School board choosing next Sarasota County superintendent

SARASOTA, Fla. - In just a matter of days, Sarasota County Schools will select their new superintendent. 

It comes as the issue of superintendent turnover plagues the state of Florida. 

According to the Florida Association of School Superintendents, in the last four years, 61 of Florida's 67 school districts have seen new superintendents.

Change is coming to Sarasota County Schools.

Sarasota County Schools will select their new superintendent on Wednesday morning.

"If I were selected to be superintendent, I'm from here, fully committed, no desire to go anywhere else. I feel that I could provide the stability that we need to really move forward. I think stability is necessary," alumna and interim superintendent Dr. Allison Foster said.

Who will lead, what will change and what will stay the same is still up in the air.

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"One of the biggest changes that I would like to make in the school district is really looking at those gaps. When we look at the gap analysis in reading scores, when we look at our ESEC, when we look at our bottom quartile and making sure that we're actually addressing those," superintendent candidate Dr. Joe Phillips shared.

Dr. Joe Phillips is currently the Chief Information Officer for Broward County Public School. He held the same position at Volusia County Public Schools from June 2021 to April 2022. 

Four candidates are hoping to become the next superintendent in Sarasota.

Since 2020, Terrence Connor has served as the deputy superintendent and chief academic officer at Hillsborough County Public Schools.

"I did feel called because I have seen the turnover, and it is something that concerns me about the future of public education and that's why I decided I wanted to step into this role," Connor said.

Mr. Charlie Van Zant feels he's best for the job.

"Out of the four candidates here tonight, I'm the one former Florida superintendent that knows how to navigate Florida education. I'm the only one that has a track record to judge. People can tell you what they're going to do. I've always believed that past behavior is a good indicator of future performance," Van Zant explained.

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Monday night, each of the candidates got to meet with community members, talk ideas and answer questions.

"I want to see the thought process behind just their qualifications. I want to know how they would come in, how they would implement it, what they would do for professional development and what kind of leadership qualities they would bring. I know that's one of the things that's really important to our community. It's not just our education scores, but somebody who is going to lead the district in the right direction," Sarasota County School Board Member Timothy Enos said.

The school board will make their final decision on the next superintendent at a special school board meeting on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.