Former Northeast High Principal Named Pinellas School Superintendent

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — When Pinellas County School District Superintendent Mike Grego announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2022 school year in January, the school board promptly launched an exhaustive national search for his replacement.

In the end, however, the board didn't need to look further than its own back yard.

At a special school board meeting Tuesday morning, the board unanimously voted to negotiate a contract with Pinellas County's associate superintendent of teach and learning services and the former principal of Northeast High School, Kevin Hendrick.

Hendrick, 46, thanked the school board for its unanimous confidence in him.

"It's a little bit of a surreal moment for me, but I first and foremost want to thank you (the school board) for your trust, and your belief not only in me but in the vision and the words and the things I had to share," he said. "The process was laborious, but I thought it lent itself to showing the true person that all the candidates were. who all the candidates really were. You were fantastic in concern to your communication and professionalism. It was a pleasure to be a part even as it was rigorous."

Linda Lerner, who stepped down in 2018 after serving 28 years on the school board during, noted that she took part in three superintendent searches. She commended the school board on the transparency of the process during this search.

" This was by far the best search where everything was on the web, all the videos, the written material and the interviews," she said.

Prior to the board voting, Lerner endorsed Hendrick, who she watched graduate from Largo High School.

"I've worked with him, and I've heard the feedback from the teachers, from staff, from parents, from businesses, from the community, and I'm being honest, I've never heard anything negative," she said.

"I came to the firm conclusion that, if I did not know Kevin, just going by everything on the web, I would see him as the outstanding candidate, as a true leader," Lerner said.

At a meet-and-greet hosted by the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, association President Nancy Velardi said she would have welcomed any of the three finalists as superintendent.

"I believe Pinellas County Schools will be in good hands under any of these candidates," she said.

The benchmark was when she asked them to describe their style of leadership, their philosophy on collaboration and input from employees, "all three responded with the words I was hoping to hear."

"The importance of relationships being the key to success, the complete understanding and belief in the notion of fair process and the general focus on the necessity of buy-in from all involved in our important work of educating our future," Velardi said. "Not one of the candidates believes in a top-down pyramid form of leadership, which is rapidly becoming passe because it no longer brings the results most organizations are seeking."

School board member Laura Hine said she and Hendrick have talked frequently at the ball field as both coached their sons' Little League teams.

"A community member wrote to us in recent days, if you want to know what a leader is made of, watch them coach," she said.

Kendrick, who has two master's degrees, began his career in Pinellas County as a math and social studies teacher. He was the 2003 Dunedin High School Teacher of the Year and was an Outstanding Educator semifinalist for Pinellas County Schools.

Eventually appointed principal of Northeast High School, Hendrick served in that position nine years, during which the high school earned only A and B grades.

In both 2016 and 2017, Hendrick won the district’s Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership. He was the district’s entry in the statewide Principal of the Year program, and, in 2017, he was selected as a statewide finalist.

In May 2016, he received the Governor’s Shine Award for his contributions to the field of education.

As the associate director for teaching and learning in 2017, he helped expand early childhood education, increased the high school graduation rate to 92 percent, expanded gifted education programs and implemented the system connecting students to the internet.

Prior to selecting Hendrick, the school board praised all three finalists.

The national search to fill Grego's seat attracted 19 applicants, which the school board whittled down to three: Hendrick, Ann Hembrook, who has worked in Orange and Marion counties; and Michael J. Ramirez of Broward County.

In accepting the superintendent's post, Hendrick admitted he has big shoes to fill.

"Dr. Grego, his leadership in this district for the last decade, has been nothing short of remarkable," Hendrick said.

He then addressed Grego personally.

"Yes, we have improved graduation rates. Yes, we have more advanced placement. Yes to all of those things, but the daily commitment to excellence you have that everyone who works with you knows about is remarkable and to do so with such consistency and fervor every single day, and the stability that you've brought to this district is amazing, and I hope I can do the same," he said.