Board member: Firing superintendent is a good deal
In other words: Our Gain is NY's Loss!
Tampa, Florida -- One school board member is telling us that paying more than a million dollars to fire Superintendent MaryEllen Elia is actually a good deal for taxpayers.
The Hillsborough County School Board is meeting right now to vote on whether to end Elia's contract. Just last month, she was named Florida's Superintendent of the Year.
One school board member is telling us that paying more than a million dollars to fire Superintendent MaryEllen Elia is actually a good deal for taxpayers.
First, Elia and Griffin have a thorny history. And this conflict is sort of a snapshot that shows why, suddenly, there's an item on the school board's agenda to terminate Elia.
During the last election, Superintendent Elia actually put a sign in her yard supporting the candidate running against April Griffin for school board.
Now, Griffin says, anyone they would hire to replace Elia would make a lot less than Elia's current pay package of $439,000. So, in a few years with a new superintendent, the district would save that million dollars.
But across the Tampa Bay Area, the state, and even the country, Elia is respected and popular.
Elia's colleagues named her the Florida Superintendent of the Year just last month. She's one of four finalists for a national superintendent of the year award.
lia started as a teacher in Hillsborough County in 1986, when she accepted a position at Plant High School as a reading resource specialist. She then spent the next 20 years working her way up, before becoming the head of the eighth-largest school district in the nation in 2005.
So, how likely is this to happen?
To end Elia's contract, four of the seven board members would have to vote "yes" Tuesday.
On their last reviews, three board members gave her an "F." Two members gave her a "B" or better. And two members are brand new on the board. Their opinions aren't really clear.
Those two board members may be the deciding votes at 3 p.m. Tuesday. 10 News will be there, with coverage on wtsp.com and the 10 News mobile app.
