DeLand, FL - The Volusia County School Superintendent search is coming down to the wire. The 26-member Citizens Advisory Committee has whittled down the 36 completed applications to seven semi-finalist candidates. School Board Chair Carl Persis gave praise to the Advisory Committee saying they worked hard on reviewing the applications and agreed unanimously on the semi-finalists.
The School Board is meeting with the consultants from the Florida School Board Association at a workshop this afternoon, prior to their regular meeting. They will, of course, speak about the seven candidates. They'll take a week to review the applications and on October 15, the plan is to bring the number to be interviewed to less than five. Persis said the plan is not to rush to a decision and to give School Board members the time to go through the applications of the semi-finalists and then the finalists before they are interviewed. He did say he believes they have a strong field to choose from.
Once the cuts are made, the candidates will be invited for interviews scheduled to take place during the first full week of November. A reception is scheduled at the Sanborn Center in DeLand on November 7th. The public is invited to meet the candidates.
The plan is for the School Board to meet on November 12 and select the new superintendent. That will be followed by contract negotiations. Persis said the hope is that the new Superintendent will be ready to take the reins in January.
