Voted Out of Office, School Chief Takes Job as Janitor and Substitute Teacher

A month ago, Lee Burns supervised the schools. Today, he cleans them.

Burns’ four years as Hardee County school superintendent and the $56,000 salary that came with it ended when he was voted out in the fall election.

With a family to feed and no other offers, Burns took the only work available--substitute teacher and part-time, minimum-wage janitor.

The 48-year-old career educator said last week that he accepted the positions “to keep busy and make a little money. Just trying to keep the family going.”

Burns still hopes to land a job in the administration of the man who defeated him, Derrel Bryan, who took over Nov. 17. He might also look for a job with a neighboring school district.

But for now, he will teach a few classes and clean some hallways.

“It’s something you hope doesn’t happen, but when it does, you make the best of it,” he said. “It’s something you have to expect when you run for an elected position.”

As a substitute teacher, he gets $7.63 an hour. He’s scheduled to begin filling in as a $4.25-an-hour custodian this week wherever needed in the system’s six schools.