Adkins retires after serving school district for 33 years
The superintendent of the School District of Lee County is calling it a career after more than three decades dedicated to education.
Dr. Greg Adkins, who has served as superintendent for the past six years and spent his entire 33 years serving Lee County, will leave his post at the end of the month and venture into retirement.
“Lee County, and the people of Lee County — they’ve all been wonderful,” Adkins said. “For me as a superintendent, I was so happy to be able to have so many great community partnerships. Walking away from this role, I’ve enjoyed seeing the amount of support that our community has for this school district.”
Having worn many hats throughout his many years in the school district, Adkins, 56, was able to effectively take the reins as superintendent in 2015 and brought about many positive changes for nearly 96,000 students.
Adkins said having experience in many different realms and the inner workings of the system “helps with this kind of a job because you really have seen the district from many different contexts.”
As superintendent, Adkins:
– Developed Vision 2020, the District Strategic Plan, now EnVision 2030
– Increased overall student achievement
– Increased graduation rates
– Decreased gaps between student groups
– Eliminated all “D” and “F” schools (previously 21, now 0)
– Led the “Change for Change” half-cent sales tax initiative
– Led an initiative to provide on-site exercise classes and a gym option to all employees
He said the bonds made along the way with employees and students have made his journey a fulfilling one.
“It’s being able to work with kids, being able to work with teachers, parents, district staff — that’s been the best part about it,” Adkins said. “It’s a positive and rewarding profession. You are trying to improve educational outcomes for kids.”
Adkins said he has also enjoyed seeing his students grow up to accomplish great things, as well as see generations of families come through the school system. For example, Adkins taught now county Commissioner Brian Hamman.
“Seeing that kind of stuff is really cool,” Adkins said. “It’s gratifying.”
Teaching runs in his blood, as both of Adkins’ parents were educators, as was his grandmother and great-great-grandfather. It seems as if the genes have been passed on as his daughter, Shanna, is a teacher at Riverdale High School.
An Ohio native and University of Akron graduate, Adkins began his journey as a science, health, and computer science teacher at Pine Island Middle School in 1988. In 1990 he transitioned to Gulf Middle School, where he was a seventh-grade science teacher and headed the science department. During his time at Gulf Middle, he also was the science academic coach, safety and security supervisor and was nominated as Science Teacher of the Year.
In 1994, Adkins was named assistant principal of Gulf Middle, where in that role he supervised the ESE program and oversaw the Alternative Suspension Program.
In ’97, Adkins became the principal at Dunbar Middle School, where he improved the school grade from a “C” to “A+” and developed and implemented the Talented and Gifted program. There, he expanded the music and arts program, also designing and implementing the community service-based Alternative to Suspension program, which resulted in a 95 percent reduction in out-of-school suspensions.
In 2002, Adkins took on his first role at the district office when named director of Employee Relations and Contract Management. In 2003, he became the chief resource officer, a role he held for nearly a decade. As CRO, he implemented the interest-based bargaining model, which has resulted in strong positive relationships with the teacher’s association and support personnel association and multiple contract ratifications. During this time, he also developed, negotiated and implemented the Teacher Career Ladder.
In 2012, he took on the role as director of East Zone operations and in 2013, named the assistant superintendent of Operations.
Two years later, Adkins was bestowed the title of superintendent of schools.
Since Adkins began his teaching career in Lee County in ’88, the growth the district has seen and experienced has been undeniable. Lee County is the ninth largest school district in Florida and 32nd largest in the country, with the 22nd largest transportation system. Adkins said 1,300 to 2,000 new students join the district each year.
“It’s been phenomenal,” Adkins said of how the district has grown over time. “I remember one year we opened eight schools and the next we opened five. There was some really rapid growth then, and we’re right there today.”
And it is not just the adaptation to growth he is pleased with, but how each school has transformed into a positive learning environment.
“Today, if I had a school-age child, I would have no qualms about sending them to any of the schools in the district,” Adkins said. “I’m very proud of that and it took a lot of changes. Our team one year alone made over 80 administrative changes just to get the right leaders in schools to move them forward.”
Adkins said dealing with the rising number of families coming into Lee pushed the district to learn to work well with educational partners such as teachers and bus drivers.
“To be able to be proactive in those efforts is something that you have to learn to do — to utilize your resources as efficiently as you can,” he said.
Being able to reach students who come from diverse backgrounds also has been a focus of Adkins’ during his tenure.
“Now, we’ve been able to take some large steps with how we use technology to be able to reach the diversity in students we have,” he said. “Every kid who steps into the classroom starts from a different place, and you can really meet them where they are and take them to levels I don’t think we ever contemplated before.”
Adkins said his proudest moments as superintendent have come these past few years — having navigating staff, teachers and students through unprecedented times.
“One of my proudest accomplishments is being able to work with this team to get through what I think have been the largest challenges this district has ever faced,”Adkins said.
Hurricane Irma in September of 2017 saw the largest closure of the district — up until this year — that turned 11 different schools into shelters for community members seeking refuge from the Category 4 storm.
When the COVID-19 pandemic emptied classrooms across the county, Adkins and the district worked to provide students and families with options for safe learning and working environments.
During the past year, the district has distributed more than 16,000 Chromebooks to students and provided more than 5,000 hotspots.
The district supplied more than 1.5 million meals to students and provided four different instructional learning models.
Virtual work options were provided to staff so that all employees were paid in full for their 2020 contract. The district also provided on-site COVID-19 testing and voluntary vaccinations for students and staff through a partnership with Lee Health.
“We led the nation in getting kids back face-to-face this year, and I credit the whole state with that,” Adkins said. “All while we’re facing those challenges, we’re setting record graduation rates, having academic achievement continue to increase and reduced the number of ‘D’ and ‘F’ schools to zero.”
Next in life for Adkins is to enjoy his farm in Buckingham with his wife of 30 years, Teresa, whom he called “Saint Teresa” due to all of the sacrifices she has made throughout the years. Adkins said he grew up around lots of farmland as a child and always wanted to experience the life.
“She and I are both looking forward to spending more time together, traveling, and having more time on the farm,” Adkins said.
As for why he is retiring this year, Adkins said it was just time.
“I’m young enough to still be able to enjoy other things and it gives our current board an opportunity to choose their next superintendent and I hope they come together and move the district forward,” he said. “You sacrifice a lot to do this job, and your family does as well.”
His advice for newly appointed interim Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Savage?
“I hope they take this ‘honeymoon’ phase to really sit down and build a plan together and work together to execute that plan,” Adkins said. “We have some incredible talent in this district.”
To reach CJ HADDAD / cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com, please email