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For School System, He's IT

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By MARILYN BROWN

mbrown@tampatrib.com

Published: January 14, 2009

TAMPA - Getting up at 3:18 a.m. daily just begins to explain how David Steele stays on top of every aspect of his life.

There is also the Excel spreadsheet on the refrigerator listing items his family buys at Publix - by aisle - so needs can be highlighted.

"He's quite strange," says his wife, Trish, who fell in love with him anyway when he was an assistant principal and she a teacher at Plant City High in 1998.

That strangeness and the skill set that goes with it serve Steele well.

Steele, 53, was in charge of secondary education for Hillsborough County schools from 2006 until September, when he was promoted to chief information and technology officer. He worked both jobs until December, when he took over information and technology full time.

The new job includes supervising the district's transportation system after the meltdown when this school year started. Parents and school staff struggled for weeks to figure out bus assignments.

Whether Steele will keep the transportation division is uncertain, but he has been involved in figuring out what went wrong and how technology can help fix it.

The biggest mistake came when communication broke down and district officials left schools out of the loop, Steele said. He doesn't look back or assign blame. Rather, he is helping review new software that will enable parents to access bus information before the next school year begins in August.

"Sometimes people spend more time figuring out who to blame than they spend trying to solve the problem."

A couple of things really help.

"I never suffer from lack of planning," says the soft-spoken administrator.

Steele gets up well before dawn at his Plant City home to connect to the Internet via computer. When it's off, he stays connected with his Blackberry.

The family of three has five computers at home. MacKenzie, 8, has one in her room. They rarely watch television and watch rented movies on a computer.

Steele grew up in New York and majored in education at the University of Florida and worked first as a bank teller, then as a math teacher at Plant City High. He says he has learned from every job he has held, including assistant principal at Tomlin Junior High.

Steele's roles may shift with his new position, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia said, but his skills will be used across all divisions. He also is responsible for communications, information services, assessment, accountability and staff training.

"He has an ability to see what needs to happen," Deputy Superintendent Ken Otero said. "When he brings you a problem, he brings you a solution."

Finding solutions is play to Steele. Focus is critical. The wee morning hours allow him that.

"I like to have at least an hour when it is quiet to get ready," Steele said. "If things come up during the day, I can deal with it."

Things inevitably do come up. Take the grocery list on the refrigerator. "What drives you nuts is when Publix changes their aisles and you have to change your strategy."

Steele says he is not compulsive, just detail oriented. What about the 3:18 a.m. thing? Why not 3:20 or 3:30?

"No particular reason. I tried 3:20. An even number bothered me.

"It's just an idiosyncrasy."

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069.

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