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School Board volleys questions to four superintendent candidates

By Thomas C. Tobin and Donna Winchester, Times Staff Writers
In print: Thursday, August 28, 2008

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One by one they eased into the School Board meeting room, each with a different style, each with years of education experience, all of them polished and set on heading the nation's 23rd largest school district.

In five hours of interviews Wednesday, the four finalists to be the next superintendent of Pinellas schools told the School Board how their roles atop some of Florida's largest districts prepared them for the job.

Julie Janssen, the interim superintendent in Pinellas, portrayed herself as a "collaborative leader" and an "analytical thinker" with a long history in the system.

"I know this district. I know the people in it," she told the board. "I have forged relationships here. … I believe I will use those experiences to move us forward."

Janssen said she builds trust by communicating openly, and she favors face-to-face meetings over e-mail. "I prefer to see someone across the table so we can talk," she said. "My leadership style is one that … already has permeated within the leadership team."

Nicholas M. Gledich said he has worked for years to be a superintendent, but didn't apply until he had experience running the operations side of a district. That's the huge part of a school system devoted to buses, the food operation, student records, purchasing, contracts, technology, facilities and more.

Gledich has been the chief operations officer for Orange County schools since 2004, but previously led other divisions, including curriculum.

He called himself a problem solver who believes in disciplined execution of projects. He said he expects principled leadership from his staff. His style: "Listen first, talk second and manage by the facts."

Sherrie Nickell, an associate superintendent for Polk County schools, told the board she brings a knack for vision to the table.

"I believe I have the ability to look at a situation perhaps not how it is but how it could become," she told the board.

She called herself a hard worker who collaborates and builds bridges with community groups, businesses and others. "I strongly believe in building people" in an organization. The keys to narrowing the achievement gap can be found in research and by looking at successes in other districts, she said. "This is not rocket science. It is hard, hard work, and it has to be focused work."

Alberto M. Carvalho, an associate superintendent for Miami-Dade schools, had studied the district's numbers in detail. At one point he spoke of a phenomenon in which fifth-graders with average test scores can regress in middle school if not pushed.

"I analyzed your data, and I saw evidence of that," he told the board. He also said he viewed Pinellas as a good district with pockets of struggling students.

The fact that Pinellas voters approved a special property tax to enhance teacher pay and the arts drew him to the district, he said. "Any community that dares to do that gets my attention."

His skills are a "perfect match" for Pinellas, he said, noting he had increased supplemental revenue such as grant money in Miami-Dade by 400 percent.

Pinellas will need to do the same to weather the current budget crisis, Carvalho said. "And I know what to do to get us there."