VIERA, Fla. – Brevard Public Schools has narrowed down its list of candidates to become the next superintendent to 11, and the district has released the list to the public.
The list includes a current school district superintendent, a former school district superintendent, a number of school district administrators and a retired U.S. Navy captain, all from Florida.
The district said it chose the semi-finalists from a list of 33 applicants.
“There was a really good consensus on some of the candidates,” board member Jennifer Jenkins said of the semi-finalists. “There was a healthy, diverse pick here.”
Each candidate will have to submit written and video replies to board questions ahead of a special meeting on April 18.
The finalists will then be interviewed on April 27 and 28.
“Our challenge is to narrow the field and find the person that fits the needs of Brevard County schools,” Florida School Boards Association consultant Dr. Bill Vogel said.
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The school district publicly released the applications from the semi-finalists on the district website. Here are the candidates and their current positions:
- Ernie Lozano: Chief of staff, Broward County Public Schools — Application
- Scott Schneider: Chief of Schools, Duval County Public Schools — Application
- Dr. James Larsen: Senior executive director for federal grants, Orange County Public Schools — Application
- Dr. Mark Rendell: Principal, Cocoa Beach Junior-Senior High School, Brevard Public Schools and former Indian River County School District superintendent — Application
- J. Rebecca Raulerson: Regional assistant superintendent, Polk County Public Schools — Application
- John Stratton: Superintendent, Hernando County Schools — Application
- Dr. Jason Wysong: Deputy superintendent, executive director for instructional excellence and system equity — Application
- Mark Vianello: Chief operations officer, Marion County Public Schools — Application
- Capt. Stephen Kingston, retired U.S. Navy — Application
- Dr. Kim Moore: Assistant superintendent for career and innovative programs, Pasco County Schools — Application
- Dr. Peter Licata: Regional superintendent, Palm Beach County School District — Application
Last week, the Brevard County School Board put its interim superintendent, Dr. Robert Schiller, on administrative leave. That came during an intense meeting in which the school board chairman said Schiller asked to renegotiate his contract, something Schiller said he did not want discussed at the meeting, and other school board members accused him of creating a hostile work environment.
Assistant Superintendent for Facilities Sue Hann is currently acting superintendent.
“I appreciate the opportunity and the faith that the board has in me to just carry the ball for a little while while they search for their permanent superintendent,” Hann said on Tuesday.
The school board had hired Schiller in December after ousting superintendent Mark Mullin. Two of the current candidates for superintendent, Larsen and Rendell, were finalists to be interim superintendent.
Jenkins said she’s confident the board will pick the right leader for the future of the district before the end of the school year.
“I feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” she said of the search.”
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