Last week, the Sarasota County School Board voted 3-2 to select Terrence Connor, 41, as the school system's next superintendent—a decision that came months after the board's newly minted conservative majority abruptly fired former superintendent Brennan Asplen.

Connor holds a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from the University of North Florida and a master's in administration and management from Nova Southeastern University. He started his career as a teacher in Duval and Clay counties before joining the Hillsborough County school district as deputy superintendent and chief academic officer in 2020.

At the time, schools were closing and shifting to remote learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and difficult decisions about how to handle the pandemic led to highly charged arguments about mask wearing and culture wars at school board meetings. Connor helped develop Hillsborough’s distance learning plans and ways to deal with student learning loss as children returned to classrooms in late 2020 and 2021.

We recently spoke with Connor, the father of two children enrolled in public schools, to learn more about the man who will be our new superintendent. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Where are you from and how did you get started in education?

"Jacksonville is where I grew up. I was a student in Duval County and went to North Florida College. My parents were blue-collar people and instilled in me the value of hard work and wanted me to pursue education, even though they didn’t get to go to college. I’m a first-generation college graduate and Florida Bright Futures scholarship recipient, and that's how I afforded it. Plus, I worked part-time throughout college.

"In high school, I had teachers who took the extra time to [help me] figure out what I wanted to do and apply for college. Their investment inspired me. I taught in the same county I went to school in and helped kids under the same circumstances in the same way.

"When I was in fourth grade, a new principal came on at my school. When I came back 15 years or so later, he was still there and gave me my first job. In my first year, I taught seventh grade science, then eighth grade science the next year. He encouraged me to pursue educational leadership and mentored me, and I became assistant principal for four years. When he retired, I took over in the same community where I grew up. Two years later, I was asked by the district office to take over a high school, even though I had always been a middle school guy. The high school was kind of declining with behavioral issues and I had a very difficult first year there, but within four years we had a huge turnaround. Kids were taking more college-level courses and graduation rates went up."

Did you apply for any other positions in education? 

"There’s been a lot of changes in superintendents in Florida and there were 17 openings, including Duval, Osceola, Escambia, Flagler and Broward. I applied for Osceola and Sarasota. I went through the process with Osceola, but backed out because I didn't want them to give me the job and have to decline it and put them back to square one.

"Sarasota was a better option for me, in terms of transition for my family, since it’s closer. Professionally, in terms of the board’s direction, it really wants to be the trendsetter of the state with top performance. I’ve done a lot to increase rankings elsewhere and I can use that track record here. Sarasota is around fifth place in the state. I moved Hillsborough's from 36th to 19th over the course of two years and in Clay County from 20th to eighth over the course of three years."

Sarasota’s school district is much smaller than Hillsborough's. Do you think that gives you an advantage in your new position?

"I do. Clay County is even smaller than Sarasota. So having that experience in a small and also very large district in Hillsborough—the third largest in Florida, and seventh in the nation—will help me with transitioning here, since I know both worlds."

What are your goals for your first year?

"To establish relationships. I have to get in and listen and learn and see areas of opportunity and evaluate the system and structure and get a good grasp on it all so I can work with the board to develop our priorities. We want to be No. 1 in the state, help our teachers with excellent instructional practices and improve proficiency across the board. We have to address early learning and literacy and the science of early learning, going back to pre-K, so we can address our third-grade proficiency rates. In high school, I'd like to outline career pathways, whether students want to go to college or not, so they can still pursue high-wage jobs that we need to fill."

What do you think about the national attention our school district has received in recent years?

"As a superintendent, you have to have an open mind and listen to your constituents. We listen to our community and it’s our responsibility to take in all sides and incorporate that into our decision making. You have to take state statutes, the Department of Education and [input from] internal stakeholders to come to a point where you’re making the best decisions that will ultimately help students academically. In terms of the constituents, they’re a part of the process and need to be involved. How they choose to do that is important, such as speaking at meetings or being on advisory boards and in focus groups, so we can respond to them."

Do you think you can reduce the tension we've seen at school board meetings in recent years?

"Hillsborough had similar issues, [and others did] across the country. Whatever our policies are, it’s just adhering to those expectations and being consistent. People should be able to express themselves, as long as it's agreed upon what's acceptable. In Hillsborough, one policy is not to call out staff members by name. If that's an expectation, we have to remain consistent in enforcing that. The first time you get a warning, and the second time, the microphone is cut."

How should the district respond if a parent complains about the content of a library book?

"I want to make sure we have a clear procedure around that. Parents have the right to make those objections, but responses should be uniform. There have been many new statutes passed, like HB 1069, and they’ll affect district procedures. I want to make sure we’re aligned with them. There needs to be a process in place and parents need to be informed on how that operates."

Are you interested in making changes to the curriculum? What do you think about Vermilion Education? 

"I’m sure I’ll get a full briefing on where we're at with that. I want to make sure I have all the information. I can’t comment this early on."

Do you think the district needs to change the policy that bars LGBTQ students from coming out to teachers or asking questions about gender?

"For me, policy needs to be in alignment with our state statutes, regardless of my feelings around issues that are infiltrating our board meeting. What does our statute say, and how does our policy align? And how do we implement that with fidelity? It’s not for me to say I agree or disagree. We don’t infuse our personal opinions or beliefs into our way of work."

Teacher morale is low. How can you improve it?

"We have to reestablish the respect and the value educators have in general in society. I say that needs to happen across our nation. We need to elevate them and their significant contributions. Pay is always going to be important. We should never have teachers feel they have to have other means of income to make ends meet. We know they are not here to make a bunch of money, but they shouldn't have to worry about paying their bills. We have to demonstrate appreciation because the work is challenging. They don't work seven-and-a-half hours a day or 10 months a year—it's much more. They're handling parents and preparing lessons. It's a complex job to meet so many needs.

"I also want to provide them with opportunities to grow. People want to feel like they're contributing and moving forward. I think its important to help develop initiatives to help teachers grow professionally and that align with their needs. We need to ask, 'What do you need?' And we must respond in kind. They need to be heard and be a part of the decision making and be treated as professionals."

Do you worry about the school board pulling the plug on your job at some point, given what happened to the previous superintendent?

"If I'm doing my job and focusing on the right things and that leads to me being ousted, then so be it. We're going to do what's right for our parents, employees and students. That's how to lay your head down at night. If they want to part ways due to that, I'll be fine with that."

What are you reading?

"I read a lot of nonfiction. The last book I read was It's the Manager: Moving From Boss to Coach by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter. I like movies just fine, but I don't like fiction so much."

How did you feel when the board voted in favor of selecting you as superintendent?

"I was elated. I do feel that my experience in district administration and working with a highly effective superintendent, especially during Covid, taught me a lot. We were building the plane as we were flying it. Being a part of that, I believe I'm ready to move into the role. Sarasota has challenges, like all districts, but it has so many things to be proud of, too. It's a great place to raise a family and the schools are great."