Help wanted: Sarasota School Board moves to replace superintendent

At its Dec. 13 meeting, board members unanimously selected Chris Renouf, one of the district’s assistant superintendents and its chief academic officer, to serve as acting superintendent until an interim superintendent is selected.

Board members, at a workshop Tuesday afternoon and at Tuesday night’s meeting, decided that public input should be involved in the selection process for an interim superintendent. They also set a maximum salary at $225,000.

So far, three people have expressed interest in the job.

Two are district administrators: Sarasota Technical Center Executive Director Ron DiPillo and district Human Resources and Labor Relations Executive Director Allison Foster.

Board member Robyn Marinelli also asked Richard Murphy be included.

Murphy, a former superintendent in Hendry County, was among those who applied for the Sarasota County superintendent’s post when it was last open in 2021.

Board members also discussed the process for selecting a new superintendent. They agreed that a third-party entity should be contracted to conduct a nationwide search.

On Tuesday, they approved a plan to release a Request for Letters of Interest from various companies interested in conducting the search.

District Chief Financial Officer Bonnie Penner proposed a timeline to allow staff to release the request on Jan. 23, and set Feb. 13 as the due date for responses.

Board members could look at all the responses for discussion at the Feb. 21 workshop and create a short list for the March 7 meeting. The companies on the short list could make presentations to the board. The board members could make their decision then.

Board members approved that recommendation 5-0.

During the last superintendent search, the School Board relied on the nonprofit Florida Association of School Boards for the selection process. Charlotte County Public Schools is working with the Florida Association of School Boards in the search to replace Superintendent Steve Dionisio. The association was formerly a member of the National School Board Association, but left the organization in 2021, and is now a member of the Consortium of State School Boards Association.

Several members of the public spoke at the beginning of the meeting, with a few advocating for the association to help with the search, while others labeled the organization as “liberal.”

Other speakers recommend the board use the Leadership Institute to conduct the search. Also a nonprofit, the Leadership Institute “teaches conservatives of all ages how to succeed in politics, government, and the media,” according to its website.

Some speakers pointed out that School Board Chair Bridget Ziegler is on staff at the Leadership Institute. Ziegler also co-founded the Florida Coalition of School Board members which served as a rival to the Florida School Board Association.