Pinellas School Board honors former superintendent with building name

Throughout his decade-long tenure as Pinellas County schools superintendent, Mike Grego emphasized the importance of fostering leadership skills in all employees, from the front lines to the administration.

Along the way, he secured state funds to help build a leadership center in Largo, across the street from the district headquarters.

On Tuesday, the school board unanimously decided to name the building after Grego.

"This is being built because of his work," board member Caprice Edmond said. "He has made significant contributions to Pinellas County schools."

Chairperson Laura Hine listed several of those, including initiatives that boosted the high school graduation rate by 20% and the work to reduce the achievement gap among demographic groups. She said he brought excellence to the community, as she endorsed the naming of the Dr. Michael A. Grego Leadership Institute.

Grego, who retired in June 2022, said he was honored and humbled — not to mention surprised — by the action. Credit for the work is not his alone, he said, adding that all involved in bringing the center to fruition "have a brick in this. It's no one person."

The board also recognized the work of Bette Ra Ivey, a retired educator who served as a principal and area superintendent, by naming the district's new early learning and child care center in Pinellas Park after her.

"She was an outstanding educator and she loved the little ones," board member Eileen Long said. "That's where it all begins."