Fulton County schools’ interim superintendent Kenneth Zeff is a finalist for the position of superintendent of the metro Nashville public school district.
Zeff and five other finalists were presented to the Nashville school board Tuesday. The other candidates work in California, New Mexico, Maryland, Florida and Tennessee.
Zeff, who had been Fulton's chief strategy and innovation officer, was appointed the interim leader in Fulton following the departure of Superintendent Robert Avossa, who left in June 2015 to head Florida's Palm Beach County schools.
After a months-long search, Fulton school board officials offered the superintendent's position to prominent Oregon educator Jeff Rose. He will join Fulton schools June 1 with a three year contract, making $295,000 a year.
Zeff’s one-year contract as interim superintendent ends May 31. Fulton school officials say Zeff’s application for the Nashville job should not interfere with his leading the district. He’s making a base salary of $225,000 yearly.
Fulton board leaders chose Zeff to take over primarily because he was instrumental in developing Fulton’s charter system governance model, which allows for more school choice, greater flexibility and governing power for parents and schools.
“Knowing he is a top candidate for a respected district … is bittersweet,” said a Fulton school spokeswoman in an emailed statement. “If chosen as their superintendent, it would be our loss but also a tremendous gain for Nashville’s students and schools.”
In a cover letter to the Metro 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."
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