Three individuals who have served at high levels in public school administration are being considered to serve as interim superintendent for Broward County Public Schools. There were 26 applicants but on these three meet all qualifications including a master’s degree and ten years of management experience.
The candidates are Jim Notter, a former Broward Schools superintendent from 2006 to 2011, Vickie Cartwright who ended a three term as superintendent for the school district in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Robert Schiller, who has led six school districts over the past 40 years as interim or permanent superintendent.
The Broward School Board will discuss their applications on July 20 and then conduct interviews. A contract with the person selected will be negotiated during the first week of August. The current Broward Superintendent, Robert Runcie, agreed to resign after being indicted on a perjury charge. His last day will be August 10.
Notter is the favorite among employee groups including teachers, principals, bus drivers, maintenance workers and other personnel. He has served as a Broward superintendent but left during a grand jury report. This report was mainly about School Board members but criticized Notter for not standing up to the Board. Notter said he believed the success of the schools was most important and that it was an appropriate time for him to retire. Notter said he had more to give to public education.
Cartwright was an associated superintendent in Orange County, a place she worked for 17 years. She left Florida in 2018 to become superintendent in Oshkosh. She recently resigned from the position after facing criticism from parents and school administrators. They were concerned about how the district was run during the pandemic. Cartwright said she succeeded at getting community support for a referendum to build new schools and close ones that were under-enrolled.
Schiller has worked as a superintendent for six school districts from 1981 to 2016. Two of the positions were on an interim basis including Baltimore City Public Schools. His major leadership role in Florida was as human resources chief for Martin County Schools. He left after about two months in 2012 after being accused of using work time and assets for personal business. He denies this charge and accused the superintendent there of being unethical.
