Superintendent search forum set for Riverview High on May 26

Members of the community asked to offer views on strengths and challenges in the school district, as well as qualities they would like to see in Lori White’s successor

Superintendent Lori White (left) and School Board Chair Shirley Brown. File photo
Superintendent Lori White (left) and School Board Chair Shirley Brown. File photo

During a forum at Riverview High School in Sarasota on Thursday, May 26, members of the public may offer their comments about the qualities they would like to see in the next superintendent of the Sarasota County Schools, the school district has announced.

The session will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Although it is intended primarily for school district employees, a news release says, anyone is welcome to attend.

“The Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Florida School Boards Association are collaborating with the Sarasota County School District to gather information from families, staff and community members about their hopes and expectations for the new superintendent of schools, who will succeed Lori White when she retires next February,” the release explains. “The forums are an important part of the community input process.”

The school district has engaged the Florida School Boards Association to conduct a nationwide search for White’s successor, the release adds. One of the key elements in the process is asking community members what they believe to be the strengths of the school district, what challenges it faces and what characteristics they feel are most important for a superintendent to exhibit, the release points out.

In addition to the public forums, information is being collected through an online community survey. It is available on the district website at www.sarasotacountyschools.net.

Participants work in small table groups, the release explains; the ideas they report out are recorded and compiled in a report. Participants also have an opportunity to speak at an open microphone and to submit ideas in writing.

“The information from the forums will be shared with the applicants for the position, with members of a community committee that will help screen applications, and with the School Board, which will appoint the new superintendent,” the release notes.

For more information about the forums or the superintendent search process, visit the Sarasota County Schools website and click on the “Superintendent Search” button on the home page.