FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Vickie Cartwright is poised to start as Broward County Public Schools’ interim superintendent next week with a base salary of $275,000, as long as the school board approves that contract at a special meeting Wednesday.
Cartwright and her attorney met with School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood for a contract negotiation Monday morning, where Osgood agreed to that proposed salary and $24,000 in moving and transition expenses.
“I want her to be empowered,” Osgood said during the negotiation meeting. “In this district, we have been working to make sure that we have equity in gender when it comes to pay. And I don’t want our interim superintendent coming in and having to struggle to find a nice place to move her family to.”
Cartwright’s proposed starting date is Aug. 2. The full board is scheduled to meet Wednesday at noon to vote on the proposed deal.
Cartwright — a former superintendent from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who has also worked as an administrator in the Orlando area — was chosen as the interim superintendent in a 5-4 vote by the school board Thursday. She will not be eligible for the permanent position.
Cartwright earned $200,758 in Oshkosh in 2019-20, according to USA Today.
Outgoing Superintendent Robert Runcie’s official last day on the job is Aug. 10 after he made a $754,900 mutual separation agreement with the school board in May following perjury charges. Runcie’s salary was over $350,000.
After the negotiation meeting, Cartwright said in an interview that she has taken note of the challenges she’ll face coming into this role.
“My primary role is to prepare the district for the next superintendent coming in,” she said.
“All the activity that has been occurring in Broward County, I’ve had the opportunity to pay close attention to. I’m fully aware of many of the challenges that are coming forward to us. However, [I’m] also looking towards how do we take advantage of making sure that we go in a positive direction going forward?”
As for questions about how to safely reopen schools as COVID-19 cases spike — and whether face masks could be again mandated in classrooms — Cartwright said that would all be discussed at a workshop this week.
“I’m excited for this period to move forward, to now have an interim superintendent,” Osgood said. “I think we will work well with Dr. Cartwright. She certainly will have my support as we work to open schools successfully and move forward while managing the pandemic.”
A video of Monday’s contract negotiations can be seen by clicking here.