The St. Johns County School Board is scheduled to hold public interviews Monday, Oct. 10 with the four finalists being considered to replace outgoing superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner.
Finalists Dr. Elizabeth Alves, Dr. Vickie Cartwright, Mr. Tim Forson and Mr. Mark Porter are to be interviewed in the auditorium of the SJCSD Administrative Building, located at 40 Orange St., St. Augustine. Interviews are scheduled to occur between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., with a break for lunch. The candidate interview schedule is available online at http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/supt-search/wp-content/uploads/sites/109/2016/09/Candidate-Interview-Schedule.pdf.
Following the interviews, a community reception for the finalists will be held at 6 p.m. at First Coast Technical College, Building C, located at 2890 Collins Ave., St. Augustine. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from and meet each of the finalists as well as provide input to the school board for consideration.
Superintendent finalists
Several of the finalists have been top contenders for superintendent positions in other communities. Finalist Mark Porter, for example, is also currently one of four finalists being considered for Sarasota County superintendent – a position for which Cartwright had been a semifinalist. Cartwright is currently senior executive director for exceptional student education for the Orange County Public Schools.
Porter, who is currently superintendent of the Monroe County School District in Key West, has been the subject of controversy during the past year. In February, he suspended himself and three other school district employees for five days regarding nearly $22,000 that disappeared from a school daycare program. According to local news reports, Porter waited a year before informing the school board and state attorney’s office about the missing funds. No charges were filed in the case.
Porter has also been criticized by some Monroe County School Board members for seeking other superintendent positions without notifying them first as required by his contract.
Alves – the assistant superintendent and chief academic officer for the Knox County Schools in Tennessee – was one of two finalists earlier this year for the position of director of schools in Cleveland City, Tennessee. The other finalist received the position.
Forson – the lone local candidate under consideration – has served as deputy superintendent for operations for the St. Johns County School District since 2011. Prior to that position, he served in the school district for 26 years as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal before serving four years as executive director for facilities and operations.
The St. Johns County School District is offering a three-year contract with a salary range of $165,000 to $195,000 plus benefits. Following the candidate interviews, a finalist is expected to be named Oct. 11.
