NORFOLK, Va. — Jeff Rose says a state oversight delayed his permanent appointment, but he remains committed to leading Norfolk Public Schools.
Norfolk's acting superintendent is speaking out for the first time since a licensing conflict delayed his permanent appointment to lead Norfolk Public Schools.
Dr. Jeff Rose was set to officially take over as superintendent on Feb. 23, but an issue with his Virginia superintendent's license through the Virginia Department of Education postponed that transition — something he says caught both him and the school board off guard.
"I mean it has been very confusing and frustrating not just for me personally but also for our board and our community," Rose said.
I spoke with Rose after a school board work session Wednesday night. He says he applied for the superintendent's position on Dec. 2 and had already been in communication with the state for months before the issue surfaced.
"I was informed i was well in time for all of this to come to fruition so not only did i apply there had been two different meetings kind of unaware of the process that happens to different meetings with two different slates and for some reason unbeknownst to ours my name was not on the list," Rose said.
Rose says the hold up with his Virginia superintendent's license was not due to a lack of credentials.
"Of course i am qualified i had been a superintendent three times over i do have my doctorate degree i have been around the block and back again so clearly this will not be a issue on if im qualified," Rose said.
He describes the delay as a process oversight — not a reflection of his qualifications or readiness for the role.
"This was some level of oversight that was not ours," Rose said.
"We feel like we're paying the consequences of that," Rose said.
"I consider it some level of mishap and i'm just as confused as others," Rose said.
To keep leadership stable, the school board took action last week, naming Rose acting superintendent while the licensing matter is resolved.
"They pivoted last week made some modifications to make me acting superintendent knowing that that is also temporary and very soon we will shift from acting to permanent," Rose said.
Rose says he has since heard directly from the state superintendent and is hopeful the matter will be resolved soon.
"We have heard from the Virginia department of education state superintendent has called me and has emailed me and so forth so i do appreciate their response and attempt to resolve it and we're hopeful," Rose said.
Despite the uncertainty, Rose says his focus remains on students, staff, and moving the division forward — and that he feels a personal connection to the work ahead.
"I truly feel called to this work, specifically called to Norfolk," Rose said.
Rose is confident the licensing issue will be resolved soon and expects the transition from acting to permanent superintendent to happen in the near future.
