Public invited to meet Sarasota County Schools superintendent candidates

Reception to begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, in Riverview High cafeteria

(From left) The three finalists for the next superintendent of the Sarasota County Schools are Brennan Asplen III, Todd Bowden and Mark Porter. Contributed photos
(From left) The three finalists for the next superintendent of the Sarasota County Schools are Brennan Asplen III, Todd Bowden and Mark Porter. Contributed photos

In its continuing effort to include members of the community in the search for a new Sarasota County Schools superintendent, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County will host an open reception on Thursday, Oct. 13, for the public to meet the candidates and then offer comments about them to the School Board, the school district has announced.

“The reception will be the final opportunity for public input regarding the selection of a new superintendent,” a news release says.

The event will be held in the Riverview High School cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the release adds. It will be informal, with participants encouraged to speak with the candidates and then provide notes to the School Board regarding their impressions, the release points out.

Light refreshments will be served. The high school is located on Lords Avenue in Sarasota, just south of Proctor Road and east of U.S. 41.

The candidates who have been invited to be interviewed and attend the reception are as follows:

  • Brennan Asplen III, deputy superintendent for academic and student services, St. Johns County (St. Augustine).
  • Todd Bowden, executive director of career, technical and adult education, Sarasota County Schools.
  • Mark Porter, superintendent, Monroe County Schools (Key West).

The reception will follow two days of candidate interviews with the School Board, the release explains. The full board will interview the candidates during public meetings in the School Board Chambers on Oct. 12, the release notes. Those sessions will be televised on Comcast Channel 20 and Frontier Channel 33 and streamed live on the school district website, the release adds.

The first interview will be from 8:30 to 10 a.m.; the second, from 10:30 a.m. to noon; and the third, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. Each candidate will meet privately with the individual board members for a second set of interviews on Oct. 13, the release notes.

During the reception, each participant will be provided with a response card on which to make notes about his or her impression of the candidates. The cards will be copied and provided to the board members to be included in their final deliberations regarding who should be offered the superintendent’s job, the release explains.

More information about the candidates and the search process is available on the school district website at www.sarasotacountyschools.net.