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Tampa Port Authority urges support for Hillsborough schools superintendent

 
Published Jan. 21, 2015

TAMPA — The Tampa Port Authority on Tuesday morning waded into Hillsborough County's biggest controversy: whether or not school superintendent MaryEllen Elia should keep her job.

The answer is an unequivocal yes, said Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandra Murman, who sits on the port's governing board.

She asked the port board to support the superintendent. After some disagreement, they voted 4-2 in her favor.

The Hillsborough County School Board, whose members have often clashed with Elia, could decide the superintendent's fate at Tuesday's 3 p.m. meeting.

Some members of the port board resisted Murman's resolution at first.

"I don't understand why this board should be involved in school board politics," said port board chairman Stephen Swindal, "when we have nothing to do with it. I don't see the merit of it."

"Oh I think we do have something to do with it," Murman said, "because they're supplying a skilled work force to our port operators."

"I think it's a good idea," said board member John Grandoff III. "We're not authorizing executive action. We're just showing our support."

"I don't think we should be telling other boards what to do," said board member Patrick Allman, "and I don't want other boards telling us what to do."

Then Buckhorn, who has already publicly supported Elia, weighed in.

The mayor said he supports Elia and opposes firing her because her performance doesn't merit it; the school district can't afford to pay out more than $1 million in salary and benefits and unused vacation and sick time if she goes; and because he doesn't trust the judgment and motives of the board members opposing her.

"What this appears to be is sort of a petty retaliation by some board members that for some reason have issues with MaryEllen," Buckhorn said. "It has nothing to do with the substance of the issues and the caliber of her performance."

Then the mayor introduced another argument for keeping her: firing Florida's Superintendent of the Year sends the wrong message to corporations looking to relocate to the Tampa region.

"In the context of our economic development efforts," Buckhorn said. "The school board is the only entity that's not firing on all cylinders."

Even Tampa Port Authority CEO Paul Anderson, who advises the board but does not vote, offered his public support for Elia and warned of the consequences of firing her.

"It's very difficult to do a national search when you let a top performing superintendent go for political reason," Anderson said. "That's something for the community to be aware of."

Murman said that Elia would also be receiving a commendation from the Hillsborough County Commission on Thursday for being named the state's top school superintendent.