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Seven educators from around the state have made the first cut in the field to become the Osceola County School District's next superintendent.
The person who will succeed the retiring Dr. Debra Pace as Osceola County’s school superintendent will come from a list of seven educators from around the state. A community committee brought forward 12 potential semifinalists, and the School Board narrowed that down to its top recommendations at last week’s board meeting. According to the consultant heading up the search committee, one of the 12 has withdrawn, and another was offered the superintendent position in Manatee County, leaving 10 potential successors.
The five School Board members pared that list down to seven official semifinalists. They are:
- Dr. Michael Allen, current Osceola district Assistant Superintendent of Middle School Curriculum, and has spent 29 years in the district;
- Dr. James Larsen, Orange County’s Senior Executive Director of Federal Grants, and a former county area superintendent;
- Dr. Kim D. Moore, Assistant Superintendent for Career and Innovation Programs in Pasco County schools;
- Terrence L. Connor, Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Hillsborough County Schools and formerly held that same role in Clay County;
- Dr. Ann Hembrook, Assistant Superintendent for Marion County Public Schools and a former associate superintendent in Clark County (home to Las Vegas), Nev.;
- Marcos Murillo, regional superintendent for middle schools in Hillsborough County;
- Dr. Mark Shanoff, Chief Information Officer with Orange County Public Schools and the former Chief Operating Officer for Volusia County Schools.
Consultants from the Florida School Board Association assisting the search said it would get an email with questions from each School Board member. The semifinals have until Monday to send responses back to the School District to review the responses. A narrowed list for face-to-face interviews is expected to come from that.
When School Board members were asked by the FSBA to rate their top choices Tuesday, Larsen and Hembrook received support from all five School Board members. Allen, the lone in-house candidate, received support from all School Board members, except Jon Arguello.
“Having read through the community forums, it was evident they didn’t want someone from inside the district,” said district 3’s Arguello. “Dr. Allen exhibits the positive character traits. But people want a reset button in Osceola County … I’m not looking for another Dr. Pace.”
Bill Vogel, another member of the FSBA search committee, said background checks will now begin on the semifinalists. They will work with the board to narrow that list down to three to five finalists — Pace was one of three when selected in 2016 — and they will go through a full day of interviews, community tours and a dinner reception at Valencia College June 5.
