TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County School Board voted unanimously on the next interim superintendent who will be taking over the duties of soon-to-be-former Superintendent Addison Davis.
During a meeting Tuesday afternoon, Chief of Strategic Planning and Partnerships Van Ayres was voted to take on the new role as the county's interim superintendent, effective July 15.
Ayres, born and raised in Tampa, is a former assistant principal at Blake High School and the former principal of Tampa's Jefferson High School. He also helped create the MacDill Council for Educational Excellence.
“I am truly honored to lead this district. Hillsborough County Public Schools is my home and I know this is one of the best school districts in the nation," Ayres said in a statement. "We have a lot of work ahead of us as we prepare to open schools and welcome our 210,000 students back to the classrooms.
"I look forward to this opportunity and thank the School Board for their confidence in my leadership."
Along with voting for the position to be filled, the school board also officially made the superintendent role a 12-month job instead of just six months.
There will be a special called school board meeting Tuesday, June 27 to discuss Ayres' transition process and the county's timeline to pick its next permanent superintendent.
Board members will also discuss a consulting agreement with Davis for up to 90 days "to ensure a successful transition."
Davis informed the school board and other leaders of his decision the morning of Thursday, June 15, with plans to officially step away from the role on July 14.
While the superintendent did not say what his next steps were, he mentioned an opportunity to return to northeast Florida to "build the next chapter of my career." Davis previously served as chief of schools in Duval County and superintendent in neighboring Clay County.
News of Davis' departure came just one day after the school district's deputy superintendent, Terrence Connor, was named as Sarasota County Schools' new superintendent.
It also comes amid divisive talks of boundary changes that could impact thousands of students. Just a couple of years ago, Hillsborough County was in danger of its finances being taken over by the state after budget woes.
In 2021, the school district said half of its failing schools improved to a "C" or higher grade.
Previous 10 Tampa Bay reporting and Andrea Chu contributed to this story.