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Superintendent Van Ayers reflects on his roots and outlines Hillsborough priorities
Summary
In the district'produced inaugural podcast, Superintendent Van Ayers described his path from classroom teacher to superintendent, emphasized community partnerships, reiterated the district's long history of school choice and previewed an upcoming graduation rate update.
Superintendent Van Ayers discussed his upbringing and approach to district leadership on the inaugural episode of the Hillsborough County Public Schools podcast hosted by Deborah Bellanti.
Ayers said he was born and raised in Tampa, attended the University of Tampa and began his career on the inaugural staff at Blake High School. "Every decision that impacts the school district today, I'm reflecting back on the time I spent in the classroom and then time as an assistant principal and principal," he said.
He described moving into district leadership roles, serving as deputy superintendent before being named interim superintendent in June 2023 and superintendent in November 2023. Ayers said his leadership is rooted in relationships and classroom experience: "It all starts with relationships. It all starts with knowing everyone in this organization."
On the podcast he framed the episode as a way to share the district's vision and noted the role of community support. "There is nothing more important to have a great Tampa Bay, great community than high quality public schools, period," Ayers said, and he added that "almost 80% of our families choose our public schools."
Ayers also stressed communication about district programs and the importance of highlighting successes, saying the podcast will allow longer-form stories than typical news clips. He signaled that the district will release updated graduation'rate information for last year's cohort in the coming weeks or months and that the district plans a future podcast episode to discuss it.
The episode closed with host Deborah Bellanti encouraging listeners to subscribe on Spotify, Apple or the district's YouTube channel and previewing future episodes focused on teachers and student stories.
