was a candidate for superintendent in 1995. But Coleman said she feels no one currently working in the district is suitable for the permanent job. Malcolm has said he believes a couple of able candidates lurk within the ranks. That this matter is now a pertinent topic of discussion seemed unlikely on July 10. That day, Sanders swore off a move to Lee County after their board made him their second choice. Even if a fallback offer came his way, Sanders said that day, he wouldn't consider it. He said it was important to move on with life in Hernando County. Sanders said he did not want to advertise his availability out of professional courtesy to Noennig. In other words, he didn't want to hurt a fellow superintendent's bargaining power. Sanders feels he wasn't being disingenuous with the people in Hernando County. "When I applied for the job, there had to be some ultimate thought that I might have an interest (in taking it)," Sanders said. "At the time I was genuine; I really didn't believe they would have a problem negotiating with Dr. Noennig." Still, his flip-flop left some people scratching their heads Monday. "Well, that kind of goes back on what he said," said Cynthia Moore, president of the Hernando Classroom Teachers Association. John Druzbick, who may be Sanders' strongest supporter on the School Board, said he was disappointed by the superintendent's decision to consider leaving after saying he wouldn't. "It would have been better off if he had not made that comment," Druzbick said. Board members say there's no chance they will enter a bidding war over Sanders. They expected to bump up his salary with the extension of his contract next month. But it would still likely hover around $100,000. The offer Lee County made to their top choice (and likely to be made to Sanders) is well beyond that. It included $140,000 a year, $15,000 in moving expenses, an $800-a-month car allowance, 25 vacation days a year, and performance bonuses worth 8 percent annually, or $11,200 a year. "We can't touch that," Malcolm said. The Lee County board, which decided to approach Sanders at a meeting Monday morning, plans to meet again next Monday to, they hope, vote on a contract agreement. Terri Wampler, a Lee County board member, said Sanders was edged out the first time only after a difficult decision. Her board likes the fact he has experience in Florida, that he has worked in a large district like the Jackson, Miss., schools, and that he has led his district into quality management training. "We are so fortunate that we have such a capable person, standing next to Dr. Noennig, who is still willing to talk to us," Wampler said. - Times staff writer Robert King covers education in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6127. Discuss this and other issues in our Web-based discussion forum at www.sptimes.com/hernandoforum.
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