INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County School Board Thursday evening selected its finalist for the top School District post – Schools Superintendent. That finalist will now undergo contract negotiations with the School Board Chair.
The School Board unanimously supported Dr. Mark Rendell to replace retiring Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams. Dr. Rendell is currently the deputy superintendent of the St. Lucie County School District.
“This is not an award show,” School Board Chair Matt McCain told the audience prior to the Board’s discussion. He added that there would be no confetti. “We will not walk out of here with a superintendent tonight.”
Instead, he prepared the audience, the Board would come up with a finalist, with whom he’d negotiate a contract. That contract will come before the full School Board for a vote.
Though a couple School Board members voiced support for the sole internal candidate – Assistant Superintendent of Technology and Assessment Bruce Green – they also acknowledged Dr. Rendell was a stronger candidate overall.
“I do love me some Bruce Green,” new School Board member Shawn Frost said, who added that Green applied for the top post for the right reasons – the children.
Green is “less qualified on paper,” Frost said, “but there’s the X factor. For me it’s no a ‘no,’ it’s a ‘not now.'”
School Board member Dale Simchick called Green a great communicator who is reassuring and calm. She noted his inside knowledge, having been an employee with the Indian River County School District.
“He can hit the ground running,” she said.
New School Board member Charles Searcy, too, supported Green, telling his fellow Board members that he believed Green gave the “most fantastic” interview.
Searcy pointed to Green’s ability to crunch numbers and his proven leadership as reasons to consider him for the top spot.
“He’s just a regular guy,” Searcy said, “but he has a burning desire to move this District forward.” He later added, “It doesn’t get much better than Bruce Green.”
The other candidates considered were Dr. Helen Wild, assistant superintendent of the St. Lucie County School District; and Dr. David Christiansen, deputy superintendent of the Lake County School District.
“We have four outstanding people,” McCain said of the candidates, prior to the discussion, later adding, “This is probably the most important” action a School Board can take – choosing the leader of education.
“I don’t think we can go wrong in any way,” he said.
Each School Board member offered up two candidates for consideration – and each one named Dr. Rendell. The second candidate, though, varied from Board member to Board member.
Simchick called Dr. Rendell a “leader of leaders” and pointed to his accomplishments in Titusville, raising the grade from a C to a B to an A.
Fellow Board member Claudia Jimenez said Dr. Rendell had the necessary credentials and has already served in key decision-making roles and worked to collaborative groups. He also has experience with Florida budgets and statutes, referenda, and union negotiating experience.
For Frost, Dr. Rendell was the “most complete” candidate, citing his various abilities, including increasing teacher opinion and morale is a former School District from 50 percent to 86 percent.
“I think he’s probably a good fit,” Frost said, adding that Dr. Rendell had also served in the military, as has Frost.
Searcy picked Dr. Rendell as his second choice, noting that Dr. Rendell has the skills necessary to take the District to the next level.
Dr. Rendell’s military service, too, made an impression on Searcy, who reminded the Board and audience that there are three military veterans who serve on the Board.
“He’s got what it takes,” Searcy said.
Board Chair Matt McCain agreed with fellow members’ assessments of Green, but cautioned that the decision is too important – “This cannot get personal.”
McCain said Green’s credentials just aren’t where they need to be in order to be selected for Schools Superintendent.
McCain told the Board that his first choice was Dr. Rendell, while his second choice was a coin toss between the other two candidates.
“We’re going to come up just fine,” McCain said of the finalist’s selection.
(This article written by Online Editor Debbie Carson)
Published March 15, 2015 5 a.m.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Indian River County School Board will have a busy week starting Monday as it interviews four candidates for the top District job – Schools Superintendent. The interviews will be preceded by a community meet-and-greet where members of the public will be given an opportunity to meet the each candidate and assess for themselves each prospect.
As part of the interview process, the School Board member will take each candidate out to lunch or dinner at the Board members’ own expense. The purpose of doing so, School Board members have said, is to help assess candidates in a more relaxed environment.
Originally, the School Board planned to interview five candidates who are seeking to replace Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams. However, Frank Rodriguez, of the Palm Beach County School District, withdrew from consideration for personal reasons.
The remaining four contenders include three outsiders from other Florida school districts, David Christiansen, chief academic officer of Lake County Schools, two candidates from neighboring St. Lucie County, and one from this District.
That candidate, Bruce Green, is already with the local school system as assistant superintendent of technology, and had been recommended by Adams to become her successor.
He had not been picked as a finalist by a team of consultants hired to narrow the field of 69 candidates to a final eight because he’s never been a principal and lacks academic credentials, but at a public meeting last week, the School Board decided to put Green’s name on the finalist list anyway.
School Board members Charles Searcy, Shawn Frost and Dale Simchick supported putting Green’s name among the finalists.
“Bruce Green is a leader who is full of energy and very entrepreneurial,” said Searcy, who asked that Green be put on the finalist roster, even though consultant Wayne Blanton said Green hadn’t made the cut “because in my opinion he is a few years away from getting the broader experience needed for being a superintendent. His qualifications are not yet on the same level as those on our list.”
Even though Green did not have a doctorate and had not been a principal like the others, Simchick said she supported him to be a finalist because of his “charisma, community involvement and roots as a fourth-generation resident of the county.”
Frost also backed his inclusion, saying Green was “dynamic” and has “deep roots here.”
School Board member Claudia Jimenez agreed Green had charisma and potential, but asked: “Are we ready to take the risk with him right now?” referring to having a leader who doesn’t have a doctorate or the principal background.
Chairman McCain agreed, saying he thought “the world of Bruce” but could not overlook the fact that his “resume is not like everyone else” on the finalist list.
Despite the fact that Green got three nods to be included among the finalists, one of those who supported his inclusion, Simchick, said her first choice was actually Mark Rendell, one of the two St. Lucie candidates along with Helen Wild.
At present Rendell is deputy superintendent and Wild is assistant superintendent in St. Lucie County.
Searcy appeared to favor the local man, Green, and be wary of anyone the teachers’ unions liked.
“One thing is for sure,” said Searcy. “I don’t want a wimp.”
Searcy also questioned the inclusion of the two St. Lucie candidates, saying “it isn’t a real high-caliber district.”
Consultant Blanton, however, said Rendell was “focused, intelligent and always self-confident.”
Blanton later clarified to the School Board that what initially was reported to them as sexual harassment accusations against Dr. Rendell was erroneous. Instead, the accusations had been leveled against an employee under Dr. Rendell. Ultimately, the accusations were found without merit.
Wild, whom the consultants described as a former guidance counselor and “leader in innovative technology as well as a good high school principal,” also taught school management at Florida Atlantic University.
St. Lucie County teacher union representative Vicki Rodriguez said after the meeting that Wild is “a master at working with people and managing competing interests and will be very good wherever she goes.”
Finalist Christiansen, said the consulting team, “has integrity, strong communication skills and is very strong in curriculum. He is very much a change agent and probably wouldn’t be a favorite for those who don’t like change.”
(This article written by Staff Writer Meg Laughlin)
