The son of the longtime school superintendent of Sumter County is running to fill his father’s shoes.
Superintendent Richard Shirley announced earlier this month that he will not be running for another term for the school post to which he was originally elected in 1996.
This week, his son, Richard Allen Shirley Jr., filed paperwork with the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections Office indicating he is going to run for the top school post in the county.
The 44-year-old currently serves as principal at South Sumter High School. He is in his fourth year as the school’s principal. He began his education career as a sixth grade science teacher in Wildwood.
“I built my career with this goal in mind,” said Shirley, as he discussed his decision to seek the post now held by his father.
His mother is also a retired Sumter County educator.
The younger Shirley is a resident of Wildwood and will be running as a Republican.
His father was the the 2013 Florida Superintendent of the Year and served as as president of the Florida Association of School Superintendents in 2018.