Superintendent search kicks off

Members of the Manatee County School Board have many decisions to make in very little time.

Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association, met with Board members Monday afternoon to discuss their options in the hunt for a new superintendent of schools.

Blanton said the board hiring a new superintendent will take four to six months, and the board must decide on many key factors — whether to hold a local, statewide or nationwide search and when they want the new superintendent to start — before they can begin advertising the position.

The School Board will meet Monday, Sept. 24 to discuss which options it may wish to pursue, as well as for choosing a few dates at which the public can offer input on the new superintendent's management style and other criteria and whether or not to have Blanton spearhead superintendent search efforts.

Blanton said he has spoken with three former superintendents — all with ties to Manatee County — who are willing and able to serve in an interim capacity, for up to six months. Those individuals include: Art Johnson, formerly of Palm Beach; Bill Vogel, of Seminole County; and David Gayler, formerly of Charlotte County.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].