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Pinellas Picks Janssen For Superintendent

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By STEVEN GIRARDI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

LARGO - For Julie Janssen, the second time around was just the chance she needed.

The Pinellas County School Board voted 7-0 Tuesday to offer Janssen the superintendent's job, removing the interim tag she has held since taking over for Clayton Wilcox, who resigned in June.

"I'm elated," Janssen said after thanking board members for their confidence in her. "What is very important to me is it was a 7-0 vote."

The selection of Janssen came a week after the board voted 4-3 to offer the job to Miami-Dade County Associate Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. But hours later Carvalho was offered the top job in Miami-Dade and, on Friday, told Pinellas officials he was staying there.

That set the stage for Tuesday's special meeting, packed with Janssen supporters who spoke on her behalf, some using the chance to chastise the board for its earlier decision.

Janssen, 59, a longtime Pinellas teacher and administrator, was selected over Nicholas Gledich, 55, an Orange County administrator who board members also agreed was a worthy candidate.

The board will begin contract negotiations with Janssen with an eye toward finalizing the deal Sept. 23. The position will pay $200,000 to $240,000. The Pinellas superintendent oversees a $1.5 billion budget and runs the 23rd largest school district in the country.

The vote for Janssen came after a 4-3 vote against hiring Gledich, who was supported by Chairwoman Nancy Bostock and board members Jane Gallucci and Carol Cook.

Board member Janet Clark, one of four who voted for Carvalho, shifted the balance when she decided to go with Janssen. Clark said she was concerned with Janssen's lack of experience as an administrator, noting her highest position has been deputy superintendent for Wilcox.

She said a meeting with Janssen on Monday changed her mind. She asked Janssen to write specific initiatives for the school district.

Janssen began with the district as a teacher in 1980s and worked through the ranks, earning support from many school-based groups and individuals along the way.

The outpouring of support leading up to the vote, and continuing today, caused some tension. Nine people spoke on her behalf.

Kim Black, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teacher's Association, pointedly told the board members their decision on Carvalho was "an embarrassment."

She said rejecting Janssen "totally ignored the community input" and showed "the glass ceiling does exist."

Others said that overlooking a woman who worked her way through the system contradicts the district's goals to grow talent and to promote from within.

Some board members objected, saying they heard community input from sources besides meeting speakers and community groups.

"You can't just take the squeakiest wheel out there," Clark said.

Bostock, who voiced concern last week about the pressure and campaigning to choose Janssen, said she was saddened by some of the comments.

"Listening doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to do what I'm told to do by somebody," she said.

Board members Linda Lerner and Gallucci were out of town and joined the meeting by telephone. Lerner suggested the board delay a decision until Sept. 23, as did some in the audience.

The board agreed to move forward to resolve the issue, then made the vote for Janssen unanimous.

Reporter Steven Girardi may be reached at (727) 451-2333 or at sgirardi@tampatrib.com

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