Escambia County School Board names Keith Leonard permanent superintendent

Interim Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard is now the official superintendent of the district after the school board voted 5-0 in favor of making his position permanent.

District 1 Board Member Kevin Adams brought forward the motion Tuesday night to appoint Leonard and authorize Chairperson Patty Hightower to negotiate a contact. The motion was seconded by District 5 Board Member Bill Slayton.

Nine community members spoke on the motion prior to the board's decision, all voicing support for Leonard. Once the board passed the motion unanimously, many community members and district staff followed the decision with a standing round of applause.

"We know how much division there is in this district," said former Escambia coach Jim Taylor. "But I can tell you this from the heart: Mr. Leonard is a man who's going to do what's best for these children."

District 1 Board Member Paul Fetsko spoke to Leonard's strong character that he's observed during the 30-plus years of knowing Leonard during his career.

"I couldn't be prouder of the man that Mr. Leonard is," Fetsko said.

Leonard has held the position as interim since May, following the termination of the district’s first appointed superintendent, Tim Smith. Since Leonard was runner-up in the initial superintendent race against Smith in 2020, Fetsko at the time deemed Leonard’s transition into the interim position a natural one until the board secured a permanent replacement.

When the board began talks of making Leonard’s position permanent in October, they settled on conducting a mid-year evaluation of Leonard before determining whether to make the position permanent.

More: Escambia Interim Superintendent Keith Leonard just got his first review. Here's how he did

In an aggregated score from all five board members, Leonard received a 74.8 out of 88, earning a “highly effective” rating. This review gave board members the green light to move forward with Leonard's consideration for the permanent position.

"Our trajectory is going to go as far as we will let it. No one else is going to control it," Leonard said of the school district's path moving forward. "I'm proud to be a team member. I'm proud of you, that's what you need to know."

What lies ahead for Leonard?

It is not an easy road ahead for Escambia County’s new superintendent.

Leonard will be taking the helm during an ongoing federal lawsuit over the district’s past book removals, and backlash over the district's current challenges.

Florida’s controversial HB 1069 took effect in July, requiring schools to remove books for review within five days of objection if the complaint is based on pornographic material or sexual conduct. Escambia also took the added step of removing all books from the libraries and classrooms until they could be reviewed, losing about 1,500 books in the process.

Even so, Leonard is determined that the school district will be able to follow state statutes and regulations while providing opportunities for all students.

“Our school district, and especially our dedicated media specialists, remains committed to adhering to all statutes and regulations, while also providing valuable and varied literacy opportunities for every student,” Leonard said in a statement Jan. 11 during the school board’s monthly workshop.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County School Board names Keith Leonard superintendent