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Hernando Schools' Boss Says Job Hunt Is A Legal Strategy

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: December 22, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County Superintendent of Schools Wayne Alexander is looking for jobs in New England and is a semifinalist for a superintendent post in Massachusetts.

Alexander is not applying because he wants to leave Hernando County, he says in a letter he delivered to school board members Friday notifying them of his search.

Rather, Alexander is applying for jobs in the Connecticut area to get the courts there to allow his new wife, Jennifer, and her two young daughters, who live in that state, to move to Florida despite the protests of her ex-husband, Alexander says in the letter.

The goal: Show the court that Alexander made the effort to find a job in the area but also make the case that positions such as his are not readily available in locations of choice, he says.

He says it's a strategy advised by his attorney.

The couple married this year, and his wife, who is a kindergarten teacher, and her daughters planned to move to Hernando County in August. Her ex-husband is fighting the move.

"It is now our time to fight to live and work where we want to in the best interests of our family," he wrote.

If Alexander is offered a job in the area, the couple plan to tell the court that "nothing compares to my current position or current community and all that it has to offer our family."

It's an argument he soon may have to make.

Alexander is one of four semifinalists for the superintendent post in Framingham, Mass.

Alexander was one of nearly 30 applicants for the job to lead a district of about 8,000 students, said Ann Greenberg, an administrative assistant for Framingham's school board. A committee of teachers, parents and other school officials narrowed the field to four and plans to further whittle the candidates after a round of interviews set for Jan. 10, Greenberg said.

Hernando County School Board members reached today all offered similar sentiments: We don't want to see Alexander go, but family must be a priority.

"I've always said people have to do what's best for their families. This is what's best for him and his family," Chairwoman Dianne Bonfield said.

Alexander, who is in Connecticut for the holidays, did not immediately return a call to his cell phone tonday.

He was hired in 2007 and previously was a school administrator in New London, Conn.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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