Mike Grego's departure from the Hillsborough school system leaves a void at the top, and we're not talking about a decision to freeze his assistant superintendent's job in tough budget times. Superintendent MaryEllen Elia wasted no time in promoting Wynne Tye, formerly general director of ESE services, to the position.

What we've noticed is that Grego was the last person in Elia's senior leadership team to hold a doctorate in education. Now the nation's eighth-largest school system is run by folks with loads of experience, but none in the superintendent's cabinet has that degree in hand.

Of course, holding an Ed.D. is not the be all-end all. Heck, you might even argue that the value of some education leaders' doctorates, received from correspondence programs, aren't worth all that much anyway. Experience counts as much, if not more, right? Heck, we've seen military guys run school districts with varying levels of success.

Still, you have to acknowledge that when school boards are looking for top administrators, the job descriptions usually say a doctorate would at least be preferred, if not required. Maybe you can shed some light on the importance of the degree?