HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – It’s been a year marked by unprecedented challenges, and Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie is getting mixed reviews from school board members who discussed his performance at their meeting Tuesday.
Overall, Runcie received a grade of 2.8 out of 4 from the board.
Board member Lori Alhadeff gave Runcie poor marks for a lack of communication and confusion over how schools would be reopened.
“The confusion with communication and how we are telling parents what is actually going to be happening when we bring our students back to our schools,” she said.
Board member Nora Rupert wrote: “Runcie’s pattern of making quick plans to address issues without the forethought of a detailed implementation plan creates chaos and erodes the public trust.”
Runcie pushed back Tuesday, saying this about negative reviews:
“The assertions represented in this evaluation are not reflective of my performance.”
Alhadeff was most vocal over what she calls mismanagement of an $800 million bond for badly needed school renovations, which is now millions overbudget with few projects completed.
“HVAC systems are not being replaced. The delays in these projects are directly affecting what students are getting in their schools,” she said.
Runcie got high marks for academics and the quick shift to e-learning in the face of COVID-19.
“We continue to address food security. Between March and the end of summer we served over 3 million meals,” Runcie said.
Runcie also addressed criticism over a decline in enrollment of about 8,800 students. He said that is something districts across the country are facing as a result of the pandemic.