FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The super search is on – superintendent that is, now that Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is leaving to go to Los Angeles.
Two of the largest school districts in the country have vacant spots for their top post.
Broward schools, the sixth largest district in the United States, has been looking for its next leader for months after the former superintendent Robert Runcie stepped down following legal troubles.
In October, the Broward school board talked about what to offer a potential candidate in order to remain competitive with other school districts around the country.
Places like San Francisco, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are also hiring superintendents.
“I don’t know if there has ever been a more difficult time and more pressures put to bear on superintendents and on boards,” said Dennis Smith, managing partner at Leadership Associates, a firm that specializes in superintendent searches in California.
Smith said the politics in the United States has made hiring those top jobs difficult. Other challenges he says include declining student enrollment and unions.
“There are quality people out there. I just think that there is a burn-out rate just like for football coaches and others. The burnout rate is accelerating,” said Smith.
Lucia Baez-Geller, Miami-Dade School Board member, who has been a teacher for 15 years, said the search shouldn’t be rushed at Miami-Dade Schools and the process has to be fair and transparent.
“We need somebody that knows our community, has lived in our community, and is aware of the needs in our community,” Baez-Geller said.