Seminole County

Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin announces retirement

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Walt Griffin announced Friday that he plans to retire in the spring of 2021.

“I have informed the board that I would like to retire the spring of 2021, in conjunction with my 62nd birthday,” Griffin said.

Griffin said this school year marks his 40th year as an educator and his 37th year in Seminole County.

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“I’ve had the privilege to serve as a math teacher, an assistant principal, a principal at both middle and high school, the high school executive director and of course now nine years as superintendent,” Griffin said.

He said he plans to spend more time with his family.

School board member Abby Sanchez was on the superintendent search committee that hired Griffin. She said he has been a big part of why people choose to move to Seminole County because the schools have improved under his watch.

Board member Amy Pennock said Griffin’s retirement is a loss for Seminole County and for the state.

The school board will begin preliminary discussions about finding Griffin’s replacement on Tuesday at their workshop. They will discuss what the timeline will be to find a replacement. There will also be community input and a committee will be formed to select a new candidate.

Watch Griffin’s announcement below:

Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.