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Five more people apply to lead Broward schools, but only two are 'qualified'

C.M. Guerrero
/
Miami Herald
The search continues for the next superintendent of Broward County Public Schools. The district has received a total of 31 applications.

Five more people have applied to be the next leader of the Broward County School system — slightly broadening an initial pool of applicants that some school board members had criticized as narrow and unimpressive.

But of the five new applicants, just two are considered qualified, according to the school district.

In total, the district has now received 31 formal applications. Of those, 17 are considered qualified for the position. One of the contenders has since withdrawn from the search, leaving 16 qualified applicants. More information on those candidates is available here.

The five additional candidates are:

  • Santarvis Brown, faculty member in Florida International University’s Management Leadership Certificate Program
  • John Dunnuck III, Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations at Broward College
  • Sito Narcisse, Superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System
  • Scott Paul, Curriculum Coordinator, Oklahoma City Public Schools
  • Ritaparna (Rita) Raichoudhuri, former Superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools

Sito Narcisse and Rita Raichoudhuri are the two candidates deemed by the school district as qualified for the role.
READ MORE: Consultant says Florida politics are driving away Broward superintendent candidates

The Broward County School Board voted earlier this month to reopen the search for the district’s next top leader, after the superintendent of Clark County School District — the nation’s fifth largest school district — expressed interest in the job.

But just hours after the announcement that Jesus Jara was considering the post, he dropped out of the running.

A search consultant hired by the district and some board members have raised concerns that Florida’s divisive education politics are driving promising candidates away.

Broward County’s legacy of upheaval, infighting and mismanagement could also be a factor — the next superintendent would be the fourth in just four months.

The school board is scheduled to meet on Monday May 22 to pick the semifinalists for the job.

Kate Payne is WLRN's Education Reporter. Reach her at kpayne@wlrnnews.org
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