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John Long announces that he'll retire and is supporting the district's chief finance officer as his successor.
By JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 19, 2003
LAND O'LAKES -- Two summers from now, when a Pasco County schools superintendent sweats out the logistics of teaching the 2,000 new students flooding into the district, John Long should be sipping iced tea in his second home out West.
Long made it official Tuesday: He plans to preside over Pasco's public education through November 2004. Then he'll pack up, collect his $70,000-per-year retirement check and maybe even land a university gig.
Had Long won re-election as superintendent in 2004, it would have meant nearly another six years of running one of the state's fastest-growing school districts. It wasn't a fate he relished in his 56th year.
"I've worked the best part of 37 years. Six more years is a big commitment," Long said Tuesday. "That's a long time."
Long said he had hesitated about announcing his retirement until a St. Petersburg Times story last week "flushed me out."
He officially revealed his retirement plans at a meeting with district principals late Tuesday afternoon, then told the School Board when it met Tuesday evening.
"I love this job. I love you guys," Long told the board.
Long took over the superintendent job from the retiring Thomas Weightman in August 1996. He was well-groomed for the job, having spent 10 years as a member of the state House of Representatives and 20 years as an assistant superintendent.
During his tenure, Pasco's growing bedroom communities have delivered thousands of new kids into the school system. In 1996, enrollment was 40,315. This year it's 52,218, a rise of 30 percent.
Among the issues that will fill the remaining 11/2 years of Long's tenure: persuading Pasco residents to vote for a 1 percent increase in the sales tax and choosing a new superintendent.
Long has made no secret of his choice for a successor: Chuck Rushe, the school system's chief finance officer and his right-hand man through two years of labor negotiations with teachers.
Four prospective superintendent candidates approached Long seeking his blessing, but Rushe won out, Long said. He plans to use the resources of the district to "see if we can't rally the system behind one candidate."
"He's a Republican, and I'm a Democrat, but there's a time when who's right for the job transcends politics," Long said.
Long was born and raised in rural Wauchula, the son of a tomato, cucumber and orange farmer. He arrived in Pasco as a 28-year-old in 1976, a freshly minted doctorate from the University of South Florida under his arm.
A less stressful job as a professor at USF is a possibility for Long. But after retiring from education after nearly 37 years as a teacher and administrator, his first plans are to rest, he said.
"That's enough," he said. "That's it."