Other three have Florida educational credentials as well
The Sarasota County School Board has selected four finalists who will be interviewed as the potential successor to Superintendent Lori White, who will retire on Feb. 28, 2017.
Winnowed from a pool of 49 applicants, they are as follows, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County has announced:
- Todd Bowden, executive director of career, technical and adult education for the Sarasota County Schools.
- Andrew Rynberg, former assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction with the Indian River Schools (Vero Beach).
- Mark Porter, superintendent of the Monroe County Schools (Key West).
- Brennan Asplen III, deputy superintendent for academic and student services in St. Johns County (St. Augustine).
A 15-member community advisory committee recommended eight semifinalists to the School Board on Sept. 1, and the board approved that list during its Sept. 6 meeting. By consensus, the board settled on the four finalists following discussions during its Sept. 20 workshop; it voted to approve the list during its regular meeting that afternoon, a news release points out.
The candidates will be invited to be present in Sarasota on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 12 and 13, for interviews and conversations with the School Board members, tours of the school district and community, and a public reception, the news release says. The School Board will conduct public interviews on Oct. 12; anyone is welcome to observe those sessions in the School Board Chambers at The Landings, located at 1960 Landings Blvd. in Sarasota, the release adds. The interviews will be streamed live on the district website at SarasotaCountySchools.net and broadcast live on The Education Channel (Comcast 20 and Frontier FiOS 33). On Thursday, Oct. 13, the individual School Board members will interview each candidate privately, the release notes.
A public reception, hosted by the Education Foundation, will begin at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the Riverview High School cafeteria, the release continues. All interested community members are encouraged to attend the event, meet the candidates and ask them questions, the release says. Participants will be invited to write their impressions of the candidates on response cards that will be presented to the School Board members before they make the final selection of the new superintendent, the release adds.
The School Board is expected to appoint the new superintendent during its regular meeting on Oct. 18, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the School Board chambers.