Public meets school superintendent finalists

Hundreds from the public, and other Osceola County School District employees and stakeholders, got their chance Monday night to meet the county’s next school superintendent — whoever it may be.

The four finalists to replace Dr. Debra Pace, who will retire at the end of the month, were part of a meet-and-greet at Valencia College, where they shared their backgrounds and their plans for the district. The public can view the finalists’ video interviews and, through Sunday, provide their own feedback by going online to https://www.osceolaschools.net/Page/9559.

Each candidate comes with teaching, school administrative and county associate superintendent or C-level officer experience.

Here is a bit about each, and what they shared Monday:

Dr. Mark Shanoff — current Orange County Public Schools’ Chief Information Officer, and former Volusia County Schools’ Chief Operating Officer.

He said school is about the individual experience of every student and that of all team members.

“To me, it’s important to determining what makes working for Osceola’s schools different and what makes it special. To me, it’s the passion of the students and those who work in the schools. What I’ve seen thus far confirms that I can be the right choice. I’m excited for the challenge of, in a fast-growing county, maintaining that smart-town feel while we grow and expand this family.

“It takes someone who understands the business-side in the K-12 space. Our core business is academic achievement. To do that we need to make sure we have 100% alignment between the academic and business sides of the house; the academic side can’t do it alone.”

Terrence Connor — the Chief Academic Officer for Hillsborough County, and a former administrator in Clay County and Duval County, his native Jacksonville.

“What drives me, and what made me apply to be your superintendent, is that I grew up in a working-class family that lacked the know-how to navigate the system. The mission in each one of the roles I’ve had is finding access to children, who rise to the level of expectation we provide them. I see a great opportunity in Osceola County. The components are here to excel.”

“In talking to the staff that’s come out, I can feel an excitement in the air about the opportunities here. The growth here excites me, we’re experiencing much of the same thing in the Tampa area, but this district has a bedroom community feel to it, so I know what it will take to reach (a level of success). Talent management and retention keeps me up at night. We’ve got to change the perception of public education and the value our teachers bring, so we can bring back professionalism and the respect teachers deserve.”

Dr. Ann Hembrook — currently an Assistant Superintendent of Marion County Schools, she formerly worked in Orange County and Clark County, Nevada (home of Las Vegas) administrations. Through her father’s military deployment to Spain, she’s Spanish-fluent.

“In my journey in different districts afford me different ways to look at things. It’s shaped who I am as a leader and future superintendent.

“Students are first in when we make decisions, all my decisions revolve around that. Teachers are the most important contributing factors to student achievement, they genuinely want to help students and are passionate about what they teach. My role will to be to provide them what they successfully do in the classrooms so that our kids get the best possible experience. And if administrators set the bars for expectations, the students will rise to that.”

“Having experience in various sizes of districts, (Osceola’s growth) is very exciting, we’re experiencing that growth and working with impact fees in Ocala as well.”

Dr. Michael Allen — the only in-house finalist, he’s currently the Assistant Superintendent of Middle School Curriculum, and has spent 29 years in the district.

He spoke of “ambitious change plans” and his own ideas of innovation for what is currently in place in Osceola County.

“I definitely have the most insight into the workings of the district. We have established strong relationships with so many of our amazing employees that will help with our changes.

“I truly believe in the power of collective responsibility and getting input from inside and outside the organization. I think we’ve outgrown our academic organizational structure, it needs to be more of a streamlined process. We need more operational and principal support. And we have got to expand our VPK (free pre-kindergarten) program; right now a third of our sites have waiting lists. The problem is facilities, many schools are overcrowded. We’ve got to find outside-the-box ways to get those kids seats and teach them when they even set foot in kindergarten.”