TAMPA, Fla. — After leading the district for three years, Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Addison Davis announced his resignation Thursday.
His last day will be July 14.
What You Need To Know
- Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Addison Davis to resign
- His last day will be July 14
- His resignation letter said he has the opportunity to move back home
- Davis only served in the position for three years
The Hillsborough School Board selected Davis as superintendent out of 13 candidates. He previously served as the Clay County superintendent and was the first person hired outside of the district in 50 years.
In his resignation letter, Davis said in part:
“It is with a conflicted heart that I have elected to resign from my position as Superintendent of Schools in Hillsborough County Public Schools,” the letter read. “I have the opportunity to return to northeast Florida where my entire family resides, and build the next chapter of my career.”
When Davis began three years ago, the district was deeply in debt and he had to guide the district through the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Davis is leaving behind some unfinished business. The Hillsborough school board is due to vote on a change to school boundaries that will affect 15,000 students.
School Board Chair Nadia Combs said Davis and school leaders did a “heavy lift” during the pandemic, but his replacement will still face challenges to help the school district thrive.
The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA) sent a statement to Spectrum News that said: “HCTA is enthusiastic about collaborating with our overworked, hard-working employees and our HCPS School Board to find the dedicated leader our students and employees deserve.”
Davis and Combs both said there are excellent candidates both internally and externally to take the position.
Combs said one quality they will look for is resilience and someone wanting to stay long term.
The resignation comes just days before the school board is supposed to take its second and final vote on sweeping boundary changes and just months before the teachers’ union says it was hoping to get teachers another pay bump.
“We have not always agreed on many things, but it’s always been for us as a union to make sure our staff, our members and the students in this district have safety, security and the pay they deserve. So this totally caught us by surprise because he mentioned he wanted to get some things done going into the new school year,” said HCTA Vice President Johnny Green.