The Hall way

EAST COUNTY — Don Hall sits quietly on the Manatee County School Board panel — suit pressed, tie fastened, speaking only when a board member addresses him directly about the budget or other financial matters.

Although Hall is one of quieter officials at monthly meetings, he now has a strong voice in the district as it faces challenges — including balancing future budgets, finding additional revenue sources and getting district officials to collaborate and work with the community. 

Former Superintendent Rick Mills hired Hall as deputy superintendent of operations two years ago. With CFO Rebecca Roberts, Mills and other budget team members, Hall helped balance an $8.9 million deficit and revamp a school district in financial turmoil.

Now, Hall knows that wasn’t his toughest test.

He accepted the interim superintendent position May 12, after Mills announced his retirement and the school board ended his contract early.

“There is only a change in leadership, not philosophy. We’re focused on children and learning first, politics second.”
– Don Hall

But Hall has developed a career out of overcoming obstacles. 

His earliest lessons came growing up as the oldest of three children in rural eastern Kentucky. His family didn’t own a car, and no other member of his family had graduated high school or shared his passion for education. 

“What people don’t realize is what brought me to this point in the district,” Hall said. “My grandmother and a few teachers were the only support I had to lead from an impoverished student to someone who can contribute to his community in a positive way.”

Lesson plan

Hall’s plan for managing the district is to keep officials, parents, teachers and students calm about leadership changes. Although positions are shuffling, Hall says the district’s goal is the same.

 “There is only a change in leadership, not philosophy,” he said. “We’re focused on children and learning first, politics second.”

Hall is picking up where his predecessor left off, by continuing to meet with financial officials to generate ideas for revenue creation, and preparing for future school years’ budgets.

“We don’t have the luxury of just balancing the 2015-2016 school-year budget,” Hall said. “The CFO and I have to look five years out to anticipate changes our district might need, such as renewing the sales tax or what to do if that doesn’t happen.”

The half-cent sales tax that will expire in 2017 weighs heavily on Hall’s mind, because it adds millions of dollars to the district’s budget.

The district needs it to fund a range of projects and necessities. Without it, the district faces millions of dollars in debt and other budget crises, officials agree.

To obtain voter approval, Hall plans to further open the district’s doors to the community. 

He hopes the district will add more educational pieces to board meeting agendas that highlight schools’ accomplishments to offset discussions on lawsuits and personnel disputes.

“We have a lot of good things happening in our schools,” Hall said.

He also plans to research other avenues for communication with parents, along with social media and website updates, so the community can easily access relevant information to a particular school.

“Instead of us pushing information at them, I’d like to establish a connection where parents are involved with the process, through learning portals and instructional tools that are available outside of this district,” Hall said. “We’re a diverse community, with diverse needs and opinions; one way won’t work for everyone. We need a combination of effective strategies to bring the community together.”

And although Hall is clear about his goals for the district, he’s just as clear that his personal goals don’t involve becoming the new long-term superintendant. His tenure could last a week or years, depending on how long it takes the district to settle on its next leader. 

Hall has agreed to serve until the district finds Mills’ replacement, but when that occurs, he hopes to step back into his previous position.

“Being superintendent isn’t my goal,” Hall said. “But my goal is to serve the county and its students.” 

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].