Lee County Public Education Center
2855 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33966
With over 20 years of service in public education, Dr. Ken Savage has made leading for equity his personal mission. Having led schools at all levels (elementary, middle, and high), as well as district and state level leadership, Dr. Savage has served students in suburban communities as well as rural and urban settings. In his first sustained school turnaround administrative leadership experience at Dunbar High School, the school transformed from a D to an A, maintaining that A grade for the following year (2010, 2011).
After serving successfully as principal at Veterans Park Academy for the Arts, where he achieved the 2nd highest performance of all Title I K-8 schools in the State of Florida (2014), Ken was appointed as a turnaround principal for James Stephens International Academy. In one year, Dr. Savage helped improve the school grade from an F to a B. This improvement with a persistently struggling school, garnered his recognition as the State of Florida Principal of the Year for 2017-2018.
As a Principal Lead, Dr. Savage mentored and supported other new turnaround principals. Each of his mentee schools successfully exited Florida’s Differentiated Accountability by improving their respective grades to a C or higher. He has been a guest facilitator at Harvard Graduate School’s professional education program for turnaround leadership and has provided substantial video content for the University of Florida’s Educational Leadership program where he also served as an adjunct professor.
Prior to returning to Lee County, Dr. Savage served on the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet of the Florida Department of Education Division of Public Schools. At the State level, he was charged with influencing the design and implementation of policies impacting educational leadership and ultimately student achievement. His focus was on leading for equity, school and district leadership, and data-driven instruction. While leading at the agency level, he was one of only seven statewide recipients of the Governor’s Shine Award.
Dr. Savage is serving as Superintendent for the second time during a transitionary period for the District. Prior to his appointment most recent appointment, Dr. Savage served as the Chief Strategy Officer for The School District of Lee County, which serves over 100,000 students. In the position he provided leadership and supervision of the District’s Strategic Plan.
He is a home-grown product of the Lee County schools and with his own children in the school system, the District’s mission to ensure that each student achieves his/her highest potential, is a personal one.