Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 6-11-19

Local
School Supt. Jeff Eakins To Retire From Post
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
It’s a wrap for Hillsbor- ough County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins.
The leader of the coun- try’s eight-largest school district is exercising the op- tion to leave his post when his contract ends next June, Eakins announced Monday in a letter to board members.
In the letter, Eakins said he came to the deci- sion to step down after talking with his wife, Peggy.
“After 33 years of serv- ing students, parents and fellow educators, Peggy and I have decided that at the conclusion of the final year of my current contract, I will be retiring,” he said. “My final day will be June 30, 2020.”
In a telephone interview Monday, Eakins elabo- rated, saying recent events within his extended family – including parents and siblings who live in Ohio – prompted the decision.
Eakins said he’s “loved every minute” of being su- perintendent, but the de- mands of the job required that he not spend as much time with his family as he would like.
“My wife and I...we want to be more available to our families,” he said. “In this job, I’ve seen my par- ents four times in the last
five years.”
Board Chairwoman
Tamara Shamburger
was not available for com- ment. She did provide a a statement from the board addressing Eakins’s an- nouncement.
“Superintendent Jeff Eakins has served this district well for over 30 years as a teacher, princi- pal, administrator and for the last four years as Super- intendent. Jeff has had some notable successes during his tenure as Super- intendent including in- creasing graduation rates, addressing serious finan- cial issues and leading the efforts to pass a referen- dum to secure funding for critical needs in our schools.
“As a leader, Jeff is kind and thoughtful, and we know he cares deeply about the students in Hillsbor- ough County public schools,” the statement read. “The Board appreci- ates the hard work Jeff has performed as Superintend- ent, and we wish him well on his next endeavor.”
Eakins assumed the top job just four months after the school board voted to fire longtime su- perintendent MaryEllen Elia in January 2015 in a 4-3 vote. The termination came after years of strife and frustration between Elia and the board.
Board members ap- proved Eakins – who was a deputy superintendent –
JEFF EAKINS Hillsborough County School District Superintendent
to replace the ousted Elia also on a 4-3 vote.
At the time, the district was experiencing a rash of
challenges including a $83 million deficit, low public trust, declining graduation rates, and more than a dozen ‘F’-rated schools.
Fast forward to today, and the district is in much better shape after cutting expenses, improving grad- uation rates, and lowering the number of failing schools.
“We have a much stronger financial picture and our graduation rate in- creased to one of the largest in the state,” he said.
In November, voters ap- proved a half-cent sales tax for school building up- grades – proof that the public’s trust in the district
has improved, Eakins said.
But while the district made significant strides in the last few years, not all is rosy, Eakins said.
“We have much, much work to do,” he said.
That work includes boosting the district’s liter- acy rates, Eakins said.
When asked what’s ahead after retirement, Eakins said he hasn’t planned that far ahead.
Rather, he’s focused on making the next school year–hislast–oneofthe best yet for Hillsborough schools.
“That’s important to me,” he said.
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