New Sarasota superintendent describes his holistic approach to education

Terrence Connor knew he wanted to take the next step in his career. 

He had been serving as the deputy superintendent and chief academic officer for Hillsborough County Public Schools since 2020. 

He was ready for a new challenge, and he had his eyes on Sarasota County Schools.

What attracted him about the district, he said, was what he called its “tradition of excellence” and “strong community partners.” 

But he also saw a need for someone to bring its different ingredients together to realize its full potential.

Connor looks forward to working to be that person to bring Sarasota County Schools to the next level as he takes the helm of the district as superintendent.

Connor started as the new superintendent July 17.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to lead a wonderful district like Sarasota, which has a lot of a foundation in terms of its academic success over the years but is still striving to be better,” he said.

For Connor, improvement starts with looking at the bigger picture. His first priority is academic excellence but not that alone.

In his first 100 days as superintendent, Connor wants to address academic excellence as hit top priority, while also focusing on stakeholder engagement, operational effectiveness and providing a supportive environment that will allow teachers to promote the wellbeing of students.

He said students must feel safe and welcomed by adults and other students.

“I can’t wait for the fall to really get a sense, firsthand, about what our students are experiencing on a daily basis,” he said.

A positive environment, he said, enhances the academic aspects, which are to involve rigorous learning experiences to make students into “productive, critical thinkers who can solve real-world problems.” 

He emphasized the importance of a rich, multifaceted experience that ropes in sports, arts, clubs, social interactions and learning new skills.  

“I see school as an opportunity for students to really develop into productive citizens, and all of those experiences lend themselves to that,” he said.

Throughout the roles he held in his career working with students always has been at the forefront. Whether it was teaching middle school science, serving as an assistant principal or principal in Duval County Public Schools or moving onto district-level positions in the School District of Clay County and later Hillsborough County Public Schools, students have always been his focus. 

As a principal, working directly with students held a strong significance for him.

“Seeing the difference in the investments, seeing students who were having challenges become successful and accomplish their goals, and being so close to that work and interacting with students on a day-to-day basis, is a very rewarding highlight of my career,” he said.

As Connor moved upwards to the district level, he felt proud of accomplishments that benefited learning including promoting accelerated learning and career and technical education. He said initiatives associated with accelerated learning and career and technical education led to higher state academic rankings.

Yet despite his experience, he isn’t under any illusions about the challenge posed by the role of superintendent.

“It is a very stressful job. There is a lot of scrutiny in the position,” he said. “There is a lot of pressure, and that could be political pressure, it could be different types of pressures.”

For him, the first challenge to overcome is getting to know everyone in the community and listening to stakeholders.

Photo by Ian Swaby

Although the opinions of many constituents he meets will differ, he said he understands the process he needs to follow when disagreements arise.

“First off, you’ve got to acknowledge and allow people the opportunity to give you that feedback,” he said. “We are a public institution that serves the community, and they have a right to express themselves in terms of how we do business.”

When arriving at a decision, he said, the key is to consider the best interests of students and choose a path that is common sense, practical and follows the law. 

“I try to be a unifier in the decisions I make, but I also know that at the end of the day, you have to make tough decisions, and some people are not going to be happy with that. And that’s okay," Connor said. "As long as you’ve made the best decision, you can sleep easy at night.”

As he takes on the role of superintendent, Connor wants one of his focuses to be on staff retention and addressing the ongoing teacher shortage.

He wants to promote pathways to becoming a teacher through dual enrollment, ensure teachers earn a livable wage, reduce barriers to alternative routes for teachers to be certified while reducing the cost of those routes and pursue growth and leadership opportunities.

Another is ensuring that principals are equipped to support teachers.

“We talk about customer service a lot, but we also need to think about that teacher experience and how we can address that so that they stay motivated,” he said.

The first 100 days in the superintendent’s chair, and beyond, will be filled with numerous components to consider throughout a large district, but Connor is eager to become acquainted more closely with Sarasota County.

“I’m excited about this opportunity,” he said. “I think Sarasota is ready to take off and be the destination district that I know everyone wants it to be, and I’m just honored and humbled that I’ll be able to help lead that work.”

Photo by Ian Swaby