Fulton County interim school superintendent Kenneth Zeff is a finalist for superintendent of the metro Nashville public school district.
Zeff and five other finalists for the job were formally presented to the Nashville school board Tuesday. The other candidates work in California, New Mexico, Maryland, Florida and Tennessee.
Zeff was appointed the interim leader in Fulton following the departure of Superintendent Robert Avossa, who left last June to become superintendent in Florida's Palm Beach County.
After a months-long search, Fulton school board officials recently offered the position of superintendent to prominent Oregon educator Jeff Rose. Rose accepted Fulton's offer of a three-year contract with a $295,000 annual salary. He will officially join Fulton schools June 1.
Rose was announced as the district’s sole superintendent finalist March 17, and by law, the district waited two weeks to offer the position so teachers, principals, parents and the community could provide feedback.
Fulton schools officials say Zeff’s application for the Nashville job should not interfere with his leading the district. Zeff’s one-year contract as interim superintendent ends May 31. He’s making a base salary of $225,000, plus other benefits.
In a cover letter to the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education, Zeff said he believes he's the "right candidate at the right time to join with parents, teachers, and all other community stakeholders to be a force for change in public education in Nashville."
Before being named interim in Fulton, Zeff was Fulton’s chief strategy and innovation officer. Board leaders said they chose him to take over primarily because Zeff was instrumental in developing Fulton’s charter system governance model, which allows for more school choice and greater flexibility and governing power for parents and schools.
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