Devoted to being a dad - at least until he gets a new job

The latest candidate vying to become Pinellas' new school superintendent is Dennis Dearden, who says on his resume that he's been superintendent of the Marana Unified School District in Tucson, Ariz., from 2005 to the present.

But just like the superintendent candidate we told you about Wednesday, it appears Dearden's last day on the job was June 30 - the day he wrote the letter. The Tucson Citizen reported in April that Dearden was stepping down on that date for personal reasons.

"This is a difficult decision and one that was made after much soul searching and consideration of many factors in my life," Dearden said at the time. "I feel strongly that I must devote my full attention to my most important job in life - being a dad to my three children."

Dearden told the Citizen he had "no immediate plans for other employment" and the Arizona Daily Star reported that he wanted to stay in the Tuscon area.

Apparently, he's working on another plan.

"When many leaders are shying away from the superintendence, I seem to be gravitating toward more difficult challenges," Deardon wrote in his cover letter to the Pinellas school district.

Additional applications for the job must be postmarked by midnight tonight.

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter