Latest candidates for Pinellas top job

The postmark deadline has passed for the Pinellas superintendent job, but resumes that beat the Friday midnight cutoff continue to trickle into the School Board office. Seven more applications have arrived since Friday, bringing the total at this point to 35.

Among the candidates: a Pasco County high school principal whose wife was raised in Pinellas and "would like to move back into that area since her family still resides there;" a school superintendent from Sandwich, Mich., who stepped down July 1, less than a year into a three-year contract; and a former state superintendent of education in Illinois and Michigan who served as state deputy superintendent in Delaware and Louisiana.

A quick sketch of the latest contenders follows, in the order their applications were received. Stay tuned to the Gradebook for a link to all the candidates' resumes and cover letters.

- Donna Winchester, Pinellas education reporter

Christopher M. Dunning
New Port Richey
Current job: Principal, Paul R. Smith Middle School, District School Board of Pasco County, and adjunct professor, University of South Florida.
Previous jobs, all with the Pasco County School District: Supervisor of employee relations and chief negotiator, 2003-06; principal, Calusa Elementary, 2000-03; assistant principal, Cotee River Elementary, 1997-2000.

Sherrie Burnette Nickell
Lakeland
Current job: Associate superintendent, Polk County Public Schools.
Previous jobs: Director of human resource development and educational leadership, Polk County Public Schools, 1998-2005; adjunct instructor, University of South Florida, Lakeland, 2002-05; principal, Polk County Public Schools, 1993-1998.

Ralph Teran
Kansas City, Mo.
Current job: Superintendent, Grandview (Mo.) School District
Previous jobs, all with Wichita (Kan.) Public Schools: Assistant superintendent, 2001-06; division director for secondary schools, 1998-2001; speech/language teacher, 1977-83.

Nancy Elizabeth Young
Rehoboth, Mass.
Most recent job: Superintendent of schools, Barrington School District, Sandwich, Mich.
Previous jobs: Superintendent, Holliston (Mass.) Public Schools, 1996-2004; superintendent, Swanton (Vt.) Local Schools, 1994-96; superintendent, Rutland Windsor Supervisory Union, Ludlow, Vt., 1992-94.

Brenda Magee
West Palm Beach
Current job: assistant superintendent for Learning Support, School District of Palm Beach County.
Previous jobs, all in Palm Beach County: Assistant superintendent for curriculum and learning support, July 2006-July 2007; director of secondary education, August 2003-July 2006; north area director, July 2000-August 2003; high school principal, July 1996-July 2000.

Robert E. Schiller
Hobe Sound
Current job: Education consultant, RES and Associates
Previous jobs: Senior deputy superintendent and chief academic officer, Los Angeles Public School District, Sept. 2007-April 2008; State superintendent of education, Illinois State Board of Education, July 2002-October 2004; state superintendent of public instruction, Michigan Department of Education, 1991-96; state deputy superintendent of public instruction, state of Delaware, November 1989-November 1991; state deputy superintendent of education, Louisiana Department of Education, August 1988-November 1989.

Stephen Todd Evans
Belleville, Mich.
Most recent job: Superintendent, Pontiac Academy for Excellence, October 2000-May 2008.
Previous jobs: Principal, Detroit School of Industrial Arts, January 1999-September 2000; principal, New Directions Institute, Pontiac, Mich.; Cornerstone University, adjunct instructor, Troy, Mich.

For more on the other candidates, see previous posts here, here and here.

Comments

[me]

I hope the resumes received after the deadline were dropped in the shredder. If you can't file by the deadline, can you imagine the rest of the story?

[terry krassner]

Julie Janssen as Superintendent makes the most sense. There is a huge learning curve in switching schools much less Districts. She is dedicated in helping Pinellas County to move forward in a positive direction.

[smallcap2000]

Julie Janssen would be great, but you are never a prophet in your own land.

The insecure school board will no doubt think people from out of state know more than locals.

Maybe we should replace the board with people from out of state!

don't hire Carvahlo from Miami-Dade.
Not only does he politically advise Dade Supt Rudy Crew, he is pro-administrator and anti-teacher.
The Miami-Dade school system will soon file for financial urgency and has run budget deficits the past two years of $66 and $44 million, all the while employing over $400 administrators who make over $150K per year.
Just two weeks ago, Carvahlo, Crew and company took away already contractually negotiated raises from teachers and school support personnel citing inadequate funding from the state.
The district was also the object of a state auditor general's report that citied $57 million in wasteful spending.
Lastly, the district (allegedly) failed to collect $22 million from the state for reimbursement of special ed students.
Believe me, you don't want Carvahlo!

Vote off all incumbent school baord members.
They have screwed up this system for too long.

They also hired the last loser called Clayton the horrible

[Mike]

When is this vote and is it open to the public? I don't have any children in the system right now bring a single 23 year old guy but I like having a voice in local decisions (if applicable). Any info on the election (and the other candidates) would be greatly appreciated.

[Tired of the negativity]

To poster #1-"me":
Please read the article, and then comprehend the article. It says the resumes had to be POSTMARKED by midnight on Friday, but they are still trickling in BECAUSE the resumes BEAT the midnight postmark cutoff.
*shakes head in disbelief*
sheesh

[Frans van Haaren]

Good to see that all resumes and cover letters will soon be available on line. I think you should include the letters of recommendation as well. Where will be able to find transcripts of all relevant discussions? Finally, why don't we start to make a list of questions that we think need to be addressed. The candidates can then read up on the relevant issues and provide us with answers that go beyond the generalities that they commonly espouse

[Frank]

Frans, people only get recommendations from people they know who will give them good recommendations - Duh.

Think about it, would you go to someone who doesn't like you and ask them for a rec?

[Frans van Haaren]

Frank

Thanks for reminding me. The only reason I am interested in letters of recommendation is to get some idea of who those friends are. I mean it's OK to get a letter of recommendation from the head of the teacher's union, but wouldn't you also want to see a ringing recommendation of someone representing other groups that have an interest in public education?

[Pasco teacher]

It would be a great loss for Pasco County to lose Dr. Dunning. He is one of the county's greatest educational assets and (we all know) he's on the fast track to superintendent somewhere. We would hate to see him go, but what a tremendous boon it would be for Pinellas.

[publicschoolteacher]

Dr. Dunning is loved by his faculty and his students. It would be a tremendous loss for our county. I would LOVE to see him run against Fiorentino, but I know since she is currently his boss. It won't happen. But I still dream....

[Frans van Haaren]

When can we expect the link to cover letters, resumes and letters of recommendation?

[Educator for Life]

My wife and I moved here from Miami a year ago, I don't know where the previous post got their information, but the only person currently in Miami-Dade that gives a hoot about teachers and, more importantly, children is Carvalho. Dr. Crew's administration arrived to Miami like "carpetbaggers", bled the system dry and will soon be picking up their marbles and leave. Carvalho is a Floridian by choice and when you hear him speak,you will see where his commitment is... with the kids... exactaly where it should be. I'd be happy to welcome him here. The previous post smells like... sour grapes.

[Largo MOM of 2]

I have been following the Pinellas County Superintendent search with some interest because I have two school aged children and I am a strong believer in public education. My hope was that we would attract a strong leader that would move our District to next level. I was thrilled when I saw that Alberto Carvalho from Miami had thrown his hat in the ring. I happened to have been at a conference in Sanibel recently and had the opportunity to hear Carvalho speak about the future of education, about rethinking how we deliver instruction to students, and standards that should be set beyond state or national ideas of proficiency, but instead should be set at the international level so that the education provided to our children will truly prepare them to compete in the new global economy. He spoke about a need for technological literacy, civic and cultural literacy and a personal literacy that has been missing from many students’ education. I was so impressed and inspired. Now that I see that he has applied to be "OUR" education leader I am thrilled with the prospect of bringing such a dynamic educator to our community. I think we would be lucky get an individual who appears to be such a visionary.