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The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes up to 25 school district leaders each year who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Since becoming Superintendent of Sarasota County Schools, Mr. Terry Connor has demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to transparency, community engagement, and student success. From the start, he communicated his vision for improving student outcomes, operational efficiency, and community collaboration through interviews with local publications, including Sarasota Magazine and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He also contributes guest columns to SRQ Magazine to keep the public informed about district initiatives.
In addition to traditional media, Mr. Connor launched the “Superintendent Listening Tour,” “Coffee with Connor,” and “Referendum Community Forums” to connect with the community. The Listening Tour included sessions at high schools and a virtual option, ensuring staff and community members across the district could share their thoughts. One session was bilingual for Spanish-speaking families, ensuring inclusivity. The Referendum Community Forums have been hosted at high schools throughout the county, ensuring convenient access for all. The first two Coffee with Connor events were met with enthusiastic participation, leading to additional sessions being scheduled.
Mr. Connor’s video messages have become a hallmark of his leadership. From Welcome Back messages to hurricane updates, he is consistent with his messaging to families and staff. In February 2024, he launched the “Trading Spaces” video series, where he spends a day shadowing district employees to better understand and highlight their roles. These efforts have strengthened Mr. Connor’s connection with the community and staff, showcasing his accessible leadership style.
Internally, Mr. Connor created the Administrators Weekly Newsletter to keep district leaders informed and hosted the Summer Leadership Institute, which focuses on professional development for administrators. He has also launched the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council to include teacher stakeholders in district conversations.
His integration of communication goals within the district’s Strategic Plan, specifically in Pillar Five, “Every Community Engaged,” underscores his commitment to transparent and inclusive communication as key to student success. Part of the Strategic Plan was launching a new district website, which was accomplished in April 2024. The new site is translatable into 130 languages. In addition, a two-way school-to-guardian communication tool, Rooms, was launched and includes automatic translations for non-English-speaking families.
As part of the Strategic Plan, and following nationwide school safety hoaxes, Mr. Connor hosted a School Safety Roundtable podcast as part of the SCS “In Tune!” Podcast series, featuring local law enforcement chiefs and the Sarasota County Sheriff to address concerns and reinforce safety measures. Mr. Connor has also participated in various press conferences on school safety and natural disasters like Tropical Storm Debbie and Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including those with Florida Governor DeSantis, Senator Rick Scott, and Congressman Greg Steube. He ensures timely updates to staff and the public during emergencies through direct emails, texts, phone calls, and social media. This focus on crisis communication has bolstered the district’s ability to respond swiftly during emergencies, resulting in positive feedback from families, staff, and local officials.
Mr. Connor’s initiatives have demonstrated leadership, strengthened communication, and yielded measurable results in building trust and enhancing student achievement.
One cornerstone communication initiative Mr. Connor led is the highly successful SCS “In Tune!” Podcast series, a dynamic communication program designed to address critical district topics while fostering deeper community engagement. Launched to enhance transparency and community involvement, the podcast features in-depth conversations with subject matter experts on critical issues directly impacting Sarasota County Schools. Its goal is to provide easily accessible, informative content that keeps stakeholders informed and involved.
Episodes have featured a wide range of topics, including important discussions on school menu prices, updates on the upcoming 2026-2030 Sarasota County Schools Referendum, and a timely school safety roundtable with local law enforcement leaders. When possible, subject matter experts are invited to join the conversation. Mr. Connor has also participated in the Sarasota County Education Foundation’s Education Conversations podcast.
The podcast has become a valuable communication tool for the district, reaching a wide audience. As of October 2024, it has garnered over 10,000 views and 75,000 impressions across YouTube, Apple, and Spotify, demonstrating the community’s strong appetite for transparent, timely, and relevant district communications. The SCS “In Tune!” Podcast is produced monthly, and a dedicated submission page on the district’s website allows parents, students, and other stakeholders to suggest topics. This approach underscores the audience’s value and influence in shaping the content, ensuring that it is responsive to the community’s interests and needs.
