Manatee Schools to create new positions, eliminate assistant superintendents

One week after hinting at an administrative shake-up Manatee County Schools Superintendent Rick Mills proposed a new organizational chart that will replace assistant superintendent positions held by Bob Gagnon and Scott Martin with two deputy superintendent positions, confronting what he calls an understaffed district at the top. 

Mills said the two administrators can reapply for the deputy superintendent jobs.

Mills will also eliminate the positions held by Executive Director of Elementary Schools Joe Stokes and Executive Director of Secondary Education Jim Pauley, replacing those jobs with three new ones: An executive director of elementary schools, executive director of middle schools and executive director of high schools.

Those three new executive director positions will report directly to Mills.

The deputy superintendent positions will pay $132,500, more than what Gagnon and Martin currently make.
Mills hopes that the increase in pay and the prestige the titles of the new jobs bring will help attract better talent to the district.

“I firmly believe that at the senior level of the district we need to be creating opportunities and positions and titles to get the most highly qualified, capable people to the district,” Mill said. “I’m also a big believer that organizations benefit from blended leadership experience from both internal and external factions.”

The cost of new positions will be compensated somewhat by reducing the salaries of other administrative staff.

Still, Mills expects the new positions to cost the district an additional $140,000 a year in salary increases.

“Being candid and up front, there is a small additional cost for these positions, but I’m offsetting that with a commitment and understanding that overall salaries in staffing will be reduced for next year,” Mill said.

The school board will vote on the new organizational structure at a meeting Monday, April 8.