New Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Makes It Official

TAMPA, FL — With a few flourishes of a pen, Hillsborough County's new superintendent of school signed his contract, committing to oversee the seventh largest school district in the nation.

Last month in a unanimous vote, the Hillsborough County School Board selected Addison Davis to serve as the next superintendent of schools, capping a seven-month nationwide search.

Davis will receive a salary of $310,000 per year, $85,000 more than the current superintendent, Jeff Eakins.

Davis will begin his duties March 2, working side by side with Eakins during a two-week transition period. After Spring Break, Davis will become acting superintendent, with Eakins on administrative leave until his contract ends June 30.

Davis will formally become superintendent of Hillsborough Schools on July 1.

Davis has spent more than 20 years educating and supporting students in Florida. He began as a classroom teacher in Duval County and most recently served as superintendent in Clay County.

Within his first year in Clay County, he was named a 2017-18 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. This past year, he was a finalist for Florida’s Superintendent of the Year.

Prior to overseeing Clay County schools, Davis served as chief of schools for Duval County Public Schools in the Jacksonville area, the 20th largest district in the nation.

In September, after Eakins announced his plans to retire after 31 years with the Hillsborough district, the school board hired Ray and Associates to conduct a nationwide search for a new superintendent, contacting 1,219 people from 48 states.

After receiving hundreds of resumes and conducted countless interviews, the school board chose an in-state candidate to oversee Hillsborough County's largest employer with more than 24,000 employees.

Davis arrives at a time when the school district is riding high, with an all-time record high graduation rate of 86.2 percent for 2018-19.

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