To further increase accessibility and inclusivity, every episode is translated into Spanish and Russian and disseminated through multiple channels, including email, text alerts, social media platforms, the Administrators Weekly Newsletter, and the district’s website. This comprehensive distribution strategy has expanded the reach of the podcast, engaging non-English-speaking families and those who prefer different communication formats. Mr. Connor’s forward-thinking approach to multi-platform and multilingual communication underscores his dedication to ensuring that all Sarasota County Schools community members are informed, engaged, and heard.
Mr. Connor has seamlessly integrated communication goals and strategies into Sarasota County Schools’ Strategic Plan, particularly aligning with Pillar Five: “Every Community Engaged.” Recognizing that effective communication is fundamental to creating a nurturing educational environment, fostering student achievement, and ensuring smooth district operations, this pillar emphasizes transparency and engagement.
Strategic actions under Objective 5.1—ranging from 5.1.1 to 5.1.25—focus on enhancing engagement with all stakeholders. These actions include revamping the district’s digital presence through an updated website and social media platforms to ensure user-friendly access to information, delivering an annual State of Schools presentation to update the community on progress and plans, and establishing robust two-way communication channels to facilitate engagement between families and school staff. A communication style guide promotes brand recognition, while well-defined crisis communication protocols ensure clarity and confidence during emergencies.
Additional initiatives include creating the SCS Showcase to highlight school opportunities, developing recruitment toolkits to engage prospective families, and expanding language options to better serve diverse communities. Parental feedback is regularly gathered through surveys to ensure concerns are addressed, and partnerships with real estate agencies assist new families with school enrollment resources. The SCS Soars communication plan maintains visibility with stakeholders.
A detailed annual communication and marketing plan, with specific engagement targets, guides these efforts. Marketing leads in each school receive training to effectively utilize a comprehensive marketing toolkit.
Once approved by the School Board, the Strategic Plan’s communication strategies are accessible on the district website and shared directly with stakeholders via email. Posters highlighting the plan’s pillars are displayed in school and district office lobbies.
Through these comprehensive strategies, Mr. Connor effectively communicates the district’s goals to all stakeholders, ensuring that families, educators, and the community remain informed and engaged.
Superintendent Connor has played a pivotal role in fostering open and effective communication within Sarasota County Schools. His highly visible leadership style, rooted in transparency, has strengthened relationships with staff, students, families, and the broader community. His consistent participation in key district events, responsiveness to media requests, and proactive engagement with stakeholders demonstrate his unwavering commitment to keeping everyone informed and involved.
Mr. Connor regularly attends district and local events, such as the bi-annual Ripple Effect Awards, which honor educators making a difference in students’ lives. His presence at ceremonies like the Teacher of the Year Awards, volunteer recognitions, and retirement receptions for long-serving staff members reflects his deep appreciation for those who contribute to the district’s success.
To further strengthen community relationships, Mr. Connor has hosted events like the Superintendent Listening Tour, Coffee with Connor, and the Referendum Community Forums, providing platforms for open dialogue on district priorities and concerns.
During emergencies, such as Hurricane Milton in 2024, Mr. Connor played a critical role in district operations, assisting at evacuation centers, managing efforts from the Emergency Operations Center, and keeping the community informed through press conferences. His visible leadership during these crises reinforced community confidence in district safety measures.
Mr. Connor is also highly responsive to media inquiries, regularly engaging with local publications and TV outlets. By providing timely updates on district initiatives, he ensures transparent and accurate communication.
Internally, the Administrators Weekly Newsletter keeps district leaders informed about critical initiatives and events. Mr. Connor’s direct emails celebrate accomplishments and recognize important milestones, fostering a positive work environment.
Through accessible, responsive, and proactive communication, Mr. Connor ensures that Sarasota County Schools remains a transparent and community-focused organization.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.