Sarasota School Board Selects 4 Finalists for Superintendent

SARASOTA, FL – The School Board of Sarasota County is a step closer to naming a new superintendent.

The school board selected four finalists who will be interviewed for the leadership position. The new superintendent will succeed Lori White who is scheduled to retire Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The four finalists were agreed upon by the board in a workshop meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and later voted to approve the list during its regular meeting later in the day.

The district received 49 applications for the superintendent’s job. A 15-member community advisory committee recommended eight semifinalists to the board on Sept. 1. The board approved that list at its Sept. 6 meeting.

The finalists are:

• Todd Bowden, executive director of career, technical and adult education, Sarasota County Schools
• Andrew Rynberg, former assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, Indian River Schools (Vero Beach)
• Mark Porter, superintendent, Monroe County Schools (Key West)
• Brennan Asplen III, deputy superintendent for academic and student services, St. Johns County (St. Augustine)

The candidates will be invited to Sarasota on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 12 and 13, for interviews and conversations with School Board Members, tours of the school district and community, and a public reception.

The board will conduct public interviews on Oct. 12. The public is invited to observe the interviews at the School Board chambers at The Landings, 1960 Landings Blvd. in Sarasota. The public interviews also will be streamed live on the district website at SarasotaCountySchools.net and broadcast live on The Education Channel (Comcast 20 and Frontier FiOS 33).

Individual school board members will interview each candidate privately on Oct. 13.

The public reception, hosted by the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, also will take place on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at Riverview High School, 1 Ram Way in Sarasota. The public is invited to meet the candidates, ask them questions and write their impressions of the candidates on response cards that will be presented to board members before they make their final decision.

The School Board is expected to appoint the new superintendent at its regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. in the school board chambers.

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County and the Florida School Boards Association worked with the Sarasota County School District to gather information from families, staff and community members about their expectations for the new superintendent. Public forums at four high schools and an online survey were part of the input process.

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