Florida School Boards Association

Ms. Andrea Mussina

Executive Director

Dear Ms. Mussina,

My name is Lee Bush, and I am interested in applying to become the Interim Superintendent of

the Volusia County School District. Please accept this letter of interest, along with my attached

resume, for your consideration as you endeavor to find qualified candidates to propose to the

Volusia School District Board.

I am a lifelong educator with forty years of experience as a teacher, principal, and

superintendent, and currently reside in Northeast Georgia, having recently moved from

Englewood, Florida. Briefly, I’ve spent fourteen years in the Collier County School District as a

teacher and principal, and was selected as their teacher of the year. For seven years, I was in

the City of Cape Coral Charter School system, first as a founding principal of a new elementary

school, and then as the superintendent as the system grew. After leaving full-time employment

in 2013, I have served four school districts as their interim superintendent, one in Oregon, and

three in Wisconsin. I am also an associate with the search firm of Hazard, Young, and Attea. ,

Although I have not led a district of this size, I believe in my ability to establish positive working

relationships with not only a school board and leadership team, but with every member of a

school community: students, parents, and support staff. I have included two references that

would attest to my work with boards and districts as an interim superintendent. When I begin

working with a district, I hold a board retreat to socialize and converse, and then set goals for

my tenure. I meet with the division heads and the leadership team to set priorities, and arrange

a back-to-school kickoff with employees to set a positive tone for the year.

I believe that, if I were given a personal interview, that the board would see that my personality

and earnestness would be a good fit for the district, and my previous experiences as an interim

would allow me to be successful in this position. I would be pleased to talk with you for an

initial conversation.

Respectfully,

Lee D. Bush, Ed.D.

LEE D. BUSH, ED.D.

11 Zinc Avenue, Young Harris, GA 30582

(239) 910-1661 / Email: funprincipal@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: Use my career experience to assist an educational organization with its mission.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Educational leader with teaching, building principal, and system superintendent experience.

• Adept in building relationships and connections with students, staff, parents, community and board members with excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Committed to collaboration and team-building with board and administrators.

• Sensitive to cultural diversity of students, parents, staff, and community.

• Successful at assisting four school districts as interim superintendent during transition periods.

• Proven ability to improve districts’ internal relations among stakeholders.

PROFFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF MISHICOT (Wisconsin) August 2017 – February 2018/Interim Superintendent for high-achieving district of 824 students. Assisting with transition year between superintendents.

STEVENS POINT SCHOOL DISTRICT (Wisconsin) July 2015 – July 2016/Interim Superintendent for district with 13 schools and 7500 students. Helped create a cohesive and positive school board, created better communication between administration, board, and teachers, and assisted in successful transition to permanent superintendent.

BROOKINGS-HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT (Oregon)/November 2014 – June 2015/Interim Superintendent

Create positive environment in a school district with organizational and structural concerns.

WINTER (WI) SCHOOL DISTRICT/January 2014 – June 2014/Interim Superintendent

Assisted a rural Pk – 12 school district as they transitioned between superintendents.

CITY OF CAPE CORAL (FL) CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORITY / April 2006 – June 2013 / Superintendent

Serve as leader of municipal charter school system with 3100 students in four schools PreK – 12; founding Principal of Christa McAuliffe Elementary, recruiting 45 staff and 600 students.

OSSEO-FAIRCHILD (WI) SCHOOL DISTRICT / August 2001 – March 2006 / A.P. and Principal

Served two years as high school A.P., athletic director, and community education coordinator, and three years as elementary principal at two schools, Osseo (350 students) and Fairchild (120 students).

LA FARGE SCHOOL DISTRICT, LaFarge, WI / July 1998 – June 2001 / Superintendent

Leader of K-12 rural school district with 325 students; responsible for all management functions of small district. Successful in garnering additional state funding for students; led facility referendum.

COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, Naples (FL) / August 1984 – June 1998 / Teacher and Principal

Taught 4th grade with ethnically diverse students in Immokalee, FL; Principal of Lake Park Elementary (650 students, 3 yrs.) and Golden Terrace Elementary (1000 students, 5 yrs.) in Naples, FL.

WAUZEKA AND BOSCOBEL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, Wisconsin / August 1977 – June 1984 / Teacher for special education students grades K-6, and general education 5th grade students; bus driver.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, Coral Gables, FL / Doctorate in Educational Leadership / May 1993

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, Tampa, FL / Master’s in Educational Leadership / July 1988

EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, Charleston, IL / Bachelor’s in Elem. and Special Education / May 1976

CERTIFICATION

STATE OF WISCONSIN: Superintendent / PreK – 12 Principal / Elementary Education

STATE OF FLORIDA: Educational Leadership (All Levels)

HONORS

COLLIER COUNTY FLORIDA (Naples) - Teacher of the Year

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – Distinguished Educator Award

CITY OF IMMOKALEE, FL – Special Person Award

CITY OF CAPE CORAL, FL – People Who Make a Difference Award

HOBBIES/INTERESTS/ORGANIZATIONS

Musician/Guitarist – singing with school groups; reading; camping, fishing, hunting, and traveling.

Board of Directors/ YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of Portage County; Portage County Business Council

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Ms. MEG ERLER, Board President, Stevens Point School District (c – 715-491-2448)

Mr. BRUCE RALEIGH – Board Chair, Brookings-Harbor OR District (c – 541-661-5665, h – 541-469-0362)

MR. DALE THOMPSON – President, Winter School District Board (cell – 715-558-2398)

MS. ANGEL FAXON – former Board President, Stevens Point Schools (c – 715-347-5348)

DR. KERRY JACOBSON – Superintendent, Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lima, Peru

(former Superintendent of Osseo-Fairchild) Kerry.jacobson53@gmail.com

MRS. MARILYN STOUT – Cape Coral Charter School Board (cell - 239-887-0029)