Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 12-17-19

Features
51 Candidates Apply For Hillsborough County Superintendent Position
Dr. King Parade
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Freelance Writer
Fifty-one people have ap- plied to be Hillsborough County Public School’s next superintendent.
Ray & Associates, Inc. – the consulting firm handling the search to replace outgo- ing leader Jeff Eakins – re- leased the names Friday, one day after the application deadline. The list includes educators from all over the country, including Dallas, Texas, and Long Island, N. Y.
It also includes names that are familiar locally, such as Harrison Peters, Hills- borough’s current chief of schools, and Gloria Waite, principal of Clair-Mel Ele- mentary School. Another candidate is Alberto Vazquez Matos, a former chief of staff under Eakins who is now the assistant su- perintendent for Hartford Public Schools in Hartford, Conn.
They are all vying to take over the country’s seventh- largest school district when Eakins steps down next June.
Eakins, who began his career with Hillsborough County in 1989, announced
tapped from within Hillsbor- ough County’s School sys- tem.
The next step in the process will see the consult- ing firm cull the list of 51 down to about a dozen, who best meet the qualifications outlined in the job descrip- tion. That list will narrow twice before the next super- intendent is selected, pre- sumably by Jan. 21.
At a meeting last week, Board chair, Melissa Snively cautioned board members to adopt a “code of silence” around the candi- dates and the selection process and save all com- mentary for meetings.
“Because we, the board members, are the sole deci- sion makers, we need to be very careful to remain im- partial as this process plays out,” she said.
Superintendent Search Timeline
Here are some important dates in the Hillsborough County School Board’s search to replace outgoing superintendent Jeff Eakins:
Jan. 7 – Board members will receive a list of up to a dozen of candidates who best meet the criteria out- lined in the job description
Jan. 16 – Interviews of five or six candidates
Jan. 21 – Final inter- views and selection of new superintendent.
Seniors
JEFF EAKINS
his retirement this summer. In a letter to the school board, he cited a desire to spend more time with family in Ohio as the reason for his leaving.
That prompted school board members to contract with Ray & Associates to begin the search process, which also included public forums to glean insight from the community and an on- line survey asking partici- pants what they deemed most important in a new su- perintendent.
It’s the first time in decades that the school board potentially is set to hire from outside the dis- trict’s ranks.
Eakins and all three of his predecessors were
Application deadline is now Friday, December 20, 2019.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Parade Foundation is offering scholarships to de- serving high school seniors who demonstrate not only ac- ademic excellence, but also a heart for service to the com- munity and an understand- ing of Dr. King’s life and legacy.
Scholarship applications are available for download from the Foundation’s web- site www.mlkjrparade.com, by clicking “About us”, then “Download Scholarship Ap- plication.”
The applications deadline has been ex- tended and applications must be postmarked by December 20, 2019.
Past recipients have gone on to Ivy League schools, HBCUs, and many other schools of note across the country. Instructions for sub- mission, requirements and detailed qualifications are spelled out in the application. For additional questions please call the Parade Foun- dation office at 813-327- 8316.
The Foundation is also ac- cepting scholarship dona- tions for those who want to support the program directly. Donations can be sent to the Dr. Martin Luther King Pa-
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
rade Foundation, Inc., 5508 N. 50th St., Ste. 28, Tampa, FL 33610, or by visiting the Foundation website www.mlkjrparade.com.
The Foundation Scholar- ship program is being coordi- nated by Mrs. Gwen Myers. Scholarship recipi- ents will be announced at the 2020 MLK Parade Gala to be held Thursday, January 9, 2020 at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre, 4121 N. 50th Street Tampa, FL. 33610.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, placing souvenir ads, scholar- ships, gala tickets, or the MLK Day Parade, please con- tact the Parade Foundation office at 813-327-8316, or visit the website at www.mlkjrparade.com.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Foundation, Inc. is a certified charitable 5013c or- ganization.
Foundation, Inc.
Extends Application
For High School
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