Pinellas cuts 100 to 115 ESE classroom aides

Superintendent Mike Grego announced in late April that he was changing staffing levels in special education because Pinellas County Schools spends far more, on average, than other schools districts.

To cut those costs, Grego consolidated the special education centers - repurposing Hamilton Disston - and combined the school-based VE liaison and the district-based CED job. He said the district was staffing some classrooms to the most intensive teacher to student ratios and grouping students by disability rather than severity level....

Pinellas puts out list of principal reappointments

The Pinellas County School Board is expected to sign off on a slew of principal reappointments at its meeting next week.

The biggest changes already have been announced, with superintendent Mike Grego "walking in" principal changes a week ago for the five schools facing state intervention. The list on the agenda for Tuesday's School Board meeting is below. Note that a couple principals, such as Robyn Witcher from Pinellas Park Middle, have been reappointed but no school is listed. Those people still are in the running for administrative jobs....

Some Pinellas administrators still looking for positions

Pinellas County school superintendent Mike Grego announced in April that he would cut 13 jobs in the administration. Of the 13 jobs he planned to eliminate, five were administrators. Three were "professional/technical/supervisory" and five were support positions.

Most of the "cuts" were made to pay for a few positions he did want, such as deputy superintendent and upgrades to the directors of elementary, middle and high school education. The resulting shake-up is occurring now. Grego named his deputy and an associate superintendent of student and community services. He changed the associate superintendent of teaching and learning. And he's reappointed a bunch of administrators. That leaves a few administrators still looking for a place for the 2013/14 school year....

Principal of Plumb Elementary taking district HR job

Seymour Brown III, principal of Plumb Elementary, has been appointed director of human resources, leaving a vacancy at the school.

Brown has worked for the Pinellas County School District since 1993. He was principal of Maximo Elementary for three years before taking over at Plumb in 2010. He began his career as a guidance counselor.

The School Board will consider his appointment during its meeting Tuesday. Board members must approve administrative appointments, in most cases, unless the job candidate is unqualified. ...

Seminole High principal to lead private school

Walt Weller, principal of Seminole High School, will lead Indian Rocks Christian School in the 2013/14 school year, the private school announced this week. The school calls his role "superintendent."

Weller has worked in the Pinellas County School District since 1985, as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal and principal. He graduated from Clearwater Central Catholic High School in 1981 and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1987. He received a master's degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1995....

Grego changing top administrative team at Pinellas County Schools

After seven months on the job, superintendent Mike Grego is shaking up the top leadership at the Pinellas County School District.

He named a deputy superintendent last week - promoting William Corbett from area superintendent - and has submitted a bunch of administrative reappointments for the School Board to approve Tuesday. The most obvious change is in the curriculum department. Bill Lawrence, associate superintendent of teaching and learning, has been demoted. He has been named the director of student demographics, assignment and school capacity. (See the organizational chart here.)...

Pinellas County Schools holding a job fair for teachers

The Pinellas County School District is holding an invitation-only job fair for teachers as part of its effort to recruit the best teachers. 

The job fair is scheduled for June 13. To get an invitation, job candidates need to fill out a job fair "interest form" and an application. Both are available online here. Candidates also will be asked for two letters of reference, college transcripts and a copy of their out of state teaching certificate, if they're coming from outside Florida....

Pinellas creating team for disruptive students

Pinellas County Schools is assembling a team to provide support for schools dealing with chronically disruptive students.

The team will do "triage and training" and should provide a faster response time to schools than systems currently in place, district officials told the School Board Tuesday. It will start this fall and will include current employees who have been reassigned. 

"This is a significant increase in support for these schools," said Bill Lawrence, the district's head of curriculum....

Pinellas County Schools getting $37 million more in 2013/14

The Pinellas County School District is getting about $37 million more in state funding this year, including about $18 million set aside for raises for teacher and school-based administrators.

That's an increase of about $402 per student, bringing the per student allocation for the coming school year up to $6,723. The state added just more than $1 billion to the state education budget this year, with about 28 percent of that going to workers' retirement. ...

Pinellas County Schools hiring administrators

The Pinellas County School District has posted job openings for some of its top administrative positions, including area superintendent, executive directors of elementary, middle and high school education, and principal of Clearwater Fundamental Middle School.

The jobs are the result of changes superintendent Mike Grego has made. William Corbett was promoted last week to deputy superintendent, leaving vacant an area superintendent job. Dave Rosenberger was moved to Pinellas Park Middle School, leaving open his principal job at Clearwater Fundamental Middle....

Gov. Rick Scott finishes his "pep rally tour" for teacher raises

Gov. Rick Scott is headed back to Tallahassee after a statewide feel-good tour to celebrate $480 million in the state's budget for teacher raises. The tour was called the "Teacher Pay Raise Pep Rally Tour."

He visited schools in Broward, St. John's, Orange and Palm Beach counties before making his last stop at Alexander Elementary in Hillsborough County. See our story about the visit here. ...

Turnaround teachers wanted at Maximo Elementary

The Pinellas County School District has posted a job advertisement for teachers at Maximo Elementary, one of five struggling schools on the state's list for intervention. The ad is for teachers for grades first through fifth for the coming school year, with a preference for teachers with "successful experience working in a high-poverty school engaged in the turnaround process." 

Maximo, which has back-to-back F grades from the state, learned this week that principal Randi Latzke will be staying on in the 2013/14 school year. Superintendent Mike Grego made the announcement earlier this week, along with other principal changes at the schools. Azalea Middle kept its principal, while new assignments were made for Melrose Elementary, Fairmount Park Elementary and Pinellas Park Middle....

Principal says leaving Clearwater Fundamental Middle is "one of the hardest experiences"

Dave Rosenberger, principal at Clearwater Fundamental Middle, told his faculty and parents Tuesday that he would be taking over the leadership of Pinellas Park Middle in the coming school year. He sent a poignant message to the school community, saying that leaving was "one of the hardest experiences I have ever had to endure."

Rosenberger has spent his administrative career at Clearwater Fundamental and went through the consolidation several years ago of Coachman Fundamental Middle and Kennedy Middle. He said leaving brought him "great sadness," but that he also was excited about the new challenge. ...

Grego announces principal changes at struggling schools

LARGO — Charged by the state with turning around five struggling schools in Pinellas County, superintendent Mike Grego announced Tuesday that he would replace principals at three schools and keep the leaders at two others.

Of three F-rated schools on the list, only one — Melrose Elementary — will get a new principal. So will two D-rated schools, Fairmount Park Elementary and Pinellas Park Middle. The moves are effective June 10....