Mitch Perry
It looks like MaryEllen Elia is going to land on her feet after all.
The recently ousted Hillsborough County School superintendent is about to be named New York’s next education commissioner, according to the Buffalo News. The website reports that the State Board of Regents in New York are preparing to appoint Elia, who hails from nearby Lewiston, New York, as their state education chief.
The 17 Regents were informed over the weekend to report to Albany today for a special meeting to interview Elia and then vote on her appointment.
The 66-year-old Elia was fired in a controversial 4-3 vote by the Hillsborough County School Board in January after nearly a decade on the job, after complaints that she grown imperious and cultivated an intimidating workplace. She was also criticized for not paying sufficient attention to issues affecting black and Latinos children, including he disproportionate number of black students receiving suspensions.
Elia received a $1.1 million buyout in salary, benefits and unused vacation and sick time time for the remaining 2 1⁄2 years on her contract.
Her firing was extremely unpopular in the Tampa Bay area, with officials like Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn denouncing the school board members who voted to terminate her contract.
The day after her ouster, Elia told reporters that she wasn’t prepared at all to retire. “I’m looking at the next thing in my career,” she said. “Some people say I may be ready to retire. That’s absolutely untrue.”
