Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael Grego has been named Florida’s 2018 Superintendent of the Year.
Earlier this month, Grego was selected as the Superintendent of the Year by the National School Foundation Association. On Wednesday, his fellow Florida school superintendents presented him with the award at a statewide meeting in Tampa.
Grego, 60, began his career as a teacher with Hillsborough County Schools and eventually ascended to district leadership. After 28 years, he left to serve as superintendent in Osceola County before coming to Pinellas County.
Since taking over the school district in September 2012, Grego has become a frequent speaker on education policy in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.
In a press release, the Florida Association of School District Superintendents touted Grego's implementation of Summer Bridge, a six-week summer learning program, and Connect for Success, which provides take-home laptops for students at Title I elementary schools.
In 2013, he collaborated with district leaders and community members to launch the Bridging the Gap strategic plan aimed at closing the achievement gap between African American students and their peers. As part of the plan, the district said they would test all second graders in the district for gifted programs in an effort to increase the number of black students in gifted programs.
During Grego's tenure, the graduation rate in Pinellas County has climbed to 80.1 percent, the highest in district history.
