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Mitch PerryApril 21, 2015

The Hillsborough County School Board on Tuesday approved a two-year contract for new superintendent Jeff Eakins that will pay him $225,000 annually beginning July 1. It then must be approved by the board on an annual basis beginning in 2018. The audience at the school board meeting erupted in cheers after his contract was unanimously OK’d […]

Mitch PerryMarch 3, 2015

Yesterday was quite a day news wise. But before we talk City Council races, how about that Hillsborough County School District Board? They did it again yesterday – going against the sentiments of the editorial writers and newspaper columnists who demanded they take on a national search to succeed MaryEllen Elia as the district’s superintendent. Instead, on […]

Mitch PerryMarch 3, 2015

Yesterday was quite a day news wise. But before we talk City Council races, how about that Hillsborough County School District Board? They did it again yesterday – going against the sentiments of the editorial writers and newspaper columnists who demanded they take on a national search to succeed MaryEllen Elia as the district’s superintendent. Instead, on […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2015

There have been just a handful of forums in this year’s Tampa City Council campaign to date, but one theme has risen above the rest: Downtown Tampa is doing very well, perhaps even thriving. That’s a great thing, but the city needs to spread the wealth out to the rest of its many neighborhoods in […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 23, 2015

The Hillsborough County School Board’s unceremonious dumping of Superintendent MaryEllen Elia reverberates three days after the fact. In today’s Times, Ernest Hooper bemoans the fact that Sally Harris, the swing vote that went against Elia on Tuesday night leading to her ouster, beat big-time establishment pick Michelle Shimberg in the District 2 race last November, and […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 23, 2015

The Hillsborough County School Board’s unceremonious dumping of Superintendent MaryEllen Elia reverberates three days after the fact. In today’s Times, Ernest Hooper bemoans the fact that Sally Harris, the swing vote that went against Elia on Tuesday night leading to her ouster, beat big-time establishment pick Michelle Shimberg in the District 2 race last November, and […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 22, 2015

It’s been almost impossible to go to any public event in Tampa over the past year when you haven’t heard Bob Buckhorn, Sandy Murman or Tampa/Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. CEO Rick Homans crow about how bad ass Tampa/Hillsborough is doing these days on the economic front. Whether it’s the airport, the port, the EDC, the […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 15, 2015

You wanna lay odds that MaryEllen Elia holds on to her gig next Tuesday? A casual analysis regarding the fate of the 66-year-old Hillsborough County Superintendent shows that it could come down to the two newcomers to the board, Melissa Snively and Sally Harris. Neither of them are fully prepared to make such a momentous decision, they […]

Mitch PerryDecember 12, 2014

On Wednesday, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren blasted the $1.1 trillion spending package in the House put together by Republicans and Democrats that would keep most government agencies operating through next summer. Warren’s ire was with two parts of the bill that were added on to it in the past week: provisions that would sharply increase the influence of […]

Mitch PerryDecember 12, 2014

For the first time in four years, non-charter public schools in Florida received a relatively substantial amount of funding from the Florida Legislature this year towards the maintenance of school buildings. In 2011 & 2012, all of the monies allocated by Tallahassee allocated to the Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) trust fund went to charter […]

Tag: MaryEllen Elia

Hillsborough County schools hire new superintendent

Mitch Perry Report for 3.4.15- Hillsborough School board defies the critics (again) & goes with Eakins

Mitch Perry Report for 3.4.15- Hillsborough School board defies the critics (again) & goes with Eakins

Mitch Perry Report for 2.11.15 — The biggest concern among Tampa residents this election year

Mitch Perry Report for 1.23.15 — Popular (if not elite) opinion on MaryEllen Elia’s ouster isn’t monolithic

Mitch Perry Report for 1.23.15 — Popular (if not elite) opinion on MaryEllen Elia's ouster isn't monolithic

Mitch Perry Report for 1.22.15 – Hillsborough loses some of its swagger

Mitch Perry Report for 1.15.15 – The establishment comes out fighting for MaryEllen Elia

Mitch Perry Report for 12.12.14 – House Dems side with Warren over Obama in budget vote

MaryEllen Elia & Judy Genshaft discuss priorities at Hillsborough Legislative Delegation meeting