When Daniela Simic moved to Tampa in 2003, she knew education would be her life’s work With a master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, she began her Hillsborough County career in the classroom.
Over the next two decades, Simic worked at nearly every level of public education, from teaching and supporting struggling schools to serving at the Florida Department of Education and ultimately becoming Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“I’ve seen our schools from many different perspectives,” Simic said. “But the question has always been the same. Are we giving every child the best possible chance to succeed?”
Today, Simic sees the school system as the parent of a fifth grader in Hillsborough County Public Schools. She has spent years involved in PTA, serving as president of her son’s school PTA and now as Vice President of Advocacy for the Hillsborough County Council PTA.
Her path to motherhood also shaped her perspective. Simic lost her husband while pregnant and has raised her son as a single mother, strengthening her belief in strong schools and communities.
Simic believes the district must be accountable for student outcomes and taxpayer dollars, directing resources toward classrooms and programs that demonstrate results. She also wants to retain great teachers and staff, keep schools safe and expand career and technical opportunities.
“Not every child will take the same path after graduation,” Simic said. “Our responsibility is to make sure every path can lead somewhere meaningful.”
She believes parents deserve a meaningful voice and decisions affecting families should be communicated clearly and transparently.
“School Board is a nonpartisan job,” Simic said. “We may not agree on everything, but we can agree that our children deserve safe schools, great teachers, strong academics and adults who will put them first.”
For Simic, it comes back to the belief that has guided her career: Every child deserves every chance to succeed.
Daniela Simic will be on the November 3 ballot for Hillsborough County School Board, District 2.
