In plain language, they’re not satisfied with the pool of applicants to lead the nation’s sixth-largest school district.
So Tuesday, the Broward County School Board decided to reopen the search process for a new superintendent, giving anyone interested in the job until May 16 to apply. The search firm hired by the school district had submitted a list of 26 candidates, and said only 15 met the minimum qualifications, with four or possibly six of them recommended for the job.
Board members began the meeting Tuesday by discussing whether to choose from the candidates on the list or to expand the search.
“There are people in there who are being described as innovative and transformative,” said board member Debbi Hixon.
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“We need to get, as Mr. Zeman said, somebody that’s the cream of the crop, whether it’s in this pool which we’re gonna look at or there’s someone out there, I don’t think we should be closing the door to anyone,” countered board member Brenda Fam.
The board decided to shake the trees for one more week.
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“You know some people might be on the fence, and now that they’re getting this second chance to come out and apply, I believe we’re gonna have a few people that will put in their resume and apply for the position as superintendent of Broward County Public Schools,” said board chair Lori Alhadeff.
“I feel excited, to be honest,” said board member Dr. Allen Zeman. “One of the exciting things was last night, the superintendent from the fifth largest school district in the United States decided to apply with Broward County Schools, so maybe that’s the ice breaker.”
His name is Dr. Jesus Jara, he currently leads Clark County Public Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he formerly worked in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district. His is one name, the board members are hoping for more.
“And we have to find out why we’re not attracting other qualified candidates, are we not offering enough in our salary? Has anyone analyzed this?” Fam said.
The search firm said the political environment in Florida is scaring some candidates away, an argument seconded by some board members.
“Politics is a big issue, what we see happening in Tallahassee is inconsistent with the values of Broward County,” Zeman said.
But regardless of controversial state regulations on education, the board thinks they will find their man or woman.
“This started months ago when I think I was the chair of the board, right? Looking for a transformational leader for Broward County Public Schools, the good news is I think we’re absolutely headed in the right direction, I think all nine members of the board are collectively in the same place,” said board member Torey Alston.
On May 22, the school board will vote on semi-finalists, narrow it down to finalists on May 30, and vote on a new permanent superintendent on June 15 to replace interim leader Dr. Earline Smiley.
